{"count":264,"next":"https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/events/?format=json&limit=10&offset=190&ordering=event__url_place_and_room","previous":"https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/events/?format=json&limit=10&offset=170&ordering=event__url_place_and_room","results":[{"id":72728,"title":"When Control Changes the Data: Safety under Interaction-Driven Distribution Shifts","slug":"when-control-changes-the-data-safety-under-interac","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/when-control-changes-the-data-safety-under-interac","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33946/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33946/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33946/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-11-09","end_date":"2026-11-09","start_time":"14:00:00","end_time":"15:00:00","description":"This seminar is co-sponsored by the IEEE-CSS.
\r\n
\r\nAbstract: 
\r\nAccelerated by rapid advances in machine learning and AI, there has been tremendous success in the design of learning-enabled autonomous systems in areas such as autonomous driving and robotics. These exciting developments are accompanied by new fundamental challenges that arise regarding the safety and reliability of these increasingly complex systems due to imperfect learning, system unknowns, and uncertain environments. Statistical tools for uncertainty quantification have gained popularity due to their ability to deal with these challenges. However, their guarantees rely on i.i.d. data, an assumption that is violated when control actions change the underlying data distribution.
\r\n
\r\nIn this talk, I will provide new insight to design safe controllers under distribution shifts using robust conformal prediction (CP). I will begin by advocating for the use of CP due to its simplicity, generality, and efficiency as opposed to existing optimization-based verification techniques. I will then provide an introduction to CP and summarize existing work that uses CP to design probabilistically safe controllers in dynamic environments. Subsequently, we will look into interactive settings where the system’s behavior may change the environment's behavior, and vice versa. This circular dependency creates an interaction-driven distribution shift that invalidates existing CP guarantees. To deal with this problem, we propose an iterative framework that episodically updates the controller while robustly maintaining safety guarantees by quantifying the potential impact of a controller update on the environment's behavior. We realize this via adversarially robust CP where we perform a regular CP step in each episode using observed data under the current controller, but then transfer safety guarantees across controller updates by analytically adjusting the CP result to account for distribution shifts. Lastly, I will show how these ideas extend to handling policy-induced distribution shifts that arise when using barrier/Lyapunov functions to control uncertain systems.
\r\n
\r\nBiography:
\r\nLars Lindemann is currently an Assistant Professor for Algorithmic Systems Theory in the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zürich. From 2023 to 2025 he was an Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California. Before that, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania from 2020 to 2022. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2020. Professor Lindemann's research interests include systems and control theory, formal methods, machine learning, and autonomous systems. He is a recipient of a European Research Council Starting Grant and two U.S. National Science Foundation Grants. He also received the Outstanding Student Paper Award at the 58th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control and the Student Best Paper Award (as an advisor) at the 60th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, and has been a finalist for several other best paper awards.","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-10-01T11:07:20","last_modification_date":"2026-10-01T11:20:51","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"ME C2 405","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==ME%20C2%20405","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/66361455244","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Professor Lars Lindemann , Assistant Professor for Algorithmic Systems Theory in the Automatic Control Laboratory @ ETH Zürich","organizer":"Professor Giancarlo Ferrari Trecate","contact":"barbara.schenkel@epfl.ch","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/122012/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/15/?format=json"]},{"id":72758,"title":"Safe Guaranteed Exploration for Non-linear Systems","slug":"safe-guaranteed-exploration-for-non-linear-systems","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/safe-guaranteed-exploration-for-non-linear-systems","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33973/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33973/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33973/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-12-04","end_date":"2026-12-04","start_time":"14:00:00","end_time":"15:00:00","description":"Abstract: 
\r\nSafely exploring environments with a-priori unknown constraints is a fundamental challenge that restricts the autonomy of robots. While safety is paramount, guarantees on sufficient exploration are also crucial for ensuring autonomous task completion. To address these challenges, we propose a novel safe guaranteed exploration framework using optimal control, which achieves first-of-its-kind results: guaranteed exploration for non-linear systems with finite time sample complexity bounds, while being provably safe with arbitrarily high probability. The framework is general and applicable to many real-world scenarios with complex non-linear dynamics and unknown domains. For efficient implementation, we exploit goal-directed exploration, and receding-horizon replanning while preserving the framework’s guarantees, and demonstrate safe, efficient exploration in challenging unknown environments using a car model.
