Abstract
Probabilistic forms of representation and reasoning have become important components of modern artificial intelligence (AI) technology. What is this change and how have earlier successes and failures of AI research brought it about? We will consider several concrete examples of diagnostic and prognostic reasoning and discuss probabilistic solutions for these problems. We will conclude with a discussion of why the stochastic approach has brought about both practical computational results as well as supported a modern (epistemological) analysis of the nature of intelligence itself.

Robert Gilbert is the Brunswick-Abernathy Professor of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, TX. His technical focus is on risk analysis and management for civil engineering systems. Recent activities include analyzing the performance of offshore drilling platforms and pipelines in hurricanes; managing earthquake and flooding risks for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California; and performing a forensic analysis of the New Orleans levee failures.

Abstract
On the morning of 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and triggered what would become one of the worst engineering disasters in the Nations history. The levees and the floodwalls protecting the area failed and allowed water to pour into the city. More than 1500 people lost their lives. The educational and healthcare systems have been crippled. Over 400,000 residents fled the city and have not returned. It will take decades for New Orleans to recover. A discussion is presented as to how the engineering and science professions can learn and improve in the wake of this disaster.

Lesley Reid is the Chairperson of the Department of Sociology, Race and Urban Concentration at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Her research integrates three areas of sociology: Criminology, urban sociology, and stratification. Lesley’s research has been published in City & Community, Social Science Research, and Violence & Victims. She is author of the book, Crime in the City: A political and economic analysis of urban crime.

Abstract
Despite the plethora of popular commentary on the alleged link between immigration and increased crime, little empirical research actually supports the link. Individual-level studies of immigrant criminality and victimization demonstrate that immigrants typically engage in less crime than their native-born counterparts. Likewise, research on aggregate crime rates finds that places with larger immigrant populations tend to have less crime. This Talk presents the causal processes through which immigration may actually lead to lower crime rates in many metropolitan areas. Drawing on three decades of data, this reaearch debunks the myth of the criminal immigrant by showing how immigration can ameliorate many of the conditions conducive to crime, including economic stagnation, job loss, urban depopulation and family dissolution.

Spring 2009

Emily Tobey is the Nelle C. Johnston Chair in Early Childhood Communications Disorders at the University of Texas, Dallas, TX. She heads the Dallas Cochlear Implant Program and was named the Polykarp Kush Lecturer for UT Dallas, the highest honor granted by the University to a faculty member. She has published over 100 peer reviewed articles involving cochlear implants.

Abstract
It is hard to imagine how a simple observation made by Volta in the late 1700’s could leave a lasting legacy impacting physics, literature, and theatre. Yet such an observation was made and a legacy was formed which impacts the arts and sciences in ways Volta could not conceive. It is even safer to assume that Volta had no idea that his basic reflection would lead to the restoration of multiple aspects of hearing for many deaf people around the world nearly 300 years later. Imagine a world of silence, imagine a world warning against the over reaching of man and the industrial revolution, and finally, imagine that for the first time you are hearing a child speak, listening to a horse chomp oats or hearing the falling leaves rustle in the wind. Imagine, if you will, a world no longer silent.

Betty Prince is the CEO of New Energy Strategies International. She has 35 years experience in the semiconductor industry with Texas Instruments, N.V. Philips, Motorola, R.C.A., and Fairchild in various engineering and management positions. She has authored several technical books in the semiconductor area and numerous technical papers. Betty is an IEEE Senior Member and IEEE SSCS Distinguished Lecturer on Solar Technology. Also, she has served on the Technical Advisory Boards of IEEE Spectrum magazine as well as several companies including: Cavendish Kinetics, Emerging Memory Technologies and Silicon Access Networks; she was a Director of Mosaid Technologies for many years. She holds patents in the memory, processor and interface areas.

Abstract
This presentation will include: an overview of the solar market; solar power plants being built worldwide with focus on their technology and financing; Overview of PV and solar poly-silicon suppliers worldwide; trends and techniques for improving efficiency and reducing costs of solar cells; thin film solar technologies -CIGS, flexible substrates, silicon ink, organic dye sensitized, and emerging solar technologies - polymer, nano-crystal, nano-rods, nano-tubes, and other.

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Co-sponsored by Albuquerque Section of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Sigma Xi (the Scientific Research Society), Department of Physics & Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, University Honors Program and Division of Continuing Education. IEEE Society of Solid-State Circuits provided valuable support for this Talk under their Distinguished Lectures Program.

Abstract
The 21st century (grad?) student, commonly referred to as "Millennials" or the "Millennial Generation" demands new types of services which call for an educational environment which is characterized by fluid boundaries between disciplines, departments and curricula. The capacity of Universities to meet those demands will make possible new forms of scholarship/research that will characterize 21st century knowledge production.

The principal objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the defining characteristic of the great research university of the 21st century will be its agility (nimbleness, flexibility, capacity to change quickly are other terms that might be used) in meeting the educational demands of increasingly savvy customers and organizing to answer the most important research questions of our times.

I will provide some of the demographic, economic, and educational trends and data that shape my thinking, discuss several illustrative best practices in graduate education, and provide case studies of emerging issues relevant to the University in New Mexico in particular.

Archive of Distinguished Public Talks: 2007-2008

Archive of Distinguished Public Talks: 2006-2007

Archive of Distinguished Public Talks: 2005-2006