Winter 2022
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Winter 2022 www.ece.cmu.edu
FEATURE 12 Understanding Neural Activity
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CAMPUS NEWS
RESEARCH
ACADEMICS
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Welcome from the Department Head
10 Making Phone Displays See Better
18 New M.S. Concentrations
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New Faculty
12 Understanding Neural Activity
20 Encouraging Student Research
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Franchetti Named Associate Dean for
14 Keeping Distributed Systems Secure
Research
16 Joshi to Lead CMU’s AI-EDGE Team
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An Electrifying Legacy
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STUDENTS
ALUMNI
EDITOR
WRITERS
Krista Burns
Madison Brewer
22 Optimizing Power Grid Simulation
26 Engineer, Entrepreneur, Investor, Sailor
DESIGNER
Krista Burns
24 Vehicle Cyberattacks
28 Engineering a Career in Medicine
Debra Vieira
Hannah Diorio-Toth Emily Schneider Daniel Tkacik Sara Vaccar Kayla Valentine
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Produced by Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, January, 2022.
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Welcome Message from the Department Head Dear Friends, Greetings from campus! After a long period of virtual learning, I am happy to report that we had a successful semester of in-person learning. It was exciting to welcome our community back to campus this fall. I continue to be grateful to our faculty, students, and staff for being adaptable in this ever-changing environment. Students returning to campus found some changes and new opportunities. ECE has created new academic offerings, including a revised list of Master’s concentrations. Students can now choose from nine concentrations ranging from intelligent physical systems and computer security to integrated systems and nanofab devices. The department is also forming many industry partnerships that provide ECE students with scholarships, internships, and career placement. In terms of our physical campus, a new undergraduate lounge opened on the first floor of Hamerschlag Hall. Next, we will be remaking the ECE course lab spaces to provide for a more collaborative and dynamic hands-on experience for students. I am also excited for Franz Franchetti, the Kavčić-Moura Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as he was named Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering. Franz will bring his incredible research vision to the entire college. It is a dynamic time to be part of the ECE community at Carnegie Mellon. I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Sincerely,
Larry Pileggi Tanoto Professor and Department Head Electrical and Computer Engineering
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2022 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT GRADUATE PROGRAM RANKINGS
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
2022 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM RANKINGS
COMPUTER ENGINEERING ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
C AM P U S N E W S
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
NEW FACULTY
MARK BUDNIK // Mark Budnik, teaching professor of electrical and computer, earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University. He joined the academic ranks in 2006 after a 16-year career in the semiconductor industry, culminating as an Engineering Director at Hitachi Semiconductor. His research specializes in embedded systems and automotive and industrial applications.
GUANNAN QU // Guannan Qu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, earned his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard University. He was a CMI and Resnick postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at California Institute of Technology from 2019 to 2021. His research interest lies in control, optimization, and machine/reinforcement learning with applications to power systems, multi-agent systems, Internet of Things, smart city, etc.
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AKSHITHA SRIRAMAN // Akshitha Sriraman, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, earned her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Michigan. Her research interests are in the area of bridging computer architecture and software systems, with a focus on making hyperscale data centers more efficient. Sriraman’s research has been recognized with an IEEE Micro Top Picks distinction and the C AM P U S N E W S
2021 David J. Kuck Dissertation Prize. She was awarded a Facebook Fellowship, a Rackham Merit Ph.D. Fellowship, and a CIS Full-Tuition Scholarship. She was also named a 2019 Rising Star in EECS.
TOM ZAJDEL // Tom Zajdel, assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering, earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. Tom is broadly interested in how students become motivated to study electronics and engineering. He has taught circuits, amateur radio, introductory mechanics, technical writing, and engineering design. His technical background is in fabricating bioelectronic interfaces for biosensing and medical applications.
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FRANCHETTI NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH Franz Franchetti, the Kavčić-Moura Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Faculty Director of Information Technology Services, has been named Associate Dean for Research within the College of Engineering. C AM P U S N E W S
In an email to the engineering community, Bill Sanders, the Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Dean said, “Important to his nomination and selection, Franz has a long history of leadership in multi-investigator research groups. He has also served in multiple research-related roles within the college, including systems scientist, research professor, and tenure-track professor.” Franchetti received the Dipl.-Ing. (M.Sc.) degree in Technical Mathematics and the Dr. techn. (Ph.D.) degree in Computational Mathematics from the Vienna University of Technology. Among his research awards Franz was a member of the 2006 team winning the Gordon Bell Prize (Peak Performance Award) and in 2010 he was a member of the team winning the HPC Challenge Class II Award for the most productive system. In 2013 he was awarded the Dean’s Early Career Fellowship by the College of Engineering.
