The CWIT Treasure Chest is a prize-based program where you earn points for attending CWIT events and participating in different initiatives. These points will be counted up at the end of the semester and redeemable for different prizes. Check out the flyers below for more information on how to earn points and what prizes you could redeem them for at the end of the semester!

Earning Points

25 points:

• Fill out event/feedback surveys
• Apply to be a CWIT Lead (Spring only)
• Apply to be a CWIT Peer Mentor (Spring only)

Necessary and sufficient regressor conditions for the global asymptotic stability of recursive least squares

Abstract

In recursive least squares (RLS), a persistently exciting (PE) regressor guarantees global asymptotic stability (GAS) of the estimation error relative to the zero equilibrium, and hence convergence of the parameter estimates to their true values. It is known, however, that PE is sufficient but not necessary for GAS, and thus GAS might be achieved even if the regressor is not PE. Since analyses based on PE are ubiquitous in the recursive estimation literature, the existence of non-PE regressors that ensure GAS raises the question of how PE can be directly generalized into a necessary and sufficient condition for the GAS of RLS, and whether or not such a generalization would provide a simple characterization of non-PE regressors for which RLS is GAS. In this paper, we introduce WPE, a direct generalization of PE that is necessary and sufficient for GAS, and explain how it can be understood as a “non-uniform” extension of PE to specific classes of summation windows and lower bound sequences. Next, we show that WPE is equivalent to a condition that emerges from extending certain proofs of non-negative series divergence, such as Oresme’s divergence proof for the harmonic series, to sequences of real symmetric positive-semidefinite matrices.

Read the article here.

Congratulations to Dr. Jamie Gurganus on being selected for the Diane M. Lee Teaching award for AY 20-2021!

The review committee was very impressed with Dr. Gurganus’ application and the comments shared by her students and colleagues. Dr. Gurganus’ approach to her own professional development and how that enhanced her creativity in working with her students is truly unique. She has given herself permission to explore teaching and learning through multiple phases of a student’s educational experience, and, as a result, she has developed and allowed for multiple ways of learning on the part of the students. That creativity and innovation supports them in learning who they are and what they can accomplish. It also makes room for every student to create a space for learning that is uniquely their own.

"Dr. Gurganus, or more affectionately named Prof G by many students, is the type of instructor that teaches with care and mattering. She is a professor that cares about you as a whole person and your success in and out of the classroom. She truly listens to students and explains concepts in a way that is straightforward, giving students the resources and support they need in order to be successful. She emulates and teaches what it means to be an engineer and the importance of professional skills, thinking critically, and being the best you can be. She has been a huge mentor and inspiration for me throughout my career, both personally and professionally, and I am so glad I could assist in the recognition she rightfully deserves." Shannon Clancy ’19, PhD Pre-candidate at University of Michigan, NSF Graduate Research Fellow

This is the inaugural year for this award; Dr. Diane Lee served as Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and is now, in her retirement, serving as the Director of the Wisdom Institute at UMBC.

Dr. TseHuai Wu, Professor of the Practice,  and his students attended the Autonomous vehicle showcase held by MAGIC in Westminster. The team comprised Allison Dietz, Alexander Levanduski, Aidan Atkinson, Hamza Umar, and Mikee Ibayan presented InforMobile, the app they created for MAGIC's Hackathon.

InforMobile is a ridesharing safety app for autonomous vehicles. It's a brand new idea created by the students. MAGIC liked this concept a lot and decides to invite the team to the autonomous corridor showcase on May 20. It was a half-day event for autonomous vehicle tech companies exhibiting and demonstrating their systems. Students had a booth and presented their work there!

Congratulations to Dr. Wu and to our students!

By Tom Penniston, original post here.