Region 1

The Northeast Power Electronics Symposium (NEPES) brings together regional, national, and international leaders in power electronics from industry, academia, and government. It serves as a hub to discuss present and future power electronics technology and innovation from materials to systems. NEPES hosts a slate of presentations and panel discussions by power electronics experts, as well as posters and demonstrations by researchers in the field. This first meeting is organized and hosted by the newly established Connecticut Power Electronics Center of Excellence (CONPEX) at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Visit the event website (https://powerelectronics.engineering.uconn.edu/fall-2024-symposium/) for more information. Co-sponsored by: Connecticut Power Electronics Center of Excellence (CONPEX) Agenda: (https://powerelectronics-engineering.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3869/2024/10/Updated_schedule_3-1.pdf) Bldg: Innovation Partnership Building , 159 Discovery Drive, Storrs, Connecticut, United States, 06269

Special Presentation by Dr. Farhad Rezazadeh (CTTC, Spain) Hosted by the Future Networks Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AIML) Working Group Date/Time: Thursday, November 21st, 2024 @ 12:00 UTC Topic: Toward Trustworthy AI/ML in 6G Networks through Explainable Reasoning Abstract: This talk emphasizes the importance of trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 6G networks in response to growing global attention on AI governance. Notable initiatives such as the White House's Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI, DARPA's Assured Neuro-Symbolic Learning and Reasoning and eXplainable AI (XAI) programs, and the European Union's AI Act, highlight the increasing regulatory focus on AI transparency and responsibility. As 6G networks transition from AI-native to automation-native, the need for explainability and trustworthiness becomes critical, especially in mission-critical and high-stakes applications. Traditional post-hoc explainability methods, which aim to explain AI decisions after they are made, are no longer adequate in complex network environments. Instead, in-hoc explainability or explanation-guided techniques – where explanations guide the learning process itself – is emerging as a crucial approach for establishing trust in AI systems from the ground up. Indeed, integrating explanatory mechanisms directly within AI learning models enables transparent decisions and enhances learning. Furthermore, incorporating neuro-symbolic approaches, which combine neural networks with symbolic reasoning, provides a robust framework to tackle the increasing complexity of 6G networks. By integrating these approaches, AI systems can make more explainable, contextually guided decisions, boosting trust and performance while mitigating risks associated with black-box AI models. Speaker: Farhad Rezazadeh received his Ph.D. degree (Excellent Cum Laude) in Signal Theory and Communications from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain. He is currently a researcher (Sr. Applied AI Engineer) at the Telecommunications Technological Center of Catalonia (CTTC), Barcelona, Spain. He participated in 8 European and National 5G/B5G/6G R&D projects with leading and technical tasks in the areas of Applied AI. His AI innovation in B5G/6G resource allocation was recognized as a great EU-funded Innovation by the European Commission's Innovation Radar. He was awarded the first patent connected to the H2020 5G-SOLUTIONS project. He was a secondee at NEC Lab Europe and had scientific missions at TUM, Germany, TUHH, Germany, and UdG, Spain. He is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Ph.D. grantee, winning five different IEEE/IEEE ComSoc grants, two European Cooperation in Science and Technology grants, and a Catalan Government Ph.D. Grant. He is an active member of ACM Professional, IEEE Young Professionals, and IEEE Spain - Technical Activities and Standards, with more than 29 top-tier journals/conferences and book chapters. He actively serves as Organizing, Chair, Reviewer, and TPC member in IEEE and Guest Editor for Elsevier. He has over 140 verified reviews for peer-reviewed publications. He coordinates the IEEE Trustworthy Internet of Things (TRUST-IoT) working group within the IEEE IoT Community. Co-sponsored by: Toward Trustworthy AI/ML in 6G Networks through Explainable Reasoning Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/443359

A technical presentation on the topic 'A novel Grid Forming Controls (GFM) model in PSS/E for 100% renewable grids'. Increased proliferation of Inverter Based Resources (IBRs) and retirement of conventional power generation has resulted in depleted short circuit levels and has raised stability concerns in operating electric grids. Majority of the IBRs today are Grid Following (GFL) meaning they require a voltage and frequency reference for their Phase Locked Loop and 'follow' and latch onto, in order to inject current to the grid. As short circuit levels drop, GFLs suffer from instability raising concerns. Grid-forming inverters (GFMs) are a promising solution in this regard as they behave as voltage sources behind an internal impedance, providing both voltage and frequency regulation. This talk will focus on a novel positive sequence model developed in PSS/E that has several levels of control that works in both grid connected and islanded mode of operation. Alongside an outer layer that generates Voltage and Frequency reference, a V-Q, P-F droop based current controller is utilized eventually form a voltage source interface. Simulation results will be shown that demonstrate stability in 100% renewable grids. During this presentation Tamojit present his work on GFM. We invite all those interested in clean energy and the future of our renewable grid to join us for this insightful session. Agenda: Starts at 7.00PM Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/434368

With climate change already here and its effects all around us, it’s urgent to continue efforts across all industries to reduce CO2 emissions. But what about the information technology sector? The World-Wide Web we depend on enriches our lives in many areas: education, commerce, government, news, communication, and more. However, the infrastructure that enables it uses a lot of electricity — not all of which is generated from renewable resources (hence its CO2 generation.) Combining the fields of computers and the environment, a relatively new Website construction method called “Sustainable Web Design” is gaining awareness. This software-based approach reduces non-renewable energy to lower CO2 emissions so the people of today and tomorrow can benefit from everything that the Web offers. How a Website is constructed and presents its information has real-world effects! A Website can be built to serve smaller files, use less resources, and require less processing power — all of these help reduce non-renewable energy use and associated CO2 emissions. Sustainable Web Design also has side-benefits: a faster Website, better mobile device battery life, higher-placed mobile Google search results, and better accessibility. This presentation will introduce how to determine a Website’s sustainability, identify elements which can slow down a Web page, describe basic sustainable Web design strategies and techniques, offer easy to take actions and examples, present the perspective and advice of a Website Designer/Webmaster who remade his organization’s Website to be sustainable, and list additional resources to follow the latest developments. Speaker(s): , Michael Blank Room: 105, Bldg: Computer Science Building, 35 Olden St, Princeton, New Jersey, United States, 08544, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/437519