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AN ELECTRIFYING LEGACY IN MEMORIAM Don Thomas, May 19, 1951 - March 20, 2020
Every so often, a professor comes along who has
“Don created a digital circuit design course that was
a profound impact on an institution. If you were
unique to Carnegie Mellon, but is still relevant and
to ask anyone in the electrical and computer
highly valued,” says Larry Pileggi, department head and
engineering department about Don Thomas, they
Tanoto Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
would first smile, then proceed to tell you just how
“Most recently it was the first course chosen for sharing
outstanding of a person he was. Don passed away
with other universities as part of an industry-funded
on March 20, 2020 at the age of 68. The Department
initiative to establish more curriculum for integrated
of Electrical and Computer Engineering celebrated
circuits and electronics in the United States.”
his life and accomplishments in November 2021.
course attracts about 25% of the undergraduate
in computer engineering in 1977, Don continued
ECE student population. It has become so well-
his Carnegie Mellon journey in various teaching
known that corporate companies identified the
and professor roles in electrical and computer
course as a significant indication of success in
engineering (ECE) until he retired in 2016. His
those Carnegie Mellon graduates that it hired.
multi-decade legacy was far-reaching and continues to shape the department today.
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Known to students as 18-341, the digital circuit design
Don was a lifelong Tartan. After earning his Ph.D.
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A published author many times over, Don’s technical journal papers and textbooks have had a profound
“He loved to find a joke that he could fit into a lecture and loved to make others laugh.” — Bill Nace influence in electrical and computer engineering
“He had a great sense of humor,” says Nace.
at Carnegie Mellon and other institutions.
“He loved to find a joke that he could fit into a
They have had significant sales in Australia,
lecture and loved to make others laugh.”
textbook has been translated into Russian.
Don’s commitment to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was
“Don’s Verilog textbooks continue to be used in our
undeniable. Whether it was assuming the interim
required course on digital design, and for years
department head role from 1991-1993, or
computer science students were also required to
agreeing to direct the Center for Silicon System
take the course,” says Shawn Blanton, associate
Implementation from 1998-2000, he was the first
department head for research and the Joseph
to step into a leadership role when needed.
F. and Nancy Keithley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “This means his work in this area has impacted thousands of graduates, and will continue to do so here at CMU and the many other institutions that have adopted his textbooks.” It is estimated that Don positively influenced every electrical and computer engineering student at Carnegie Mellon University since the late 1970s. “His textbooks have reached thousands outside of CMU as well,” says Bill Nace, teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Through his course, which is being transferred and will be taught at four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), he will impact many students outside of CMU.”
“Don was a member of the first Semiconductor Research Corporation funded center in the country that was awarded to CMU in 1982,” says Pileggi. “This was pivotal for the ECE department to become a world leader in electronic design automation for over 25 years.”
C AM P U S N E W S
Europe, and Russia, and his most recent
A dedicated colleague, mentor, and friend, Don Thomas’ legacy will live on in the faculty and students who worked with him. “He has a great legacy,” says Nace. “Most professors live on in the ideas and education we pass to our students — graduate students we advise closely or those students who take our courses. Don lives on in the lives of those who have read his textbooks and those who have taken (or taught)
Creativity and humor were common teaching
his courses. He will be affecting the course of the
tactics that Don used in the classroom. He was
future in a billion small ways for a very long time.”
known for taking complex engineering problems and breaking them down into segments that students could understand and apply.
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MAKING PHONE DISPLAYS SEE BETTER Every few months smartphone companies release
A bigger problem is that the camera photographs
a newly designed phone - one with a larger screen,
the scene through the openings in the display, like a
or a clearer camera. A selling point for many, the
mesh, which causes a large blur due to diffraction.”
consumers and amateur photographers alike. In an effort to improve the aesthetics of the display by maximizing its area, the cameras are now beneath the screen which ultimately impact picture clarity. Anqi Yang, an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student, and Aswin Sankaranarayanan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, recently presented a paper titled “Designing Display Pixel Layouts for Under-Panel Cameras” at the IEEE International Conference on Computational Photography (ICCP). Winning the Best Paper Award, the research outlines how to redesign a cellphone display to make photographs clearer.
