Modern Embedded Engineering: Where we are and our Exciting Future

ABOUT THE MEETING:
Nearly anyone today can feel like an embedded engineer. A plethora of new electronic systems are being developed by individuals outside of our profession. We enabled this new customer base, and it is flourishing. Though initially this trend could be viewed as concerning to professionals, I am excited by the prospects for the professional engineer. I predict embedded engineering will increase in importance as it continues to create leverage for all developers. Electronic systems will become even more important as the backbone of modern economies. In this keynote, I aim to describe the technical details which enabled this change to occur and explain the role of the modern embedded engineer in reducing integration complexity to attract new customers and traditional ones alike.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Randall Restle has worked in embedded engineering for over 40 years as a developer and manager of embedded engineering teams. He started his career in late 1975 by applying microprocessors to electronic musical instruments like church organs and synthesizers at Baldwin Piano and Organ Co in Cincinnati. His career is split into three, nearly equal parts:

1. As a customer embedding electronics into products,
2. As an Applications Engineer helping customers adopt new electronic technologies, and
3. As a Manager and Executive of teams of engineers doing these things.

His embedded experience is broad and holds patents spanning such fields as using software to demodulate Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasts in real time to high speed packaging machine design.
He has presented at several technical sessions at Embedded World conferences in past years and other international technical conferences.

LOCATION: For your safety our meeting will be presented virtually this month. We hope to be in person again for our fall sessions.

RESERVATIONS: Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOyrpzIjGtZ3nAj9zmSQdhL3uz5HcM7z
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Please register at least 2 hours prior to the meeting to allow time for your invitation to arrive.

PE CREDITS: Depending on the subject matter, attendance at IEEE Cincinnati Section Meetings now qualifies the attendee for Professional Development Hours towards renewal of Professional Engineers Licenses. Required documentation will be available following the meeting if qualified! The Section Meetings also provide a great opportunity to network with fellow engineers in the area.

The Teller Committee is pleased to report the election results for the Cincinnati Section. Voting was open from November 15, 2020 to December 22, 2020. Six percent (6%) of our membership voted.

The following officers will serve for two years (2021 to 2022):

Chair: Robert Schindler
Vice Chair: Sai Sudheer Reddy Bonthu
Secretary: David Hernandez
Treasurer: Andrew Foerster
Member-At-Large: Joseph R. (Bob) Morrison

Congratulations to these volunteers.

We also owe a big THANK YOU to the outgoing officers who served from 2019 to 2020:

Chair: Joseph (Jay) Perin
Vice Chair: Brendan Moser
Secretary: Sai Sudheer Reddy Bonthu
Treasurer: Robert Schindler
Member-At-Large: David Hernandez

Integrated Adaptation and Model Inference for Safety Assurance of Cyber Physical Systems

DATE:  Thursday, October 22, 2020

PLACE:   1819 Innovation Hub, University of Cincinnati (see below for directions)

• REGISTRATION & MASKS are REQUIRED
• This In-Person meeting is limited to non-students due to UC requirements.
• A separate registration is available for for virtually attendance for anyone, including students, for the presentation portion of the meeting- a Skype invitation will be sent to registered individuals.
• Health & Safety Protocols for Attendees.  Masks are required, social distancing observed.

TIME :

5:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m.   Registration (Registration closes promptly at 5:45)

5:30 p.m.  6:00 p.m.  Dinner & Social

6:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Welcome address and Tour of Facility

6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.  Presentation

COST:  $5 See information in Reservations

ABOUT THE MEETING:   Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are systems in which physical and software components are very closely coupled, operate simultaneously on different spatial and temporal scales and interact with one another in ways not always entirely predictable at the time of design. Changes to any sub-component of a CPS while it is in operation can lead to unintended, but potentially dangerous, outcomes. The danger is particularly present when a Cyber Physical System employs reinforcement learning to adapt in response to the loss of efficacy. Reinforcement learning could adapt based on temporally and spatially local observations  — but still be unready for conditions not seen during that adaptation.

This presentation will focus on a method to meld reinforcement learning and model inference in a self-adapting Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle (FW-MAV).  The salient features of the method are that it does not require system evaluation beyond that, one would use for adaptation and can that it can use “indirect” information that would be available during normal operation instead of dedicated, off-line, model verification. The ability to trust our increasingly complex systems is a critical need. Therefore, this presentation will also discuss the intended long-term development of these and related techniques to ensure ongoing verification and validation capability for other cyber-physical systems even in the presence of both intentional and unintentional injections of uncertainty.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:   Dr. John Gallagher received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in computer engineering from Case Western Reserve University.  He is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Cincinnati. He conducted research in machine learning and A.I. as applied to robotics and control and analog VLSI neuromorphic computation and studies topics in machine learning and meta-heuristic search, verification, validation, and security of adaptive cyber-physical systems, neuromorphic computation, and  adaptive autonomous robots.