\r\n
\r\nBiography: 
\r\nManish Prajapat earned his Ph.D. in reinforcement learning and control from ETH Zurich in May 2026. He was a Doctoral Fellow at the ETH AI Center working with Prof. Melanie Zeilinger and Prof. Andreas Krause. Previously, he earned his master’s degree in Robotics, Systems, and Control from ETH Zurich and was a visiting scholar at Caltech. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in 2017. At IIT Madras, he was honored as the Best Graduating Student (Co-curricular) in 2017 and received the Sivasailam Merit Prize for the best thesis. His research interests are sequential decision-making under complex scenarios, e.g., non-Markovian objectives, unknown constraints or unknown dynamics of non-linear systems.
\r\n
\r\n ","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-10-02T16:39:32","last_modification_date":"2026-10-02T16:47:13","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"ME C2 405","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==ME%20C2%20405","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/69006439273","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Dr Manish Prajapat Ph.D. reinforcement learning and control from ETH Zurich\r\n\r\nWinner of the IEEE CSS Young Author Best Journal Paper Award 2026","organizer":"Prof Giancarlo Ferrari Trecate The seminar is sponsored by the Swiss chapter of the IEEE-CSS","contact":"barbara.schenkel@epfl.ch","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/122052/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/15/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/394/?format=json"]},{"id":72452,"title":"MechE Colloquium: From Motion to Mission Planning via Augmented Graphs of Convex Sets","slug":"meche-colloquium-from-motion-to-mission-planning-v","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/meche-colloquium-from-motion-to-mission-planning-v","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33700/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33700/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33700/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-06","end_date":"2026-10-06","start_time":"12:00:00","end_time":"13:00:00","description":"Abstract: Robot motion planning has traditionally focused on navigating obstacle-laden environments: computing smooth, collision-free trajectories from start to goal. Many real-world missions, however, require satisfying logical precedence constraints: collecting resources before accessing restricted zones, completing subtasks in a prescribed order, or acquiring tools before they can be used. This talk presents the augmented graph of convex sets (augmented GCS) framework, which unifies continuous trajectory optimization and combinatorial task sequencing within a single optimization problem.
\r\nThe key insight is that a layered augmented GCS, built on an exact convex partition of the free space, simultaneously selects an optimal task completion sequence and computes an optimal continuous trajectory. A shortest path in the augmented GCS solves both problems at once, yielding an exact solution up to a finite Bézier curve parameterization. The layered structure of the augmented GCS turns out to implement precisely the Bellman-Held-Karp (BHK) dynamic programming algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem, establishing a formal correspondence between our framework and the combinatorial TSP literature. This makes augmented GCS a continuous-geometry generalization of BHK, achieving the same singly exponential worst-case complexity, an exponential improvement over general-purpose temporal logic tools. We further develop a library of mission specification variations (including ordered collection, disjunctive keys, conjunctive doors, timed constraints, and conditional logic) each with proven correctness, substantially expanding the range of expressible mission types. Numerical experiments confirm exponential speedups in practice and near-global-optimality on a large benchmark suite.
\r\nTime permitting, I will briefly discuss ongoing extensions, including spacetime augmented GCS for dynamic environments, safety-aware planning via conformal prediction sets, and a galactic survey benchmark inspired by space mission planning that stress-tests the framework at scale.