The researchers looked at various aspects of the display design and realized that the display construction can be altered to improve the quality of the photographs. “First, the openings in the display are in a regular grid,” said Sankaranarayanan. “As it turns out, perturbing
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camera’s capabilities are an important factor for
this regularity in the tiling of display pixels and their openings provides a significant boost to the quality of photographs that is obtained. Second,
Aswin Sankaranarayanan
the shape of the openings
The border between the edge of the phone and display,
matters and carefully re-designing their shape
knows as a bezel, has decreased in size as the displays
also permits photography of a higher quality.”
become larger. With smaller bezels, however, there is little room to place the camera, which has led to controversial alternatives like the “hole punch” and the “notch”. To solve this problem, cameras are now designed with under-panel cameras, where the camera is placed beneath the display. Openings in the display, between the light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are found at each display pixel, allow the camera to image the world. Unlike the hole punch or the notch, the camera is completely hidden and so the display can be seamless. “Under-panel cameras have their own set of
There are many benefits to designing under-panel cameras beneath the display; the aperture size of the front camera is no longer constrained; the location of the front camera can be optimized to generate a more natural gaze during video call; and multiple cameras can be deployed under the display to capture different viewpoints so that 3D images and videos are within reach. This work was supported by Samsung under their GRO program as well as by an NSF CAREER award.
challenges,” said Yang. “The display blocks a large fraction of the light that a camera would normally receive, producing noisier images.
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UNDERSTANDING NEURAL ACTIVITY Every brain function, from standing up to deciding what
between two approaches,” says Matt Smith, an
to have for dinner, involves neurons interacting. Studies
associate professor of biomedical engineering and
focused on neuronal interactions extend across domains
the Neuroscience Institute. “Essentially, scientists have
in neuroscience, primarily using the approaches of
been speaking different dialects of the same language
spike count correlation or dimensionality reduction.
when it comes to neuronal research. What we’ve
Pioneering research from Carnegie Mellon University
been able to show is that they’re speaking the same
has identified a way to bridge these approaches,
language, and they can communicate with each other.”
resulting in a richer understanding of neuronal activity. Neurons use electrical and
group established concrete mathematical and empirical
chemical signals to relay
relationships between pairwise correlation and metrics
information throughout the
of population-wide covariability based on dimensionality
body, and we each have billions
reduction. Their results provide a cautionary tale that
of them. Understanding how
using a single statistic on its own yields a one-sided
neurons interact with each
description. A fuller, more interpretable description
other is important, because
of interactions between neurons can be gleaned by
these correlations influence
considering a range of metrics, from both approaches.
learning, decision-making, motor control, and many
Byron Yu
other functions of life.
Akash Umakantha, a graduate student with the Neuroscience Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and co-first author of the paper, alongside Carnegie
Historically, two approaches have been used to study
Mellon graduates Rudina Morina and Benjamin
interactions among neurons: spike count correlation
Cowley, uses an analogy to
and dimensionality reduction. Spike count correlation
help explain this work
describes pairs of neurons, whereas dimensionality
and its impact.
reduction is applied to a population of neurons. While both the pairwise and population methods are equally valid and scientifically sound, efforts to relate the two approaches have been sparse, until now. This is the novelty of collaborative research, recently published in Neuron. “What we are providing through this study is a common language and way to navigate
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To build a bridge between the two approaches, the
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“There are different ways of viewing the world and
In the big picture, these concepts offer broad
different ways to explain the activity of neurons in the
implications and relevance to people in different
brain,” points out Umakantha. “Let’s replace neurons
neuroscience domains, who have different ways
with friends in a social network setting. In this scenario,
of characterizing what is going on in the brain.
would be to look at groups of two people for trends or commonalities. Another approach could be to look at everyone together. Both are equally valid, it’s just that there are different ways of capturing what is going on. Leveraging the understanding from multiple vantage points, and connecting them, ultimately broadens our perspective.”
“Bridging these approaches could foster more collaboration and ways to move ideas across neuroscience domains, so that we are not entrenched in one way of thinking about something,” says Byron Yu, professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering. “A better crossfertilization of ideas ultimately benefits everyone.”