MENU SELECTIONS:   Buffet Menu:   Box meal

LOCATION:  1819 Innovation Hub- University of Cincinnati

2900 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206

(Intersections of E. University Ave, Lincoln, and Reading at I-71)

(Lat Long)       39.132685, -84.497100

Entrance:  Ground level at south entrance adjacent to the Children’s parking lot.

Recommended parking in the Children’s lot- free for this event.

www.uc1819.com

RESERVATIONS:  http://www.ieeecincinnati.org/meetings/.  Please click on the appropriate link and complete the reservation.  (Note:  Meeting list on webpage is slow to load on some browsers)

(In Person) Cost is $5 for advanced registration.  This In-Person meeting is limited to non-students due to UC requirements.  Students and others may attend virtually and will receive connection information after registering- this is a separate registration.  Reservations close at 11:59 PM on Wednesday October 21, 2020.

DINNER RESERVATION CANCELLATION POLICY
An email to reserve.cinti@ieee.org prior to the close of reservations is required to properly cancel your reservation.

All Reservations must be made by October 21st, 2020

WALK-INS (those without reservations): Walk-ins NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS MEETING.

PE CREDITS:  Depending on the subject matter, attendance at IEEE Cincinnati Section Meetings now qualifies the attendee for Professional Development Hours towards renewal of Professional Engineers Licenses.  Required documentation will be available following the meeting if qualified!  The Section Meetings also provide a great opportunity to network with fellow engineers in the area.

Connecting Internet of Things Systems

ABOUT THE MEETING:      Terminology of the IoT, frameworks for connectivity, and many real world examples and gotchas.  Plan is to actually wire up and integrate an edge device to a system.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:     Kevin Klawon is a Research Scientist and adjunct Faculty member in the Computer Science department at the University of Dayton.  He is deeply involved in sensor integration and IoT connectivity for a number of clients including the US Air Force.  He is the founder New Dawn Labs.

MENU SELECTIONS    Buffet Menu: Homemade Potato & Chicken Noodle Soups, Salad & Baked Potato Bar, Toppings: Shredded Cheddar, Chopped Bacon, Sliced Hardboiled Eggs, Sauteed Mushrooms & Garlic, Diced Broccoli & Diced Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Breadsticks, Chef’s Choice of Dessert

LOCATION:  Raffel’s is located at 10160 Reading Road, south of Glendale-Milford Road on the east side of Reading. Take I-75 to the Glendale-Milford Rd. Exit, go east on Glendale-Milford Road approximately ¾ of a mile to Reading Rd. and turn right on Reading.

RESERVATIONS:  http://www.ieeecincinnati.org/meetings/.  Please click on the appropriate link and complete the reservation.  (Note:  Meeting list on webpage is slow to load on some browsers)

Cost is $15 for members advanced registration.  Non-members and unregistered member cost is $20 cash at the door.

Reservations close at 11:59 PM on Sunday September 20, 2020.

DINNER RESERVATION CANCELLATION POLICY
An email to reserve.cinti@ieee.org prior to the close of reservations is required to properly cancel your reservation.

All Reservations must be made by September 20, 2020

WALK-INS (those without reservations): You are welcome to attend this meeting and/or enjoy the dinner even if you did not register in advance. Walk-ins pay a higher $20 dinner fee. Raffel’s determines our cost based on the number of plates used; if you choose to have dinner, please pay the fee if you eat even if you arrive late or didn’t pre-register.

_{PE CREDITS:  Depending on the subject matter, attendance at IEEE Cincinnati Section Meetings now qualifies the attendee for Professional Development Hours towards renewal of Professional Engineers Licenses.  Required documentation will be available following the meeting if qualified!  The Section Meetings also provide a great opportunity to network with fellow engineers in the area}.

Greetings, fellow IEEE section members.

This is a follow on to my open letter issued in mid-March at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak. At that time, there were an overwhelming number of unknowns related to this virus. In that determining risk was impossible, and there was a mandated business downturn imminent, our executive committee made what was really the only practical decision to suspend regular section activities. Our meetings for March through May were cancelled. This included this year’s award-winning engineering student project presentations, an annual highlight normally held in April.

Not only were the students unable to present to us in person, but due to campus closures, the teams submitted their projects remotely (streamed or recorded). The winners were selected by the various university engineering faculty committees, and our section made its customary awards to the winning teams. These student presentations are generally highly interesting and worthy of promotion as part of IEEE’s basic mission. To that end, I am listing the following links to the student presentations…

Miami University…
Wireless Power Transfer Security (Advisor: Prof. Dmitriy Garmatyuk; Students: Austin Patrick, Xinyue Zhou, Rafe Qiao and Jiekang Xu)
Predistortion of RF Communication Signals (Advisor: Prof. David Hartup; Students: Kevin Doench, Andrew Haidet, Rachel Kevdzija and Becca Kheiry)

