Speaker: Leonardo Duenas-Osorio, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Making the Failure of Complex Engineered Systems Rare
As automation, interdependencies and operational uncertainty in engineered systems increase, researchers and industry need new system-level state estimation methods that are efficient and trustable to guide system safety decisions. This talk introduces disruptive algorithms for the practical reliability assessment of existing and future complex engineered systems, which offer exact bounds or guarantees of the quality of their estimates, while easing the burden of proof on investors and stakeholders. In particular, I present how we leverage logic to develop reliability estimators based on one of the simplest operations we all perform: counting. This is in contrast to widely used but less intuitive strategies based on sampling. Our new methods
are scalable, naturally applicable to networked systems, and issue probably approximately correct (PAC) certificates of their quality. Our logic-based formulation also reveals a unique connection to emerging hardware, including quantum computers, to not miss rare-events which carry high consequences if they occur. I end the talk with a prospective account of counting and sampling methods for reliability verification in industry which are consistent with uncertainty quantification and support safety decisions of evolving engineered systems.
We invite attendees to join the featured speaker and event attendees for networking at Second Draught after the talk.
Innovation on Tap: Disruptive Technology Talks with Houston’s Leading Researchers
Industrial innovation is in the DNA of Houston (energy, health, space, and transportation), and the Ion is at the forefront of moving the city to become a technology destination, a central place where we support bold moves that embrace the innovation economy at an industrial scale. The Ion is a place where we accelerate disruption by connecting people and ideas to create a future that will not only change Houston but change the world.
The Ion Innovation on Tap lecture series is focused on bridging world-leading academic research to the broader innovation ecosystem, creating connections and partnerships that will not only accelerate translation and commercialization but form relationships that will drive future fundamental advances needed to address fundamental problems like decarbonization, personalized health care, and create resilient and sustainable livable communities.
Examples of disruptive technology include but are not limited to AI and machine learning, robotics, synthetic biology, neuro-engineering, nano-materials, cyber security, imaging, blockchain, and quantum computing.
The lecture series will feature leading researchers spanning engineering, science, and design, showcasing advanced technology and innovation from academic research labs and programs. Largely inaccessible and buried in journals and conference proceedings, technology will be presented in an accessible TED-style lecture format with ample networking opportunities. The disruptive technology lecture series will serve as a magnifying glass connecting fundamental technology to people and organizations that can benefit and help activate technology through commercialization. More than that, the lecture series will serve as a front door for collaboration between researchers and industry partners and/or the formation of new technology startups that will help establish Ion and Houston as a global hub for innovation.