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one approach to better understanding your network
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KEEPING DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS SECURE
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With more and more devices able to connect to the
sensor networks and distributed private averaging,” Sood
Internet or to one another, it’s becoming increasingly
explained.
important to ensure that those connections are secure.
She accomplished this using a mathematical model known as a “random K-out graph.” Each node of that graph
When a group of devices—be it computers, sensors, or
represents a device setting up connections with other
otherwise—connects and communicates directly with
nodes in a random, “undirected” pattern.
one another, it’s known as a “distributed system.”
But why do we need mathematical models like the random K-out graph to represent these networks? “In many
the doorways in a particular building. They could
distributed systems, connectivity is a fundamental driver
communicate with each other to tell you which doors
of system performance,” Sood says. “But, establishing the
are open and when, which could be used to better
links between nodes can be costly, and as you set up more,
secure the building as a whole.
you approach a trade-off between connectivity and cost.”
This is an example of a “wireless sensor network,” a
As a result, research like
particular kind of distributed system. Another would
Sood’s is incredibly important
be a group of devices connected to the Internet of
to understand how these
Things (IoT) in your home.
networks can be designed
With these direct lines of communication, however, there is an increased danger of one sensor or device becoming compromised and taking down the entire system.
such that they are provably guaranteed to hold up during an attack. With applications including the IoT and aggregating user data for
Two members of Carnegie Mellon’s electrical and
distributed learning, that
computer engineering department are working to
privacy and security becomes
improve the ways those systems communicate with
paramount.
one another and keep them safe: Ph.D. student Mansi Sood and Professor Osman Yağan.
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Imagine, for example, a group of sensors monitoring
Osman Yağan
The interdisciplinary aspect of this research also gives Sood the chance to use tools from probability, graph theory,
The pair recently won the Best Paper Award at the
statistical mechanics, and data science all together. She
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
also enjoys doing work with real-world applications and is
International Conference on Communications in June
ready to explore more ways to do this in the future.
of 2021. This conference occurs yearly and seeks to drive innovation in the field of telecommunications. Their paper won in the “Communication Theory Symposium” category due to its focus on foundational research into the topic. “This paper is part of our group’s ongoing research on designing secure, connected, and resilient ad-hoc networks for diverse applications including wireless
“We wish to further explore and design distributed network topologies that are scalable, reliably connected, and resilient and establish analytical guarantees for their performance,” she says. As more and more of our daily lives move online, we can thank researchers like her for keeping those systems safe and secure.
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JOSHI TO LEAD CMU’S AI-EDGE TEAM The U.S. National Science Foundation recently
AI-EDGE will develop new AI tools and techniques to
announced the establishment of 11 new NSF National
ensure that wireless edge networks are self-healing
Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes. Focused
and self-optimized. These networks will make AI
on AI-based technologies, these new institutes will
more efficient, interactive, and privacy-preserving for
advance technology in fields ranging from agriculture to
applications in sectors such as intelligent transportation,
engineering.
remote health care, distributed robotics, and smart
Among the 11 new institutes is the AI Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence (AI-EDGE).
Carnegie Mellon University is a globally recognized
Led by The Ohio State University, Carnegie Mellon’s Gauri
leader in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and
Joshi, assistant professor of electrical and computer
networked computing systems. The confluence of these
engineering, will manage the CMU team of researchers
areas puts the team in a unique position to make a
that includes Ameet Talwalkar, assistant professor in the
lasting impact on next-generation AI edge networks.
Machine Learning Department.
Joshi and Talwalkar are leaders in the emerging field of
“The overarching research mission of the AI-EDGE Institute will be to design next-generation intelligent edge
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aerospace.
federated learning, a framework that trains machine learning models using data collected by edge devices.
networks that are efficient, reliable, robust, and secure,”
Joshi’s research vision is to democratize machine
says Joshi. “The focus will be on edge networks that
learning by enabling it to seamlessly scale to a network
consist of diverse components including mobile phones,
of resource-constrained nodes. She is designing
sensors, robots, self-driving cars that are connected to
distributed training and inference algorithms that are
backhaul networks, and data centers.”
communication-efficient and can handle heterogeneity
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RE S E ARC H in computation and data. Joshi recently developed a new course on algorithms for distributed machine learning, which is one of the very few courses on distributed optimization and federated learning. She is also passionate about outreach and mentorship to women pursuing STEM careers. Joshi recently received the NSF CAREER award and the ACM SIGMETRICS 2020 Best Paper Award for her work.
