CURRICULUM VITAE Michael A. Erdmann http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~me School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 TEL: (412) 268-7883 FAX: (412) 268-5576 EMAIL: see my webpage 13-May-2020 RESEARCH INTERESTS Most recently, I explored topological perspectives on privacy. One discovery is that homology in relations provides lower bounds on how long an individual can defer de-anonymization. In conjunction with my previous work on strategy complexes, this result shows the manner in which a fully controllable system can obfuscate its strategies and goals. Previously, I explored topological methods for planning and control. One novel result was a graph controllability theorem: A system can reach any state in a graph with control uncertainty if and only if the graph's strategy complex is homotopic to a sphere of dimension two less than the number of states in the graph. Robotics: My broader robotics interests include the mechanics of manipulation, nonprehensile manipulation, parts assembly, cooperating robots, planning under uncertainty, probabilistic strategies, sensing strategies, and automatic planning. Molecular Biology: In the past, I collaborated with Dr. Gordon Rule in the Department of Biological Sciences on a method for determining protein homology from sparse NMR data. One novel result of this work was a method for representing and comparing proteins using line weavings, grounded in methods of knot theory. EXPERIENCE Professor of Computer Science and Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University, 2002 - present. Associate Faculty, Department of Computational Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 2002-2007. Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 1995-2002. Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 1989-1995. Research Assistant, MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, 1982-1989. Research Engineer, Carnegie Mellon University, Summer 1985. Research Staff, MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Summer 1983. Teaching Assistant, University of Washington, Math Dept, 1979-1982. EDUCATION Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989, in Computer Science. Thesis Title: On Probabilistic Strategies for Robot Tasks. Thesis Advisor: Professor Tomas Lozano-Perez. M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984, in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Thesis Title: On Motion Planning with Uncertainty. Thesis Advisor: Professor Tomas Lozano-Perez. B.S., University of Washington, 1982, in Mathematics. AWARDS AND HONORS Herbert A. Simon Award for Teaching Excellence in Computer Science, 2014. IEEE Fellow, 2006. NSF Presidential Young Investigator, 1991-1996. NASA Fellowship, 1987-1988. General Motors Research Laboratories Research Fellowship, 1985-1986. System Development Foundation Fellowship, 1983-1985. B.S. with Distinction in Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude, 1982. Phi Beta Kappa, 1982. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Editor: Advisory Editorial Board, International Journal of Robotics Research, June 2017 - present. Editorial Board, International Journal of Robotics Research, January 2000 - June 2017. Guest Editor, International Journal of Robotics Research, Special Issue based on WAFR 2004, November 2005. Guest Editor, International Journal of Robotics Research, Special Issue on Tactile Presence, July 2000. Technical Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, April 1991 - December 1994. External Committees: Co-Organizer, "Topological Systems: Communication, Sensing, and Actuation", an IMA Annual Program Year Workshop, 2014. Program Committee, Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, 2012. Program Committee, Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, 2006. Co-Chair, Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, 2004. National Science Foundation, Review Panel, 2001. Workshops and Tutorials Review Committee, 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. National Science Foundation, Review Panel, 1998. Workshops and Tutorials Review Committee, 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. National Science Foundation, Review Panel, 1997. Program Committee (Robotics Reviewer), 1997 IJCAI. Program Committee, 2nd IEEE International Symposium on Assembly and Task Planning, 1997. National Science Foundation, Review Panel, 1996. Program Committee, 1996 AAAI. Organized a multi-lecture tutorial on "Mechanics and Planning of Robotic Manipulation" at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 1995. Paper selection, 1995 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. National Science Foundation, Review Panel, 1994. Program Committee, Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, 1994. National Science Foundation, Review panel, 1993. Program Committee, 1993 AAAI. Program Committee, 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Professional Organizations: IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Mathematical Association of America, Sigma Xi. Refereeing Activity: AAAI, Algorithmica, Artificial Intelligence Journal, ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, ACM SIGGRAPH, ACM Transactions on Graphics, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, IEEE Transactions on Computers, IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IJCAI, ISATP, International Journal of Robotics Research, Journal of the ACM, Symposium on Discrete Algorithms, and the National Science Foundation. