Events

Seminar on "Analysis, Synthesis and Learning of Network-Inspired Systems" by Dr Lin Lin

Date: 10 May 2024, Friday Time: 4:30pm Venue: YEUNG Y5-203, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 955 7075 2299 Password: 123456 Speaker: Dr Lin Lin, City University of Hong Kong   Analysis, Synthesis and Learning of Network-Inspired Systems Dr Lin Lin, City University of Hong Kong   Abstract: This seminar will discuss the analysis, synthesis and learning problems for several classes of network-inspired finite-valued systems, including finite-field networks, Boolean networks, logical dynamic systems, and Markov chains. They are effective models to describe agents operating under realistic circumstances with limited capacities for storing, processing and transmitting information. To tackle the challenges posed by high computational complexity and large memory storage, the present investigation is concerned with several approaches, such as establishing a quotient/bisimulation-based scale reduction method, designing optimal triggering control strategy, exploring network structure information, leveraging data structure storage, employing graph-theoretical algorithms, and incorporating reinforcement learning techniques.   Speaker’s Bio:Dr. Lin Lin is currently a Post-Doc Fellow at the Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong. She received her Ph.D. degree in Engineering from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Hong Kong in 2024. She was a visiting research student at the University of Adelaide, King’s College London, and Hokkaido University in Oct.-Dec. 2022, May-Jul. 2023, and Feb. 2024, respectively. Her research interests include networked collective intelligence, Markov chains, control theory, and reinforcement learning. Dr. Lin was a finalist for the Lotfi Zadeh Best Paper Award at the 22nd International Conference on Machine Learning and Cybernetics in 2023. She was a recipient of the Outstanding Master Degree Thesis Award from the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the Outstanding Master Degree Thesis Award from Jiangsu Province, China, both in 2022.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/

Seminar on "High Performance Swept Lasers and the Applications" by Dr Dongmei Huang

Date: 3 May 2024, Friday Time: 4:30pm Venue: CD634, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Zoom Meeting ID: 270 294 7238 Password: 123456 Speaker: Dr Dongmei Huang, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University   High Performance Swept Lasers and the Applications Dr Dongmei Huang, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University   Abstract:Swept lasers are the key components in laser frequency scanning interferometers which are widely applied in spectral detection systems including optical frequency domain reflectometer, swept source optical coherence tomography, optical sensing, and LiDAR. High sweep rate, wide sweep range, and long coherence length are the most desirable features of swept lasers. This talk will introduce broadband, highly stable and coherent swept lasers including Fourier domain mode locked lasers and time stretched swept lasers. The characterization techniques for swept lasers and their applications in biomedical imaging, high resolution measurement will also be presented.   Speaker’s Bio: Dr Dongmei Huang received her Ph.D. from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2020, Hong Kong. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research focuses on both fundamental physics including mode locked lasers, swept lasers, nonlinear optics, integrated optics, and applications of photonics including biomedical imaging, high resolution measurement and LiDAR, optical fiber sensing. She is the guest editor of Photonics. She served as local arrangement chairs of OECC 2021 and ACP/IPOC 2022, and a TPC member of OECC 2021. She has co-authored 70 papers and 7 patents. She won the Young Scientist Award in Optoelectronics Global Conference (OGC) 2022 and the Best Student Paper Award in International Conference on Optical Communications and Networks (ICOCN) 2018.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/  

EEE Staff Retreat

The Staff Retreat, held at Harbour Plaza Metropolis, successfully concluded as the first gathering following the merger. Attended by academic/teaching and some administrative staff members, the Retreat provided a platform for collaboration and idea-sharing on key focus areas. Discussions revolved around RAE preparation, promotion strategies, student engagement initiatives, and teaching and learning innovations.  Breakout sessions allowed for in-depth discussions, leading to the identification of strategies and action plans.  The Department looks forward to implementing the discussed initiatives and sustaining the positive momentum for future growth.