“The overarching research mission of the AI-EDGE Institute will be to design next-generation intelligent edge networks that are efficient, reliable, robust, and secure.” — Gauri Joshi
AI-EDGE will create a research, education, knowledge transfer and workforce development environment that will help establish U.S. leadership in next-generation edge networks and distributed AI for many decades to come.
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NEW MS CONCENTRATIONS In an effort to give students the ability to tailor their electrical and computer engineering degree, the department has created new academic offerings for master’s students. By offering nine new M.S. concentrations, students now have the option to follow one for focused study in a specific area of electrical and computer engineering.
Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Systems The AI/ML concentration will provide students the opportunity for in-depth specialization in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and their applications to various natural and technological systems.
Intelligent Physical Systems Intelligent physical systems are physical and engineered systems whose operations may be monitored, controlled, coordinated or integrated by the cyber components of computing and communication. This concentration will equip students with the relevant computing principles, domain-specific foundations and analytical techniques, and exposure to applications.
Computational Engineering Methods/Systems This concentration brings together all aspects of computational engineering in a consistent umbrella: computer architecture, software systems, computational algorithms, and software engineering.
Software Engineering Engineering software systems requires a diverse set of skills that pervade many application domains. This concentration gives students the opportunity to achieve sufficient breadth, depth, and hands-on experience in software engineering well beyond programming.
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Computer Security Students will become familiar with computer security fundamentals and will gain deeper proficiency in a core topic area such as software security, systems and networking security, privacy, or cryptography.
Network/Distributed Systems The networked and distributed systems concentration deals with the foundations and system-design issues of large-scale networks, including the Internet, cellular and mobile networks, data center networking and associated design challenges.
Wireless/Embedded Systems The wireless systems concentration explores core wireless technologies and systems-level issues that are at AC AD E M IC S
the heart of the Internet of Things, traditional broadband and cellular networks, cyber-physical systems and cloudconnected embedded computing.
Integrated Systems Students achieve in-depth specialization into the design of modern integrated devices and systems. A unique feature of this concentration is a two-course sequence in which students design, fabricate, and test chips of their own design.
Devices and Nanofab Students learn fundamentals of device physics and engineering techniques to implement electronic, photonic, electromagnetic, and microelectromechanical devices using advanced nanofabrication techniques for data storage, computation, communications, sensing, ranging and biomedical applications.
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“The student project tracker gives students a much wider range of possibilities and different ways to go deep into research.” — Holly Skovira
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ENCOURAGING STUDENT RESEARCH Participating in research can have a profound
them more time for research, meaning they
effect on a student’s future career. It allows them
can tackle bigger projects. Master’s students
to gain high-level experiences and technical
also can better connect with faculty, opening
skills in their field. They also learn skills like time
opportunities for their futures.
no matter what industry the student ultimately goes into.
Before SPT, Skovira said that most undergraduate ECE students involved in research worked with their professors from
The Department of Electrical and Computer
a class, meaning they often worked with
Engineering helps students find research
professors in other departments. Now, more
projects with their student project tracker. The
undergraduates are engaging with faculty. While
tracker, called SPT for short, was created in 2017
faculty in other departments can post projects,
by then advisor Nesli Ozdoganlar and Chad
those for units need to be affiliated with an ECE
Hilton, systems and software engineer, as an
faculty member.
administrative system to keep track of master’s student research. Now, there are over one thousand posted projects for undergraduate and master’s students.
AC AD E M IC S
management and teamwork, which are valuable
“The student project tracker gives students a much wider range of possibilities and different ways to go deep into research,” Skovira said. “It gives them that experience before they graduate
“It’s an overarching database to show how exciting
and either go into the workforce or go to
it is to be an ECE student,” said Holly Skovira,
another higher education.”
an academic program advisor for ECE. “It gives students a really easy and concise way to engage in their education outside of the classroom setting.” Faculty post projects and specify any skills students would need to work with them. They also include which campus the project is located at, if the work can be done remotely, and what compensation students will receive. Then, students can search the database and apply for projects they’re qualified for and interested in. The SPT has been especially beneficial to master’s students, who can earn credit towards their degree by working on research projects. This gives
Shreyas Chaudhari Zexi Liu Srinivasa Pranav 21
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OPTIMIZING POWER GRID SIMULATION Energy is one of the most valuable resources in
What disturbances can affect a power grid?
the world, and we depend on it for our daily lives.
