Lockheed Martin Distinguished Speaker Series

Designing Secure Hardware Systems

Shawn Blanton

Trustee Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University

1:00-2:00pm Friday 7 Feb. 2020

Commons 329, UMBC
University Center Ballroom

On October 29, 2018, DARPA issued an RFI that stated: “This Request for Information (RFI) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) seeks information on technology, concepts, and approaches to support the integration of security capabilities directly into System on Chip (SoC) system design and to enable the autonomous integration and assembly of SoCs.

This RFI and the tens of millions of dollars that the US government has already invested in hardware security research and development is based on the fact that the fabrication of state-of-the-art electronics is now mostly overseas. With the recent announcement that GLOBALFOUNDRIES is going to stop all 7nm development, there is now only one company in the US that continues to pursue advanced semiconductors (Intel). Unfortunately, Intel does not have the same experience of making chips for third parties as does Samsung and (most importantly) TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation). As a result, the US government believes it will be forced to fabricate advanced, sensitive electronics overseas in untrusted fabrication facilities. As a result, there is keen interest in design methodologies that mitigate reverse engineering, tampering, counterfeiting, etc.

In this talk, an overview of hardware security will be presented followed by a discussion on a concept called logic locking. This approach will be described and the “back and forth” that is now occurring in the research community involving: (i) vulnerability discovery and (ii) logic locking improvement.

Shawn Blanton is a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University and Associate Director of the SYSU-CMU Joint Institute of Engineering (JIE). In 1995 he received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research interests include various aspects of integrated system tests, testable design, and test methodology development. He has consulted for various companies and is the founder of TestWorks, a Carnegie Mellon University spinout focused on information extraction from IC test data. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and Senior Member of the ACM and served as the program chair for the 2011 International Test Conference.

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Correlation analysis with small sample sizes

Peter Schreier, Univ. of Paderborn, Germany

2:00-3:00 Tuesday, 18 June 2019, ITE 325B, UMBC

Most common techniques for correlation analysis (e.g., canonical correlation analysis) require sufficiently large sample support, but in many applications only a limited number of samples are available. Correlation analysis with small sample sizes poses some unique challenges. In this talk, I will focus on the problem of determining the correlated components between two or more data sets when the number of samples from these data sets is extremely small. Applications are plentiful, and among them I will discuss the identification of weather patterns in climate science and analyzing the effects of extensive physical exercise on the autonomic nervous system.

Peter Schreier was born in Munich, Germany, in 1975. He received a Master of Science from the University of Notre Dame, IN, USA, in 1999, and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO, USA, in 2003, both in electrical engineering. From 2004 until 2011, he was on the faculty of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Since 2011, he has been Chaired Professor of Signal and System Theory at Paderborn University, Germany. He has spent sabbatical semesters at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, and Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.

From 2008 until 2012, he was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, from 2010 until 2014 a Senior Area Editor for the same Transactions, and from 2015 to 2018 an Associate Editor for the IEEE Signal Processing Letters. From 2009 until 2014, he was a member of the IEEE Technical Committee on Machine Learning for Signal Processing, and he currently serves on the IEEE Technical Committee on Signal Processing Theory and Methods. He is the Chair of the Steering Committee of the IEEE Signal Processing Society’s Data Science Initiative, and he serves on the IEEE SPS Regional Committee for Region 8. He was the General Chair of the 2018 IEEE Statistical Signal Processing Workshop in Freiburg, Germany.

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UMBC CSEE alumnus receives NSF support for specialty fiber research

UMBC alumnus Dr. Jonathan Hu (Ph.D., electrical engineering, ’08) was recently awarded a three-year grant by National Science Foundation to develop new techniques using of chalcogenide glass fiber devices to transform mid-infrared sensor technologies that detect hazardous aerosol particles in the air. Dr. Hu is currently a tenured associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Winning a grant from National Science Foundation is highly competitive as only about 10 percent of the applications will be awarded.

Regarding his accomplishment, Dr. Hu said, “I am grateful for the award from National Science Foundation and I want to thank my former professors at UMBC, who trained me with a very rigorous background in the field of optics and photonics.” This accomplishment reflects Dr. Hu’s continuous effort as well as his significant contributions to the research areas of specialty optical fibers and nanophotonic devices. His recent publications include papers in Advances in Optics and Photonics and Advanced Materials. Prof. Curtis Menyuk, who was Dr. Hu’s dissertation adviser at UMBC, said “It has been a privilege to work continuously with Jonathan as he evolved from a graduate student to a research leader.”

Dr. Hu also serves as a Baylor Fellow for academic year 2018–2019. The Baylor Fellows Program recognizes professors across the disciplinary spectrum who exemplify excellence in teaching at Baylor University. Baylor Fellows are committed to pedagogical innovation, inspirational teaching, and the cultivation of these among Baylor faculty. Dr. Hu was selected for his effort in connecting research and teaching at Baylor University. He also participated in the transformation of undergraduate engineering education, which was sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation.

The UMBC CSEE department is very proud of Dr. Hu, as his accomplishment truly reflects the depth of our graduates and how valuable the UMBC graduate education is for our students in their career path.