Seminar on "Design of Joint Source-Channel Coding Schemes Based on DP-LDPC Codes and Spatially-Coupled DP-LDPC Codes" by Ms Jia Zhan

Date: 19 April 2024, Friday Time: 4:30pm Venue: CD634, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Zoom Meeting ID: 891 2966 7141 Password: 123456 Speaker: Ms Jia Zhan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University   Design of Joint Source-Channel Coding Schemes Based on DP-LDPC Codes and Spatially-Coupled DP-LDPC Codes Ms Jia Zhan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University   Abstract: The joint source-channel coding (JSCC) technique, which can jointly design source and channel codes by exploiting source statistics and channel information to achieve optimal overall error performance, is superior to the separate source-channel design under scenarios with finite code length. Different JSCC schemes based on double channel codes, such as low-density parity-check (LDPC) and polar codes, have been proposed. This seminar focuses on the JSCC schemes based on LDPC codes, and will introduce a new type of JSCC scheme based on double protograph-based LDPC (DP-LDPC) codes and a new class of JSCC scheme based on spatially coupled DP-LDPC codes.   Speaker’s Bio: Ms Jia Zhan received a B.Sc. degree in electronic information engineering from Yantai Nanshan University, Yantai, China, in 2013 and received an M.Sc. degree in electronic and communication engineering from Xiamen University, Fujian, China. Ms Zhan is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her current research interest is joint source-channel coding.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/  

Seminar on "Strengthening Critical Power Network Branches for Cascading Failure Mitigation (rehearsal talk for IEEE ISCAS 2024)" by Miss Biwei Li

Date: 12 April 2024, Friday Time: 4:30pm Venue: YEUNG G7603, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 955 7075 2299 Password: 123456 Speaker: Miss Biwei Li, City University of Hong Kong   Strengthening Critical Power Network Branches for Cascading Failure Mitigation (rehearsal talk for IEEE ISCAS 2024) Miss Biwei Li, City University of Hong Kong   Abstract:Strengthening critical components is considered one of the most essential means to enhance the robustness of power networks against cascading failure. This talk discusses an iterative method to strengthen the critical power network branches identified from a tailor-made failure propagation graph. To construct the failure propagation graph, we generate numerous cascading failure trees, capturing both temporal and spatial features of failure propagation processes from cascading failure simulations. The constructed graph is a weighted and directed graph that is able to characterize failure propagation patterns in a power network. By employing weighted eigenvector centrality to assess node criticality, we iterate through the graph to identify the most significant nodes and subsequently determine the critical power network branches to be strengthened. Simulation results in the IEEE 118 bus system demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our strategy in mitigating cascading failure compared to existing methods.   Speaker’s Bio:Biwei Li graduated from Beihang University. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering at CityU. Her research focus is in complex network applications to robustness analysis of power systems.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/

Welcoming Tea Reception for First-Year Students 2024

The Welcoming Tea Reception for First-Year Students 2024 was held by the Department at Hotel ICON Silverbox Ballroom on 6 April 2024. Over 200 participants, including students, teachers, and alumni attended the event. The aim of the event was to introduce year-one students to the EEE Department and its department members; let the year-one students to know more of the comprehensive range of student activities and clubs etc. By pairing students with alumni and professors, interaction in between was warm and supportive. The EEE Welcoming Tea Reception was an important event to kickstart their journey in our department.

Seminar on "Design of Wireless In-Wheel Motor Drive With S/CP Compensation " by Mr Felix Chen