According to Agarwal, they can be simple,
Power grid networks are the main source for
such as a line going down or a generator being
electricity delivery; without power grids, society
switched off. However, more complex issues,
loses electricity, with natural gas and water failing
such as severe weather, require even faster
soon after. Much like anything else, these grids
solutions. “The grid itself is a very dynamic
are subject to disturbances and errors, leading
system that requires constant observance,”
to costly problems needing fast solutions. To find
explains Agarwal.
Amritanshu Pandey and Larry Pileggi, introduced an algorithm to quickly facilitate highly accurate simulations and optimizations of these grids, ensuring energy is never found in short supply. The power grid in Texas failed in February 2021, leaving millions of people without power in the middle of unexpected severe winter storms. “The Texas grid is a worst-case scenario,” says Agarwal, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering. “A lot of engineers are trying to prevent such situations by doing an analysis beforehand and seeing what kind of corrective measures they could take to prevent these failures.” These analyses, however, have some shortcomings that they seek to improve. Currently, methods to locate disturbances in a
“As a result, we need our analyses to be very fast. Power grid engineers are trying to analyze all of these aspects beforehand, to ensure that their grid is actually stable.” The challenges being combatted are two-fold:
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these solutions, Aayushya Agarwal and his team,
finding a solution and implementing it in a feasible amount of time. Their research on simulation and optimization will affect both industry and academia, having a place in the operational engineering used to monitor the energy grids, as well as pushing the boundaries of “what-if” scenarios in other forms of research, including large-scale transmission resiliency and planning studies. Through these studies, the new methodology has the potential to solve problems before they ever occur, saving valuable time and money.
grid involve reworking their entire mathematical problem from the beginning, leading to longer– and therefore more costly–waiting periods before a solution can be found to restore a power grid. Instead, methodology crafted by Agarwal and his team uses prior information about the grid as a starting point to find the solution, efficiently translating a previously known network configuration into a new one without the disturbance.
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VEHICLE CYBERATTACKS Vehicles are becoming more and more connected to the Internet, and malicious hackers are licking their lips. A team led by Carnegie Mellon University CyLab researchers have discovered a new class of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in modern day vehicles. If exploited, an attacker could sneak past a vehicle’s intrusion detection system (IDS) and shut down various components, including the engine, by executing some crafty computer code from a remote location. No hardware manipulations nor physical access to the vehicle are necessary. The new class of vulnerabilities was disclosed in a new study presented at the 2021 IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy, held virtually. “In response to the first generation of automotive attacks, new guidelines urge automakers to build an IDS into their next vehicles. As they do, they need to consider these more advanced attack strategies,” says CyLab’s Sekar Kulandaivel, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering and lead author of the study. “It’s not as simple as pushing a software update. To really defend yourself against this type of attack, you have to update the hardware.” The team confirmed the feasibility of the vulnerabilities by launching proof-of-concept attacks on them in two vehicles: a 2009 Toyota Prius and a 2017 Ford Focus. The researchers posit that many modern cars are likely vulnerable to these kinds of attacks, but an attacker would have to compromise the vehicle’s network first before launching these types of attacks.
choices that automakers have made—such as energy-saving modifications—in recent years. Essentially, most modern car
“Without compromise of additional elements, this particular
functions are controlled by one or more ECUs or Electronic
example cannot be used to directly attack current commercial
Control Units. To reduce the amount of power the ECUs
vehicles,” says Shalabh Jain, senior research scientist at Bosch
consume, designers implemented a feature called “peripheral
Research and a co-author on the study. “However, this class of
clock gating” into vehicles’ microcontrollers which enables ECUs
vulnerabilities can provide new directions for lateral movement
that aren’t actively being used to shut down to conserve energy.
in a larger attack chain.”