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nBiography: Tyler Summers is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to joining UT Dallas, he was an ETH Postdoctoral Fellow at the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich from 2011 to 2015. He received a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 2010. He was a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia in 2007-2008. He received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021 and a Young Investigator Program award from the US Army Research Office in 2017. His research interests are in feedback control, optimization, and learning in complex dynamical networks, with applications in robotics and power networks.","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-08-26T16:15:39","last_modification_date":"2026-08-26T16:19:15","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/61360740951","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Prof. Tyler Summers, Mechanical engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas","organizer":"Prof. Maryam Kamgarpour","contact":"Institute of Mechanical Engineering","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"MechE Colloquium: From Motion to Mission Planning via Augmented Graphs of Convex Sets","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121601/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/232/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/270/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/417/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/394/?format=json"]},{"id":72460,"title":"MechE Colloquium: Local Rheological Probes of Stress Heterogeneities in Active and Passive Fluids","slug":"meche-colloquium-local-rheological-probes-of-stres","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/meche-colloquium-local-rheological-probes-of-stres","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33708/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33708/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33708/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-27","end_date":"2026-10-27","start_time":"12:00:00","end_time":"13:00:00","description":"Abstract: In this talk I will discuss our recent results on the microscopic physical origins of shear thickening in two vastly different materials: colloidal suspensions and active gels. In the first part of my talk, I will introduce a method we have developed that allows us to resolve the spatial distribution of stresses in sheared soft-materials, known as Boundary Stress Microscopy. We have applied this technique to suspensions undergoing shear thickening. I will present our results on the existence of clearly defined dynamically localized regions of substantially increased stress that appear intermittently at stresses well above the applied stress. Surprisingly, we find that these spatially distinct and dynamic phases quantitatively account for the observed shear thickening seen in sheared colloidal dispersions (e.g. Oobleck). In the second part of my talk I will discuss our results on the rheology of active matter. Our system is composed of microtubules and kinesin motor proteins that self-assemble to form complexes that propel themselves through the fluid. What results is a dramatic alteration in the measured viscosity. I will provide a simple physical model that fits the rheological response with zero fitting parameters. 
\r\n
\r\nBiography: Daniel Blair is a Professor of physics and a co-founding member of the Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology I(SM)2 at Georgetown University. Prior to joining Georgetown in 2007, Professor Blair was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University in the Paulson School of Engineering and the Department of Physics. In 2009, he was awarded the NSF Career Award and has done pioneering work into the structure and rheology of soft and biological materials. His group has developed a variety of tools and techniques centered on quantitative 4D microscopy coupled with microfluidic and rheometric methods. ","image_description":"Prof. Daniel Blair","creation_date":"2026-08-27T16:32:32","last_modification_date":"2026-09-29T12:28:07","link_label":"Prof. Sangwoo Kim - MESOBIO","link_url":"https://www.epfl.ch/labs/mesobio/","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/61360740951","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Prof. Daniel Blair, Department of Physics, University of Georgetown, USA","organizer":"MechE Colloquium","contact":"Prof. Sangwoo Kim","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"MechE Colloquium: Local Rheological Probes of Stress Heterogeneities in Active and Passive Fluids","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121614/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/111/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/232/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/270/?format=json"]},{"id":72524,"title":"[CANCELLED] MechE Colloquium: Engineering Net-Zero Transport: From Future Fuels to Carbon and Emissions Management","slug":"cancelled-meche-colloquium-engineering-net-zero-tr","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/cancelled-meche-colloquium-engineering-net-zero-tr","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33763/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33763/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33763/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-13","end_date":"2026-10-13","start_time":"12:00:00","end_time":"13:00:00","description":"Abstract: Transport systems underpin modern society, yet remain among the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. Achieving net-zero transport requires coordinated action across energy carriers, carbon flows and mitigation of other pollutants. This talk presents a multiscale engineering framework for sustainable mobility, organised around three complementary pathways: fuel development (F), greenhouse-gas management (G) and mitigating harmful emissions beyond CO2 (H). First, using solar-driven CO2 conversion as an example, I will show how the precise transport of light, heat and fluids enables the coordinated design of materials, devices and systems, maximising solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency. Second, I will explore on-board carbon capture for road and maritime transport, together with distributed carbon-removal networks that use existing vehicles, ventilation systems and transport infrastructure. Third, I will discuss particulate matter generated by brake and tyre wear, illustrating how materials engineering can balance filtration efficiency, pressure drop and energy demand. Finally, the talk considers how techno-economic assessment and the interplay between technology, business and policy can move laboratory innovations towards industrial deployment.
