This year we’re bringing you even more opportunities to interact with our sponsoring companies. On February 6 & 7, we invite you to join us for sponsor-hosted Workshops, our annual graduate Job Fair, Opening Plenary , and networking with sponsors at the After Hours Reception.
Workshops
Microsoft (gold sponsor): February 7 @ 9am, CSL B02 (This workshop will be followed by a panel discussion)
From Intelligent Cloud to Intelligent Edge
Edge computing is where compute resources, ranging from credit-card-size computers to microdata centers, are placed closer to information-generation sources, to reduce network latency and bandwidth usage generally associated with cloud computing. Edge computing also ensures the continuation of service and operation despite intermittent cloud connections. Edge computing can be thought as an extension of the cloud by pushing computation and intelligence closer to the source of data. In this workshop, we explore real-world edge applications, the challenges of realizing the edge, and future roadmap of the edge.
Talk #1: Realizing the intelligent edge, from lite and nimble to heavy and ultra fast by Dr. Rashmi Misra
Bio: Dr. Rashmi Misra is General Manager of IOT & AI Solutions, in the Partner Device Solutions division of Microsoft. Working closely with ecosystem partners, Rashmi is responsible for proving forefront solutions combining IoT, AI and Edge as well as other emergent technologies at Microsoft. She has been at the forefront of telecoms and IP media for over 20 years, managing network applications, cloud, media, IoT and M2M businesses for HPE during the previous 6 years, where most recently she was the Head of AI Solutions for High Performance Compute solutions. Rashmi previously led Motorola’s worldwide System Integration portfolio and was instrumental in deploying some of the first expert and AI systems in 2G, 3G and 4G networks. She owns six international patents for intelligent optimization, automated network health and monetization of traffic on telecom networks. She has a doctorate in Artificial Intelligence on Multi-Agent Reasoning Systems, from Exeter University, UK and an MBA from Warwick University, UK.
Talk #2: FarmBeats: AI & IoT for Agriculture by Suraj Jog (a graduate from UIUC)
Abstract: Several studies have demonstrated the need to significantly increase the world’s food production by 2050. However, there is limited amount of additional arable land, and water levels have also been receding. Although data-driven techniques could help the farmer boost agricultural productivity by increasing yields and cutting down input costs, its adoption has been limited owing to the high costs of manual data collection and limited connectivity solutions for sensors deployed in the farm. Moreover, farmers are not typically technology savvy, which creates an additional barrier. Our solution, called FarmBeats, is an end-to-end approach, from sensors to the cloud, to solve the problem. As part of the FarmBeats project, we are building several unique solutions to tackle the various challenges, using low-cost sensors, drones, and vision and machine learning algorithms.
Bio: Suraj Jog is a PhD candidate in the ECE Department at UIUC, being advised by Prof. Haitham Hassanieh. He is interested in the area of wireless networking and RF systems, and his research is focused on investigating new protocols and system designs for Millimeter Wave (60 GHz) communications. He is also interested in the area of IoT and Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), and he spent Summer 2018 at Microsoft Research, Redmond working on the ‘FarmBeats’ project under the guidance of Dr. Ranveer Chandra. At Microsoft, he worked on designing novel networking paradigms and sensing modalities in low-power long-range IoT networks operating in the TV White Spaces. Suraj’s research was recognized with the Rambus Computer Engineering Fellowship at UIUC, and he also won the First Position in the ACM SIGCOMM’18 Student Research Competition.
IBM (Silver sponsor): February 6 @ 12pm, CSL B02
An in-depth view of the next go-to platform for AI research – an overview of the C3SR center’s research project
In this workshop, we’ll introduce the audience the various AI research projects being conducted at the IBM-ILLINOIS Center for Cognitive Computing Systems Research (www.c3sr.com). We’ll go in-depth for a few selected projects that have great potential to change the future AI land scape. The workshop will also provide opportunities for students to directly engage with our center’s research projects. Please be prepared to bring in one of your favorite AI models, and we’ll work with you to see how our C3SR’s projects can help you to better understand and improve your AI models, and how you may help us to make the center’s research more usable for your AI research.
Talk #3: Jinjun Xiong, Wen-mei Hwu, Abhishek Srivastava and others (https://c3sr.com/participants/)
3M’s Corporate Research System Lab (Silver sponsor): February 6 @ 12pm, CSL 301
AI at a Material Science Company: Applications, Opportunities, and Challenges
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives. Our 91,000 employees connect with customers all around the world in diverse markets that include healthcare, energy, infrastructure, transportation, and consumer. You may know us as the company that makes the Post-It® Note or Scotch-Brite® Sponges. Come find out how our teams of data scientists are applying machine learning, AI, and software engineering to revolutionize 3M’s business. We will highlight a number of our recent applications, focusing on future opportunities and technical challenges.
Talk #3: AI at a Material Science Company: Applications, Opportunities, and Challenges by Dr. Nick Asendorf
Bio: Nick Asendorf is the supervisor of the Software Research group in 3M’s Corporate Research System Lab. He joined 3M in 2015 as a data scientist, promoting the possible in big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. He has worked on disparate applications including personalized medicine, supply chain analysis, worker safety, and sales analytics. Nick earned a B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Maryland in 2010 and Ph.D. in statistical signal processing from the University of Michigan in 2015. Maryland, Michigan, and Minnesota comprise Nick’s personal 3 Ms.
Graduate Job Fair
Be sure to register for the conference today to ensure your resume is added to the resume book we share with the job fair attendees!
COMPANIES PARTICIPATING THIS YEAR       | February 6, 2019 |
Other job fair attendees:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Boeing
Companies attending the job fair, please RSVP here.
Please RSVP here for attending the job fair!
After Hours Reception
After Hours provides an informal setting for students to meet and network with company representatives. This event will be after the plenary talk at ECEB 3002 and dinner will be served.