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NSA highlights strong partnership with UMBC in Featured School campaign

Over the past two decades, UMBC and the National Security Agency (NSA) have developed a strong relationship, which has led to research, internship, and career opportunities for faculty, students, and alumni. UMBC is the first institution to be highlighted in NSA’s Featured School Series, which launched on September 4.

“UMBC’s long-standing partnership with NSA has provided valuable experiences for our students, faculty, and alumni to pursue internships, careers, and collaborative research opportunities,” said President Freeman Hrabowski. “Through this work we are helping to address the need for well-trained cyber professionals by creating a network of talented people to protect the state, nation, and world.”

More than 1100 NSA employees are UMBC alumni, including Darniet Jennings ‘98, M.S. ‘99, Ph.D. ‘03, information systems management. Jennings continued his dissertation research when he took a job at NSA, where he developed a system to manage big data effectively, which was patented in 2010.

The opportunities at NSA include careers in a broad range of disciplines including cybersecurity, engineering, computer science, language, and biological and chemical sciences. Regina Hambleton ‘87, mathematics, has held a number of positions at NSA and is currently the Agency’s deputy director of Engagement and Policy. She began working at NSA while she was a student at UMBC, and participated in a program that allowed her to spend a semester at UMBC taking courses followed by a semester working at NSA.

The partnership between NSA and UMBC also helps prepare an increasing number of graduates for careers in cybersecurity-related fields, to protect the nation from cyber threats.

Charles Nicholas, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, is also highlighted in the Featured School Series campaign. He has spent two sabbaticals at NSA during his time at UMBC, and has mentored students who completed NSA internships, in addition to students who went on to pursue careers at NSA. Nicholas is interested in the intersection of cybersecurity and data science, and the tools that are used to compare malware specimens.

“There are so many opportunities in the intelligence community, including at NSA,” Nicholas says. “It is important for students interested in those careers to develop technical ability, as well as critical and creative thinking, and I enjoy the chance to help them grow those skills.”

For more information about the partnership, and a few UMBC alumni who work at NSA, visit the UMBC page on the NSA website.

Adapted from a UMBC News article by Megan Hanks. Banner image by Marlayna Demond for UMBC.

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At the inaugural COEIT Celebration on May 6, 2018, several College-level faculty and staff awards were initiated by COEIT Dean Keith Bowman. We are pleased to announce that the first recipient of the COEIT 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award is CSEE’s Professor of the Practice, Dr. E. F. Charles LaBerge!

As his nomination statement reads,

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. LABERGE!

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Hands-on Raspberry Pi Workshops: starting 3/28

The UMBC IEEE Student Branch will hold a hands-on Raspberry Pi Workshop Series over the next two weeks.

The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing,  learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python, and use it to control other devices.

Level 1: An Introduction to the Raspberry Pi

This first workshop will introduce you to the Raspberry Pi world by discussing its components, versions, and uses. There will also be a basic introduction to Linux and some hands-on activities to familiarize you with the Raspberry Pi.

March 28, 5pm to 7pm, ITE 240
March 31, 12pm to 2pm, ITE 240

Level 2: Circuitry and the Raspberry Pi

The second workshop in our Raspberry Pi series will introduce you to the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi, and provide you with a number of activities to experiment with using them.

April 4, 5pm to 7pm, ITE 240
April 7, 12pm to 2pm, ITE 240

Each of these workshops are designed to accommodate people with all levels of experience. Our activities will range from no-coding-needed to self-designed mini-projects, and the Executive Board will be ready to answer any questions you might have. Space is limited, so be sure to register quickly at https://tinyurl.com/y7ch3628.

If you have any questions, feel free to send email to *protected email*.

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IEEE Fall 2017 Arduino Workshop and Halloween Social, 5-7 Fri 10/27

The UMBC Student Branch of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) will host a Halloween Social at 5-7:00pm Friday, 27 October 2017 in ITE 233. This is a fun event where attendees can build and take home electronic Halloween decorations. The Halloween Workshop will take place from 5pm to 7pm, and they will be giving out candies, Arduinos and various electronic equipment on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like to participate, please register here.

IEEE is the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology. The UMBC graduate and undergraduate student members share technical interests rooted in electrical and computer sciences, engineering and related disciplines. ​At their meetings and events, they present and promote current research trends at UMBC and elsewhere, host skills workshops, and provide our members the opportunity to expand their network of contacts.

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Workshop on Solvers for Large, Sparse Linear Systems

Monday and Tuesday, 17-18 July 2017
Engineering Room 022, UMBC

UMBC will host a free, two-day workshop for faculty and students on solvers for large, sparse linear systems on Monday and Tuesday, July 17-18 in Engineering 022 at UMBC. Thanks to UMBC Prof. Matthias Gobbert for organizing and to University of Kassel Prof. Andreas Meister for presenting. If you plan on attending, please RSVP online.

The simulation of real life applications possesses a crucial importance in a wide variety of scientific as well as industrial areas. Thereby, the performance of the whole numerical method is often decisively depend on the properties of the incorporated solver for linear systems of equations.