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Students (for whom I was a thesis advisor): Siddhartha Srinivasa. Ph.D. in Robotics, 2005. "Control Synthesis for Dynamic Contact Manipulation." Mark Moll. Ph.D. in Computer Science, 2002. "Shape Reconstruction Using Active Tactile Sensors." Jovan Popovic. Ph.D. in Computer Science, 2001. "Interactive Design of Rigid-Body Simulations for Computer Animation." Yan-Bin Jia. Ph.D. in Robotics, 1997. "Geometric and Dynamic Sensing: Observation of Pose and Motion through Contact." Nina Zumel. Ph.D. in Robotics, 1997. "A Nonprehensile Method for Reliable Parts Orienting." Tamara Abell. Robotics, M.S., 1995. Thesis Committees: Shushman Choudhury, M.S., Robotics, 2017. Joel Chestnutt, Ph.D., Computer Science, CMU, 2007. Jason O'Kane, Ph.D., Computer Science, UIUC, 2007. Guillermo Bermejo, Ph.D., Chemistry, CMU, 2007. Keith Kotay, Ph.D., Computer Science, Dartmouth, 2003. Alexander Grishaev, Ph.D., Chemistry, CMU, 2001. Dongmei Zhang, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1999. Tom Ault, Robotics, CMU, proposed 1998. Barry Brumitt, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1997. George Paul, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1997. J. Dan Morrow, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1997. Cheng-Hua Wang, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1997. David Simon, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1996. Srinivas Akella, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1996. Kevin Lynch, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1996. David Wettergreen, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1995. Sanjiv Singh, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1995. Sing Bing Kang, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1994. Prasad Chalasani, Ph.D., Computer Science, 1994. Rudi Stouffs, Ph.D., Architecture, CMU, 1994. Alan Christiansen, Ph.D., Computer Science, CMU, 1992. Harry Kim, Ph.D., Robotics, CMU, 1991. Courses taught: 16-811 Math Fundamentals for Robotics [28 times] 15-150 Principles of Functional Programming [8 times] 15-212 Principles of Programming [16 times] (Scheme and ML versions) 15-499C Introduction to Geometry [6 times] (Differential and Computational) 15-499E Undergraduate Manipulation Laboratory [3 times] 15-spc Advanced Reading Course in Manipulation PUBLICATIONS arXiv: Michael Erdmann Deception, Delay, and Detection of Strategies. http://arxiv.org/abs/1906.11513 June 27, 2019. (76 pages) Michael Erdmann Topology of Privacy: Lattice Structures and Information Bubbles for Inference and Obfuscation. http://arxiv.org/abs/1712.04130. December 12, 2017. (154 pages) Refereed Journals: Yan-Bin Jia, Matthew T. Mason, and Michael A. Erdmann. Multiple Impacts: A State Transition Diagram Approach. International Journal of Robotics Research. 32(1), 2013:84-114. Michael Erdmann. On the Topology of Discrete Strategies. International Journal of Robotics Research. 29(7), 2010:855-896. M. A. Erdmann. Protein Similarity from Knot Theory: Geometric Convolution and Line Weavings. Journal of Computational Biology. 12(6), 2005:609-637. J. Popovic, S. M. Seitz, and M. A. Erdmann. Motion Sketching for Control of Rigid-Body Simulations. ACM Transactions on Graphics. 22(4), 2003:1034-1054. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Manipulation of Pose Distributions. International Journal of Robotics Research. 21(3), 2002:277-292. M. Moll, K. Y. Goldberg, M. A. Erdmann, and R. Fearing. Aligning Parts for Micro Assemblies. Assembly Automation. 22(1), 2002:46-54. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Pose and Motion from Contact. International Journal of Robotics Research. 18(5), 1999:466-490. M. A. Erdmann. An Exploration of Nonprehensile Two-Palm Manipulation. International Journal of Robotics Research. 17(5), 1998:485-503. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Geometric Sensing of Known Planar Shapes. International Journal of Robotics Research. 15(4), 1996:365-392. M. A. Erdmann. Understanding Action and Sensing by Designing Action-Based Sensors. International Journal of Robotics Research. 14(5), 1995:483-509. R. E. Valdes-Perez and M. A. Erdmann. Systematic Induction and Parsimony of Phenomenological Conservation Laws. Computer Physics Communications. 83, 1994:171-180. M. A. Erdmann. On a Representation of Friction in Configuration Space. International Journal of Robotics Research. 13(3), 1994:240-271. M. A. Erdmann. Randomization for Robot Tasks: Using Dynamic Programming in the Space of Knowledge States. Algorithmica. 10, 1993:248-291. M. A. Erdmann, M. T. Mason, and G. Vanecek, Jr. Mechanical Parts Orienting: The Case of a Polyhedron on a Table. Algorithmica. 10, 1993:226-247. M. A. Erdmann. Randomization in Robot Tasks. International Journal of Robotics Research. 11(5), 1992:399-436. M. A. Erdmann and M. T. Mason. An Exploration of Sensorless Manipulation. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation. 4(4), 1988:369-379. M. A. Erdmann and T. Lozano-Perez. On Multiple Moving Objects. Algorithmica. 2(4), 1987:477-521. M. A. Erdmann. Using Backprojections for Fine Motion Planning with Uncertainty. International Journal of Robotics Research. 5(1), 1986:19-45. Books: M. Erdmann, D. Hsu, M. Overmars, and A. Frank van der Stappen (eds.) Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics VI. Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics 17. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. 2005. Book Articles: Michael Erdmann. On the Topology of Discrete Planning with Uncertainty. In "Advances in Applied and Computational Topology", Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics, Volume 70, edited by Afra Zomorodian. American Mathematical Society. 