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nBiography: Dr Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao (https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/elvis.cao) is currently an Assistant Professor at Imperial College London, holding joint appointments in Mechanical Engineering and the Grantham Institute. Cao leads the Laboratory for Integrated Green Harvesting & Transport, the LIGHT Lab, which seeks to engineer the physical systems for a sustainable future. Before joining Imperial, Cao was a Schmidt Science Fellow at MIT, where he pursued integrated carbon capture and utilisation under the guidance of Professor Ted Sargent. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, his MEng in Materials Engineering from McGill University, and dual bachelor’s degrees in Energy and Power Engineering and English Literature from Xi’an Jiaotong University. He has published more than 30 first- or corresponding-author papers in journals including Joule, Matter, Device and Advanced Materials. Cao was named one of MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 globally in 2024 and was previously recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy for North America. His other honours include the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s German Chancellor Fellowship, the Activate Fellowship, the MIT Climate & Energy Prize, the Global Young Investigator Award in Separation Science, and the Carbon Capture Future Star Award, among others.","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-09-04T10:07:53","last_modification_date":"2026-09-30T13:59:39","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/61360740951","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Prof. Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, The Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London","organizer":"Prof. Zhengmao Lu","contact":"Institute of Mechanical Engineering","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"MechE Colloquium: Engineering Net-Zero Transport: From Future Fuels to Carbon and Emissions Management","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121715/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/232/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/270/?format=json"]},{"id":72587,"title":"Performance trade-offs and gait adaptation strategies in undulatory swimming characterised via bio-inspired robotics","slug":"performance-trade-offs-and-gait-adaptation-strateg","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/performance-trade-offs-and-gait-adaptation-strateg","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33832/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33832/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33832/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-09","end_date":"2026-10-09","start_time":"17:30:00","end_time":null,"description":"

Thesis Directors: Prof. K. A. J. Mulleners, Prof. A. Ijspeert
\r\nMechanics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11364
\r\n
\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker

","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-09-16T08:49:55","last_modification_date":"2026-09-16T08:49:55","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":[],"speaker":"Alexandros ANASTASIADIS","organizer":"","contact":"Alexandros ANASTASIADIS","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"EDME","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121808/","category":{"id":12,"code":"SOUTE","fr_label":"Soutenances de thèses","en_label":"Thesis defenses","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/417/?format=json"]},{"id":72612,"title":"High-Energy Radiation and Electromagnetic Signatures in Upward Lightning: Physical Insights from Multi-band Measurements","slug":"high-energy-radiation-and-electromagnetic-signat-2","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/high-energy-radiation-and-electromagnetic-signat-2","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33857/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33857/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33857/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-12","end_date":"2026-10-12","start_time":"16:30:00","end_time":null,"description":"

Thesis Directors: Prof. F. Rachidi-Haeri, Prof. M. Rubinstein
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11764

","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-09-17T15:39:24","last_modification_date":"2026-09-17T15:40:25","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":[],"speaker":"Toma Chaumont Behrs","organizer":"","contact":"Toma Chaumont Behrs","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"EDPY","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121849/","category":{"id":12,"code":"SOUTE","fr_label":"Soutenances de thèses","en_label":"Thesis defenses","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/5/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json"]},{"id":72720,"title":"MechE Colloquium: Biomechanics and fluid dynamics of freshwater insects across walking, swimming, and flight","slug":"meche-colloquium-biomechanics-and-fluid-dynamics-o","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/meche-colloquium-biomechanics-and-fluid-dynamics-o","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33937/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33937/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33937/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-11-03","end_date":"2026-11-03","start_time":"12:00:00","end_time":"13:00:00","description":"Abstract: Many animals, including humans, can transition between multiple modes of locomotion between diverse environments (e.g., the transition from walking to swimming). Bimodality is common, but trimodality—that is, the ability to successfully navigate between aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial environments—is relatively rare.  Multimodality is also challenging to achieve in engineered devices, vehicles, and robots; however, several animals are capable of regularly (and easily) traversing environmental boundaries.  In this talk, we will outline several of the general adaptations that living organisms use to locomote between land, air, and water. We will then present recent work on the biomechanics and fluid dynamics of trimodal aquatic insects.  These insects exhibit hybrid walking-swimming gaits when transitioning from land to shallow water; they also leverage surface tension, buoyancy, fluid drag, and aerodynamic forces to take off into flight directly from the water surface. They also display underwater agility, using their legs as paddles to propel themselves rapidly as they seek prey and/or escape from predators. They also have interesting morphological features to enable these transitions, including superhydrophobic wings and hemelytra, as well as dense setae lining the metathoracic legs. These bristle-like features create shape-morphing appendages for efficient swimming, and are also used to lever the insect’s body off the deforming water surface during takeoff. In this talk, we will present data from all three locomotor modes and discuss their implications for both fundamental biology and ecology as well as bioinspired engineering and technology development.
