Presented by: Min Liu

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Zoom - see below.

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Meeting ID: 860 6968 3463

Password: 445318

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Meeting ID: 860 6968 3463

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Abstract: The C and C++ programming languages underpin much of modern systems software, and every compiler-based tool — from static analyzers to AI coding assistants — depends on one key internal data structure: the abstract syntax tree (AST). Understanding how a compiler represents source code as an AST is valuable for anyone building or debugging such tools, as well as for students learning how compilers work. Clang, a widely used open-source C/C++ compiler frontend, can dump its AST as text, but the output can span thousands or even millions of lines with no way to navigate interactively.

This seminar presents ACAV (Aurora Clang AST Viewer), a graphical tool that lets users load a real C or C++ project and explore its Clang AST visually. The talk covers why ASTs matter, the engineering challenges of building a responsive viewer at project scale, and a live demonstration of bidirectional source-to-AST navigation, search, and node inspection.

Presented by: Samira Salemhesari

Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm
Place: Online via Zoom

Speaker: Samira Salemhesari

Title:  Heart Disease Prediction through Data Analytics and Machine Learning

Supervisor:  Prof . Amirali Baniasadi

Date: Monday , May 11th ,2026

Time: 12 PM (PDT)

Location: Online via Zoom

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https://uvic.zoom.us/j/81527908807?pwd=GwNOP7u0KlEK9XmeCaEFoQBPCfb3uI.1

Abstract:

 Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death, so early prediction is very important. In this study, I use machine learning techniques to analyze health data and identify key risk factors such as age, BMI, and lifestyle habits. The data was carefully cleaned and prepared, and handling class imbalance was one of the main challenges in this project.

We used more than 10 different algorithms and compared their performance using several evaluation metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Data mining and preprocessing were important and challenging steps to ensure reliable results.

The results show that some advanced and ensemble models provide better accuracy and recall and more stable predictions. This work demonstrates that data analytics and machine learning can support early detection of heart disease and improve decision-making in healthcare.

Presented by: Gibson Asumani Boakye

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm
Place: Zoom - see below.

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https://uvic.zoom.us/j/87875243115?pwd=ZcnXYl7HLGVlAcQhRilsLavQoLCVs0.1

Meeting ID: 878 7524 3115

Password: 782984

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        +1 778 907 2071 Canada

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Meeting ID: 878 7524 3115

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Abstract: The increasing demand for low-cost, scalable, and energy-efficient sensing technologies has driven significant interest in nanomaterial-based thin film sensors. This thesis presents the fabrication and characterization of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoinks via a low processing temperature mechanochemical planetary ball milling (PBM) approach for the fabrication of eco-friendly, flexible, and low-cost gas sensors. The study focuses on establishing a low input energy, simple and scalable solution-based process that enables the direct conversion of bulk ZnO powder into functional nanoinks suitable for thin film deposition. ZnO nanoinks were prepared through wet ball milling under varying conditions, including milling speed (200 rpm to 800 rpm), time (10 minutes to 120 minutes), and solvent type (DI water, ethylene glycol and Isopropyl alcohol), to investigate their influence on nanoparticle size, morphology, and dispersion. Thin films were subsequently fabricated by deposited the nanoinks onto a wide range of low-cost substrates including glass slide, filter, plain and lined paper, plastic polymer, foil, ceramic and flexible materials using an adjustable blade applicator technique to form films with controlled thickness (15 μm to 50 μm) and uniformity. The versatility of substrate selection highlights the potential for low-cost and flexible sensor fabrication. Material characterization was conducted using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), confirming the formation of nanoscale ZnO. Variations in milling conditions were observed to affect particle size (~ 10 to 500 nm), dispersion, and film morphology with wurtzite crystal structure and desirable optical and morphological properties. Initial gas sensing measurements of the fabricated ZnO thin films on different substrates was evaluated under various conditions, including different gas species (Hydrogen, dry air and argon), gas concentrations (low and high), and different flow systems (static and continuous flow) at room temperature. The sensors demonstrated measurable and reproducible responses, with sensitivity which can be affected by particle size, porosity, and film thickness with response magnitude increasing with increasing target gas concentration (~ 50 to 500 sccm). These results represent a proof-of-concept for low-temperature sensing using solution-processed ZnO films and the sensing mechanism may be attributed to surface adsorption and desorption processes involving oxygen species, which modulate charge carrier concentration and electrical conductivity upon exposure to target gases. This work demonstrates that PBM-fabricated ZnO nanoinks enable low-cost, scalable fabrication of flexible thin film gas sensors. The preliminary gas sensing results provide insight into how processing conditions influence material properties and sensing behavior, highlighting potential for environmental, industrial, and wearable sensing applications.

Presented by: Nicholas Bruce

Date: Monday, May 25, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Zoom - see below.

Zoom link: https://uvic.zoom.us/j/83518967351

Abstract:

This two-part seminar series discusses the philosophy of next-generation radio frequency interference (RFI) monitoring within radio astronomy observatories, presenting several components of an end-to-end solution. Part 1 introduces a wideband receiver designed and built at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, with special focus on the gain stability required for long-term RF environment analysis. Additionally, a signal direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimator is introduced that treats DoA estimation as an optimization problem, leveraging visibility-domain radio astronomy techniques. Finally, Part 1 concludes with an introduction to the digital signal processing strategies used to analyze these identified signals, setting the stage for the second seminar.