Category: Workshops

The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will present a lecture by Dr. Kun Zhu on Monday, March 2, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., in EERC 501. The title of Dr. Zhu’s talk is “Power Grid Operations – Beyond Physics.

Dr. Zhu holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Iowa State University. He has 20 years’ experience in the power industry, including 17 years at MISO, an independent, not-for-profit organization that delivers safe, cost-effective electric power across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Dr. Zhu’s presentation will provide a high level introduction to how regional operators manage the power grid in the U.S. He will discuss how energy markets and balancing authorities (those responsible for maintaining the electricity balance within their respective regions) manage their regions and interact with each other; differences in how energy and transmission assets are managed; and the function of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO).

At MISO, Dr. Zhu’s experience expands across planning, operations, and tariff administration. Currently, he is the manager of generator interconnection and chair of the SPIDER Working Group (SPIDER), a working unit of North America Electric Reliability Cooperation (NERC).  

MISO operates one of the world’s largest energy markets with more than $29 billion in annual gross market energy transactions. 

by Research Development Office

All Michigan Tech researchers are invited to participate in the 2020 Research Development Day at Michigan Tech. The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 9. The content of the 2020 event is new and designed for both new and returning attendees.

Multiple sessions are planned for faculty at all career stages and from all disciplines. Research staff and post-docs from any discipline are also likely to find sessions of interest. We are excited to welcome Jose Fuentes as our keynote speaker.

Fuentes is an experienced faculty researcher at Penn State, with a significant track record of international work and broad research impact. As in previous years, we will end the day with research recognitions, celebrating accomplishments from across the university over the past year, followed by a networking social.

A condensed agenda is found on the reservation form. Your RSVP is requested by Jan. 3 to finalize meal counts and room arrangements. If your schedule does not permit you to attend the full day, the RSVP allows you to sign up for morning, lunch, and/or afternoon sessions.

The RSVP form should take only a minute or two to complete. A reminder and final agenda will be sent in the new year. Please contact rd-l@mtu.edu with any questions.

Dr. Timothy Wilkin, associate professor of computer science and associate head of school (student learning) within the School of Information Technology, Deakin University, Australia, will present a talk at Michigan Tech on Monday, October 7, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., in ME-EM 112. A reception and refreshments will follow.

Dr. Wilkin’s talk, “Adventures of a Cyber-Physical Cow,” will present findings from his recent industry-based research into the use of wearable technologies in livestock farming.

Talk Abstract: Fitness and activity trackers, and other wearable sensors have revolutionised both professional sports and the general health & wellbeing market. On the other hand, wearables to support precision livestock farming and general animal health and wellbeing tracking are virtually non-existent. There are significant opportunities to support and grow concepts such as “paddock to plate” food provenance, particularly in the meat and livestock sector, through the use of wearable technologies. In this talk I will present some recent industry-based research between Deakin University and Agersens Pty Ltd, an Australian manufacturer of a world-leading geofencing technology for livestock. Real-time behaviour classification and analytics were used to both improve the existing product, as well as to create new data products for farmers and a greatly enhanced marketability for their smart collar. I will also highlight how this industry-based research has led to several interesting and challenging research questions that have driven ongoing fundamental research in data science at Deakin.

Dr. Wilkin’s Bio: Dr Wilkin’s research interests cover problems in computational and artificial intelligence to support sensor and data analytics, with applications in intelligent control for robotics and autonomous systems, embedded/edge AI, and intelligent sensing. His research has been applied in diverse areas, from marine ecology to childhood health, farming, defence and commercial robotics. Dr Wilkin is also an innovative, award-winning teacher and academic leader. As Associate Head of School he overseas teaching and learning activities of over 100 full-time academic staff and 3500 students enrolled in 16 undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Tim Wilkin Talk Flyer

Michigan Tech hosted two week-long GenCyber camps this summer. The first, held June 17–21, 2019, hosted 30 local middle/high school students. The second camp, August 12–16, 2019, hosted 21 local K-12 teachers. Camp participants gained cybersecurity knowledge, understood correct and safe online behavior, and explored ways to deliver cybersecurity content in K-12 curricula.

A story about the GenCyber teacher camp was reported on August 16, 2019, by TV6: “GenCyber cyber security training camp comes to Michigan Tech” and on August 13, 2019, by the Keweenaw Report: “Teachers Learn How To Include Cybersecurity In Their Lessons.”

Learn more about the camps on the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems blog: https://blogs.mtu.edu/icc/2019/06/04/inspiring-the-next-generation-of-cyber-stars-2/.

Mari W. Buche (DataS/SBE) attended the HERS Institute July 8-20, at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania,  Along with 63 women from a variety of colleges and universities across the country, Buche participated in professional development sessions focused on fine-tuning leadership skills unique to higher education. Visit hersnetwork.org for more details.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is pleased to announce a two-day workshop on cyber-physical security for power infrastructure and transportation to be held on campus July 30-31, 2019. Experts from industry and the academy will share information on current threats and countermeasures to protect power infrastructure and transportation systems.

Registration protocols will support 13 hours of continuing education for professional license holders.

More detailed information on the workshop can be found on the ECE blog.

The cost for Michigan Tech faculty and staff to attend is $100, and the cost for students is $25. Register for the workshop on the online store. To receive the discount, faculty and staff must use the promotional code MTUFAC, and students must use the code MTUSTU on the registration form checkout page.

Questions about the workshop can be directed to ECE at 7-2550 or ece@mtu.edu.