“We uncovered a new attack strategy that could turn off this
The “lateral movement” that Jain mentions refers to the fact
signal,” says Kulandaivel. “Eventually we were able to craft raw
that once an attacker has control over a particular component
data onto the vehicle’s network and shut down any ECU we
in the vehicle, they could then impact the operations of another
wanted.”
component while undetected. 24
The new class of vulnerabilities stem from some architectural
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“It’s not as simple as pushing a software update. To really defend yourself against this type of attack, you have to update the hardware.” — Sekar Kulandaivel
While some of these shutdown attacks were shown in
Moving forward, study co-author Jorge Guajardo, lead
prior work, they required either physical access to cars
expert and senior manager for Bosch Research’s Security
or hardware modifications or can be easily detected. The
and Privacy Group, says that automakers need to
novel part of the attack here is that it can be launched
encourage more work like this.
remotely, without requiring hardware modifications, and it bypasses several state-of-art defenses.
“Automakers need to continue to proactively investigate attacks and in fact encourage this type of adversarial,
This points out a larger issue: a systemic problem in how
white-hat research which is possible in collaboration
vehicles are designed.
with academic partners such as CMU,” says Guajardo.
“Security hasn’t been a real threat yet to automakers, so they’re focusing on cost reduction,” says Kulandaivel. “The automotive world is decades behind personal
“Also, they need to develop security solutions that have been carefully analyzed and vetted by the security community.”
computer security.”
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ENGINEER, ENTREPRENEUR, INVESTOR, SAILOR Internships are an eye-opening experience for many
“Sailing gives you a sense that you can go anywhere, you
Carnegie Mellon University students. They can spark
are the master commander of your vessel and your soul.
interest in a career path and build professional
You can live aboard anywhere in the world from off-the-
relationships that last a lifetime. For ECE alumnus
grid exotic South Pacific islands or historical villages in the
Will Lee (’94), his sophomore year internship helped
Mediterranean Sea,” says Lee.
him discover something a little more unexpected: a passion for sailing. Now, Lee has over 20 years of sailing experience that has taken him all over the world. He recently competed in the Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race (SHTP), where he sailed 2,200 miles—by himself.
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Lee earned his master’s degree in computer science from Cornell University before beginning a career in software. A passionate technology entrepreneur turned investor, Lee went on to found several companies and serve on the board of many others. However, it wasn’t until he sold
As an intern at Motorola, Lee got the opportunity to
his first company (about ten years after his first sailing
go sailing in a small catamaran on Lake Michigan. It
experience) that he was able to shift his focus back to the
was at that moment that he fell in love with the sport
open water. Lee spent two years sailing full time, learning
and the feeling of freedom that came with being on
everything he needed to know to sail solo. This meant
the water. Although Lee knew that the sport was out
juggling sailing, navigating, trouble-shooting, cooking,
of his reach as a student, he promised himself that
purifying water, and sleeping on his own.
one day he would call himself a sailor.
Lee put his solo sailing skills to the test in 2021 when he spent 18 days sailing from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay, Hawaii as part of the SHTP. The race only included 11 vessels, placing Lee among an elite group of sailors. In fact, the SHTP boasts that “more people have made it to outer space than have raced single-handed from San Francisco to Hawaii.” “For me, the race is the culmination of everything I learned as a human being, including leveraging the problemsolving skills from my Carnegie Mellon engineering and computer science education,” says Lee. Lee sees many similarities between his time on his boat, Sea Wisdom, and his undergraduate days. During both, he was challenged to push himself further than he realized he was capable. For example, he remembers working with a group of classmates to build a microprocessor in one of his ECE classes. Because creating software came much easier to Lee than building hardware, he was intimidated by the
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THE CI RCUIT
Chloe created a fund to support student-initiated
remains so proud of tackling this challenge that he still
undergraduate research at Carnegie Mellon. Most of all,
has the microprocessor framed in his office.