Date: 3 April 2024, Wednesday Time: 4:30pm Venue: YEUNG Y5-202, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 955 7075 2299 Password: 123456 Speaker: Mr Felix Chen, City University of Hong Kong   Design of Wireless In-Wheel Motor Drive With S/CP Compensation (rehearsal talk for IEEE ISCAS 2024) Mr Felix Chen, City University of Hong Kong   Abstract:This talk introduces a wireless in-wheel motor drive system based on the series/capacitor-parallel (S/CP) compensation topology. Despite the structural similarity with the conventional series/series-parallel (S/SP) circuit, the S/CP compensation embraces a different design concept to enhance the voltage gain flexibility. The study examines the input impedance and voltage gain characteristics of the system across all load and misalignment conditions. Subsequently, a novel design method is proposed to facilitate soft switching and ensure compliance with the bus voltage requirement. Consequently, the proposed design method could avoid wireless communication and additional DC/DC converters. Finally, a 600 W prototype is constructed to validate the above analysis, yielding a remarkable maximum efficiency of 96.81%.   Speaker’s Bio:Xin Felix Chen graduated from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He joined CityU in 2021 as a Research Assistant and later became a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research focus is in power electronics, motor drives and wireless power transfer.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/

Seminar on "New Technology of Real Time Simulator and Its Applications" by Dr. Yi Zhang

Date: 3 April 2024, Wednesday Time: 4:30pm Venue: BC404, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Dr. Yi Zhang, RTDS Technologies Inc.

Women in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (WiEEE) Gathering for Postgraduate Students and Research Staff

The Women in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (WiEEE) Gathering for Postgraduate Students and Research Staff was held by the Department at the PolyU Staff Club Restaurant, U.Green, on 22 March 2024. This activity brought together over 40 participants, including female postgraduate students, academic and research staff.   The event featured guest speakers Prof. Winnie Ye, Professor at Carleton University and Chair-Elect of IEEE Women in Engineering Committee, and Dr Qian Li, Associate Professor and Deputy Dean of School of Electronic and Computer Engineering at Peking University. Prof. Ye and Dr Li shared their experiences as women engineers and the professional paths in academia. Their insights provided valuable inspiration for the participants in developing their careers in research and engineering.

Seminar on "Emergence of Cooperation via Reinforcement Learning in Multiagent Systems " by Prof. Zhihai Rong

Date: 22 March 2024, Friday Time: 4:30pm Venue: CD634, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Zoom Meeting ID: 955 7075 2299 Password: 123456 Speaker: Prof. Zhihai Rong, Donghua University, Shanghai   Emergence of Cooperation via Reinforcement Learning in Multiagent Systems Prof. Zhihai Rong, Donghua University, Shanghai   Abstract: Evolutionary game theory provides a powerful framework to investigate the decision process and the emergence of cooperation among rational agents in populations. The learning process is the core of evolutionary game theory. The celebrated replicator dynamics characterizes agents’ strategy evolving and learning processes, and highlights the influence of selection in populations game through a continuous differential equation, whose stable equilibrium points correspond to evolutionary stable states. Multi-agent reinforcement learning is another effective computational method to study evolutionary games theory. The trial-and-error learning process in reinforcement learning is similar to the evolutionary process in biology. The classical Q-learning algorithm can built a bridge between the exploitation-exploration mechanism of reinforcement learning and the selection-mutation mechanism of evolutionary game theory. In this talk, I will analyze the nonlinear dynamics of Q-learning like algorithms through the perspective of evolutionary dynamics, and reveal the potential learning mechanism to promote the emergence of cooperation in infinite and finite populations with memory strategies, which may yield some insight into achieving cooperative machine agents and understanding the evolution of machine behavior.   Speaker’s Bio: Dr Zhihai Rong obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees from Harbin Institute of Technology and Ph.D degree from Shanghai Jiaotong University, all in Control Science and Engineering. He was a Hong Kong Scholar with PolyU. Now he is a professor in the Department of Automation, Donghua University, Shanghai. His research interests include complex networks, evolutionary game dynamics and mechanism design. He is the author of over 60 papers in peer reviewed scientific journals and international conferences, including IEEE Tran. CAS-II, IEEE Tran. Cybernetics, Automatica, Physical Review E, Europhysics Letters (EPL), Chaos, ISCAS and IFAC, received more than 3000 citations with h-index 29.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: http://cccn.ee.cityu.edu.hk/webinar/