University of Cincinnati…
A Cross-Layer Adaptive Video Communications Solution Over SDR (Advisor: ; Students: Yiling Fu, Sunmeng Lin)
Music Maker (Advisor: Dr. Carla Purdy; Students: Adam Tait, Jason Judis, John Rose, Eric Gatto)
Luvie: an LGBT Inclusive Healthcare Marketplace (Advisor: Dr. Ossman; Student: Dillon Dragomir)
The Recyclable Separator (Advisor: Dr. Max Rabiee; Students: Skylor Stewart, Micah Tawney)

Now, as for moving forward, we plan to resume our normal section meetings schedule starting this September when Dr. Gorsuch will be presenting on the “IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.” The meeting notice is posted on the Cincinnati IEEE website and registration will commence on 9/11. The venue, as has been customary, will be Raffel’s (Evendale, OH). In keeping with current health guidelines, Raffel’s has adopted several new practices related to hygiene. These include reduction in capacity, use of larger space for meetings, increased seat/table spacings, and rigorous sanitation regimens between events. In addition, the staff will be wearing masks and gloves when interacting with guests. While meals will still be served buffet style, the staff will dish all food such that guests do not handle any serving utensils. Social distancing and use of masks is advised according to any guidelines in place at time meeting is held. Finally, and at time of check-in, the body temperature of each attendee will be non-invasively scanned as a screening measure.

Whether you believe this crisis is real or has been overblown, I believe it is high time to get on with our lives. We now know enough about this contagion to recognize its actual risk (relative to all of the other risks we face daily without complaint or consternation) and take appropriate precautions.

Looking forward to seeing you in September!

Jay Perin
Section Chair, IEEE Cincinnati

Greetings.

We are now in the midst of a most unusual period in section and national history. In an effort to stem the contagion of COVID-19, the U.S. has instituted a national emergency and essentially gone into lockdown. A great portion of economic activity having been suspended, corporate losses are mounting, personal investment portfolio valuations have plummeted, and, for many, perhaps, financial security is at risk. What is more, there are still a great many unknowns. While it is certain that we will, at some time in the future, emerge from this dark period to resume our normal lives, we do not yet know when that will be.

I would suggest two thoughts to help center the soul. First, this is a chance to engage in some personal reflection. Are you on the right path personally and professionally? Are you tending to your families as you ought? Are you being a good neighbor in this time of collective hardship?

The second thought is more secular and relates directly to you and the rest of the entire worldwide membership of IEEE. You are a technical professional. The primary mission of IEEE is to harness technology in the service of humanity. As we work our way through this crisis, we will undoubtedly observe technologists of all sorts leading the way. You can take pride in that. What is more, it should serve to inspire in you a desire to improve your capabilities to match your capacity. In this way, you will not only enhance your personal ROI, but you will strengthen our technical community’s ability to contribute in responding to any such challenges we may face in the future.

Now, as for regular section business, this situation has forced some changes on us. We will be refraining from our normal section meetings for the time being. At the very least, this means postponement of that for March. Dr. Gunsch had a fantastic presentation on the ethics of AI prepared for us. We will undoubtedly work to reschedule him. The April meeting is typically devoted to a “best of team projects” presentation by local engineering students from the UC and MiamiU student chapters. (The NKU chapter may get involved starting next year.) All schools have essentially closed their campuses and have adopted remote learning models to close out the school year. Even if we are clear to host an April meeting, I am uncertain as to how this change on campus might affect such an event. Be assured that the section’s Executive Committee will work diligently to bring things back on line at the earliest opportunity. We will keep you posted as the situation evolves.

Take care, do everything in your power to do, and let God take care of the rest.

Jay Perin

Section Chair, IEEE Cincinnati

Due to the COVID19 virus and surrounding restrictions, the March meeting, IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, is cancelled and will be rescheduled at a future date.  Our first and foremost objective is the health and safety of the membership and families.

Please remain active with social distancing and associated hygiene so we will all get through this major life event without incident.

Feel free to reach out to us (your Cincinnati IEEE Executive Committee) with any questions or needs.  We will help any way we can.

We will notify you by email and website update when we are able to resume normal functions.

Sincerely, your Cincinnati IEEE Executive Committee

IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems

DATE:    Cancelled

PLACE : Raffel’s – 10160 Reading Road (see below for directions)

TIME :

5:30 p.m. Social Time & Registration

6:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 p.m. Presentation (45-60 min)

COST:   $15- $20, See information in Reservations

ABOUT THE MEETING:   Around the globe, concern is rising over the ability of autonomous and artificially intelligent systems to (more…)

Slides from the presentation: Climate Change In Perspective – 27Feb2020

Climate Change in Perspective

DATE:      Thursday, February 27, 2020

PLACE :   Raffel’s – 10160 Reading Road (see below for directions)

TIME :

5:30 p.m. Social Time & Registration

6:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 p.m. Presentation (45-60 min)

COST:   $15- $20, See information in Reservations

ABOUT THE MEETING:   Climate history is discussed, including the historical record and science of climate. The relative risks and potential causes of temperature change are discussed with regard to the costs of potential mitigation and avoidance.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:  Marwan Nusair received (more…)