Lee enjoys talking with students and young alumni about
“I have to attribute a lot of the confidence and determination I have to CMU. They were throwing us problems and when I saw those problem sets, I thought, ‘That’s impossible. How am I going to do this?’ And then a week later I realized, ‘Oh, you know what? I solved it.’” Lee says that confidence is about believing that you can achieve a dream. For him, this meant pushing through an engineering degree despite financial hardships, creating
AL U M N I
project and didn’t know that they would succeed. He
their dreams. “Carnegie Mellon students can really do anything. After an education from CMU, they don’t have to be afraid to start a company, be a professor, or do the best in their field.” Lee is looking forward to experiencing his alma mater through a new lens: parent. His daughter Colette is starting her first year as a student in the Mellon College of Science.
and investing in companies even in different fields, and sailing solo regardless of the challenges. When Lee looks back on these experiences, he says he reached his goals because, “well, I was foolish enough to think that I could do it.” Lee credits much of his success to those that helped him along the way. At Carnegie Mellon, he relied heavily on financial aid and sometimes found himself struggling with paying for basic necessities like food. He is thankful for the kindness of the financial aid office and a particular piece of advice they gave him: remember his experience and when he had the means, give back to Carnegie Mellon students. Lee has heeded that advice and he is a generous donor and volunteer at the university. He and his wife
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ENGINEERING A CAREER IN MEDICINE There are a lot of reasons why someone may want
“chute” of the Buggy track. He and others realized that
to study electrical and computer engineering (ECE) at
CMU had no designated paramedic force on standby,
Carnegie Mellon University: maybe they’re interested
and decided to start their own: CMU EMS, who are still
in building better computers, becoming a software
active today.
engineer, or learning how electronics work.
into a chance to serve the CMU community and offer
motivations were a bit different. His father worked in
countless students the chance to gain clinical experience
electrical engineering, inspiring him to do the same.
before applying to medical school—something he took
But in high school, he developed his own interest in
advantage of himself.
public health, and found himself torn between these fields.
That initial experience as part of CMU EMS helped Chatterjee develop interests in emergency medicine and
“The challenge was, ‘I still want to be an engineer.
critical care. Today, he now holds board certifications
How do I balance that? Well, I’ll do both! How hard
in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care
can it be?’” he laughs.
Medicine, Sleep Medicine, and Clinical Informatics.
Like many Carnegie Mellon students, Chatterjee
Growing up near a Naval airfield in Los Gatos, California,
worked to “find the link” between his interdisciplinary
Chatterjee also gained a strong respect for the
interests during his years here.
military and the desire to give back to the country that
One “link” came in the form of extracurriculars. A self-described “ham radio nerd,” Chatterjee was a
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Just like that, an interest in amateur radio turned
For ECE alumnus Arjun “Raja” Chatterjee, however, his
represented endless possibilities for both him and his family.
member of the Carnegie Tech Radio Club (W3VC)
“I’m very much dedicated to the proposition that the
who were responsible for monitoring the notorious
American dream is something that was afforded to my
THE CI RCUIT
father when he came off a steamship from Calcutta to
leadership, and educational roles in his current career in
San Francisco with nothing but 10 bucks in his pocket
academic medicine.
you can get here,’” he says. In 2003, Chatterjee joined the Navy as a direct commission officer, a program aimed toward people with specialized training like his.
“If you want to be prepared for the unforeseeable future changes that are coming, you need to go to Carnegie Mellon.” Chatterjee is currently a professor of medicine and
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and a letter saying, ‘Yeah, you can be a grad student if
pediatrics at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and a
“I didn’t go to Annapolis. They just signed me up,” he
staff physician at the Veteran’s Administration Medical
explains. He completed tours in Kuwait, Landstuhl
Center in Kernersville and at Wake Forest Baptist Health
Army Medical Center in Germany, and Guantanamo
in Winston-Salem. He is also the Commanding Officer
Bay; spent time in Gabon, the Philippines, and
of NR Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command,
Vietnam. He now serves as the Commanding Officer
Bethesda. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 1990
for Navy Reserve Navy Medicine Readiness & Training
with a degree in computer engineering with an option in
Command Bethesda: a team of roughly 400 people in 20
biomedical engineering and a double major in Spanish.
detachments across 9 states. Even though a career in medicine—whether at a hospital or military base—is very different from ECE, Chatterjee maintains that his undergraduate experience was integral to his present career. “Fundamentally, a physician is an engineer,” he affirms. “We take established science, apply it to a disturbed system to return that system to a normal state.” He jokes that his peers don’t like to hear him say this, but he finds it true nonetheless. Learning all of this at CMU specifically was just as important as the degree itself. He’s applied the coding skills he gained here to learning the R Statistics package for his work. CMU’S interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to projects maps directly to his research work, medical team Chatterjee after his appointment as captain. | Source: Raja Chatterjee 29
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