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nBiography: Dr. Margaret L. Byron is currently the Martin W. Trethewey Early Career Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University, and is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the Beckman Young Investigator Award, and the American Chemical Society Doctoral New Investigator Award. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2010 and her MS/PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California Berkeley in 2012/2015. She works at the interface of biology, physics, and engineering, with interests including the fluid dynamics of animal locomotion and the transport of irregularly shaped inertial particles in turbulent flows (including sediment, aggregates, and microplastics). She is currently on sabbatical at EPFL as a Visiting Professor in the UNFoLD lab.","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-09-29T15:49:49","last_modification_date":"2026-09-29T15:54:40","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/61360740951","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Prof. Margaret Byron, Institute of Energy and the Environment, The Pennsylvania State University","organizer":"Prof. Karen Mulleners","contact":"Institute of Mechanical Engineering","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"MechE Colloquium: Biomechanics and fluid dynamics of freshwater insects across walking, swimming, and flight","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/122000/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/232/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/270/?format=json"]},{"id":72773,"title":"Physics-guided machine learning and data fusion for analysing STEM data","slug":"physics-guided-machine-learning-and-data-fusion-fo","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/physics-guided-machine-learning-and-data-fusion-fo","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33989/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33989/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33989/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-30","end_date":"2026-10-30","start_time":"17:00:00","end_time":null,"description":"

Thesis Director: Prof. C. Hébert,
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 12109
\r\n
\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker

","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-10-06T11:28:17","last_modification_date":"2026-10-06T11:28:17","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1418","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":[],"speaker":"Sebastian COZMA","organizer":"","contact":"Sebastian COZMA","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"EDPY","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/122075/","category":{"id":12,"code":"SOUTE","fr_label":"Soutenances de thèses","en_label":"Thesis defenses","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/5/?format=json"]},{"id":72393,"title":"Training \"Data Organization & Storage Solutions\"","slug":"training-data-organization-storage-solutions-5","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/training-data-organization-storage-solutions-5","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33644/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33644/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33644/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-08","end_date":"2026-10-08","start_time":"15:00:00","end_time":"16:30:00","description":"
This training enhances your file and folder naming strategies, introduces the use of metadata, and guides you in documenting research data to bolster reproducibility within your research group and in preparation for publication.
\r\n
\r\nWe will explore the critical differences between data storage, backup, and archiving, and showcase the EPFL's solutions. Through examples and best practices, you will learn to prevent data loss and enable efficient data sharing and its long-term preservation.
\r\n
\r\nAt the end of this workshop, you will be able to:\r\n\r\nWhile not mandatory, basic knowledge of Research Data Management is recommended: for an introductory training, please register for the workshop ABC of Research Data Management.
\r\n
\r\nRegistration
\r\n
\r\nMore information about EPFL Library Training offer
","image_description":"CC-BY-NC-SA EPFL Library","creation_date":"2026-08-20T09:34:51","last_modification_date":"2026-08-20T15:39:52","link_label":"Registration","link_url":"https://bookwhen.com/fr/epfl_library/e/ev-so3fe-20261008150000","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MED 0 1618","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201618","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"EPFL Library Research Data Team","organizer":"EPFL Library","contact":"formations.bib@epfl.ch","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Sur inscription","en_label":"Registration required"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121510/","category":{"id":15,"code":"FORM","fr_label":"Formations internes","en_label":"Internal trainings","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/3/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/5/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/269/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/275/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/291/?format=json"]}]}