The course provides a comprehensive introduction to both classical and modern iterative solvers for a stable, efficient and reliable solution of linear systems and is design for students from many disciplines, including Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

The course content covers

• Introduction to basics from numerical linear algebra
• Splitting methods
• Multi-grid schemes
• Krylov subspace methods like CG, GMRES, BiCG, CGS, BiCGSTAB
• Preconditioning

The lectures will be accompanied by practical exercises in MATLAB.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Tuesday, July 18, 2017:

The workshop will be presented by Prof. Dr. Andreas Meister from the Institute for Mathematics, University of Kassel, Germany.  He is an internationally renowned researcher in Numerical Analysis with a specialization including iterative solvers for linear system of equations. These methods are modern and form the basis of all numerical kernels in modern software, such as COMSOL, Matlab, PETSc, and many others. Prof. Dr. Meister has taught classes at UMBC during Fall 2013 when he spent a sabbatical at UMBC as part of the partnership between UMBC and the University of Kassel in Germany.

This workshop is hosted by the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility. Light refreshments are graciously sponsored by the UMBC Division of Information Technology.

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Ahead of final exams this spring, nearly 200 students gathered at UMBC for “Innovate Good,” a hackathon co-hosted by HackUMBC and The Shriver Center, UMBC’s hub for service-learning, civic engagement, and community-based service delivery. During the 24-hour tech innovation marathon, students collaborated to build mobile, web, and hardware projects focused on solving problems and creating positive social outcomes. Four overarching categories inspired participants in their tech development: health and environment, housing, legal and justice, and education.

Collaborating with The Shriver Center to host the hackathon was an exciting experience, says Celeste Wong ‘18, computer science, co-president of HackUMBC. “There were different aspects to the hackathon we had to think about and work through since we’ve never done a social good Hackathon,” she explained. “In the end it was very rewarding to see students who are passionate about different areas of social justice. Seeing the participants demo and explain their projects really showcased their passion and heart for others at our school and in our community.”

Rick Forno, assistant director for UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity and director of the Cybersecurity Graduate Program, serves as faculty advisor of the HackUMBC student organization. “Hackathons like HackUMBC are diverse, high-energy events that bring together novices, experts, and mentors to share and apply their knowledge, skills, and personal enthusiasm toward exploring the world of technology and/or developing innovative solutions with technology,” he says. He was delighted at the success of this first themed HackUMBC event in bringing together participants with diverse interests, experiences, and perspectives.

Hannah Schmitz, program coordinator of public service scholars programs in The Shriver Center, agreed, sharing, “So often we see a divide between ‘techie’ and ‘non-techie’ students. The Shriver Center and HackUMBC designed ‘Innovate Good’ to bridge that divide, bringing students together to harness their skills and experiences to co-create interdisciplinary solutions to social challenges.” She explained, “Participants had a chance to collaborate with students with varying disciplinary perspectives, and had an opportunity to learn from, work with, and teach each other.”

An “expo” portion toward the end of the event gave participants an the opportunity to share the hacks that they developed with their peers and receive feedback from faculty judges.

“It’s our hope that each participant walked away with new skill sets and a deepened interest in using their talents to make an impact in their community,” says Schmitz.

For more information about upcoming hackathons at UMBC, visit the HackUMBC website.

Adapted from a UMBC News article by Megan Hanks; header image: Students presenting their hacks at the “expo” portion of the hackathon. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

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UMBC CSEE Seminar Series

Phase synchrony in heart-brain interactions predicts personality and emotions

Ehsan Shokri Kojori
NIH, National Institute on Alcoloh Abuse and Alcoholism

1:00-2:00pm Friday, 17 March 2017, ITE 231

Despite the historical interest in the link between brain and heart, it is unknown whether brain and heart interactions provide meaningful information about emotions and personality. Here we studied the phase and amplitude of coherence between cardiac pulse and resting state fMRI signals in 203 subjects. We show low-frequency (LF, < 0.1 Hz) components of the resting-state networks (RSN) share significant content with corresponding components in physiological recordings. We found LF cardiovascular components precede those in RSNs, and LF respiratory components follow those in RSNs. Phase dispersion (in LF) between cardiac (but not respiratory) and RSN signals predicted a main positivity-negativity dimension of personality (r = 0.31, p < 0.0001) and emotions (r = 0.24, p = 0.001). Specifically, higher phase dispersion between cardiac and brain RSNs predicted higher tendency toward negative inclinations. In summary, these results provide evidence that brain-wide sensitivity to cardiovascular signaling predicts a main dimension of personality and emotions. Finally, our analysis of phase dispersion may have diagnostic value in specific neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Ehsan Shokri Kojori joined the Laboratory of Neuroimaging at the NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
 as a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in August 2014 and became a Research Fellow in May 2016. He earned a PhD degree in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas in Spring 2014. Ehsan also has a background in electrical engineering and signal processing. His interests include combining brain imaging modalities (e.g., fMRI, DTI, and PET) and behavioral measurements to understand the neurocognitive underpinnings of goal directed behavior. His current work involves studying how addiction and alcohol abuse affect efficiency and energetic cost of the brain networks. He is also working on developing novel methodologies to better characterize anatomical and functional brain connectivity indices.

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