2012. Michael Erdmann. On the Topology of Plans. In "Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics VIII", edited by Greg Chirikjian, Howie Choset, Marco Morales, and Todd Murphey. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. 2010. Y.-B. Jia, M. T. Mason, and M. A. Erdmann. A State Transition Diagram for Simultaneous Collisions with Application in Billiard Shooting. In "Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics VIII", edited by Greg Chirikjian, Howie Choset, Marco Morales, and Todd Murphey. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. 2010. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Reconstructing the Shape and Motion of Unknown Objects with Active Tactile Sensors. In "Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics V", edited by Jean-Daniel Boissonnat, Joel Burdick, Ken Goldberg, and Seth Hutchinson. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. 2003. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Manipulation of Pose Distributions. In "Algorithmic and Computational Robotics: New Directions", edited by Bruce Randall Donald, Kevin M. Lynch, and Daniela Rus. Natick, MA: A K Peters, Ltd. 2001. M. A. Erdmann. Shape Recovery from Passive Locally Dense Tactile Data. In "Robotics: The Algorithmic Perspective", edited by P. K. Agarwal, L. E. Kavraki, and M. T. Mason. Natick, MA: A K Peters, Ltd. 1998. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Local Observability of Rolling. In "Robotics: The Algorithmic Perspective", edited by P. K. Agarwal, L. E. Kavraki, and M. T. Mason. Natick, MA: A K Peters, Ltd. 1998. M. A. Erdmann. An Exploration of Nonprehensile Two-Palm Manipulation Using Two Zebras. In "Algorithms for Robotic Motion and Manipulation", edited by Jean-Paul Laumond and Mark Overmars. Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, Ltd. 1997. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. The Complexity of Sensing by Point Sampling. In "Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics", edited by K. Goldberg, D. Halperin, J.-C. Latombe, and R. Wilson. Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, Ltd. 1995. M. A. Erdmann and M. T. Mason. A Review of "Planar Sliding with Dry Friction" by Goyal, Ruina and Papadopoulos. In "The Robotics Review 2", eds. Khatib, Craig, and Lozano-Perez, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1992. Refereed Conference Papers: D. Dolev, M. Erdmann, N. Lutz, M. Schapira, and A. Zair. Brief Announcement: Stateless Computation. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, Washington D.C., July 25-27, 2017, pp. 419-421. N. Chavan-Dafle, A. Rodriguez, R. Paolini, B. Tang, S. Srinivasa, M. Erdmann, M. T. Mason, I. Lundberg, H. Staab, and T. Fuhlbrigge. Extrinsic Dexterity: In-Hand Manipulation with External Forces. Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Hong Kong, June 2014. Michael Erdmann. On the Topology of Plans. 8th International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Guanajuato, Mexico, December 7-9, 2008. Y.-B. Jia, M. T. Mason, and M. A. Erdmann. A State Transition Diagram for Simultaneous Collisions with Application in Billiard Shooting. 8th International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Guanajuato, Mexico, December 7-9, 2008. S. S. Srinivasa, M. A. Erdmann, and M. T. Mason. Using Projected Dynamics to Plan Dynamic Contact Manipulation. Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Edmonton, Canada, August 2005, pp. 3618-3623. S. S. Srinivasa, M. A. Erdmann, and M. T. Mason. Control Synthesis for Dynamic Contact Manipulation. Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Barcelona, Spain, April 2005, pp. 2523-2528. M. A. Erdmann. Protein Similarity from Knot Theory and Geometric Convolution. Proceedings 2004 ACM International Conference on Research in Computational Molecular Biology, San Diego, CA, pp. 195-204. S. S. Srinivasa, M. A. Erdmann, and M. T. Mason. Bilateral Time-Scaling for Control of Task Freedoms of a Constrained Nonholonomic System. Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Taipei, Taiwan, pp. 3391-3396. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Reconstructing the Shape and Motion of Unknown Objects with Active Tactile Sensors. 5th International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Nice, France, December 15-17, 2002. S. S. Srinivasa, C. R. Baker, E. Sacks, G. B. Reshko, M. T. Mason, and M. A. Erdmann. Experiments with Nonholonomic Manipulation. Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Washington, DC., pp. 2042-2047. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Dynamic Shape Reconstruction Using Tactile Sensors. Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Washington, DC., pp. 1636-1641. M. Moll, K. Goldberg, M. A. Erdmann, and R. Fearing. Orienting Micro-Scale Parts with Squeeze and Roll Primitives. Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Washington, DC., pp. 1931-1936. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Reconstructing Shape from Motion Using Tactile Sensors. Proceedings of the 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Wailea, Hawaii, pp. 692-700. J. Popovic, S. Seitz, M. Erdmann, Z. Popovic, and A. Witkin. Interactive Manipulation of Rigid Body Simulation. ACM SIGGRAPH, July 2000, pp. 209-217. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Uncertainty Reduction Using Dynamics. Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, California, pp. 3673-3680. M. Moll and M. A. Erdmann. Manipulation of Pose Distributions. 4th Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Hanover, NH, March 16-18, 2000. M. T. Mason, D. K. Pai, D. Rus, J. Howell, L. R. Taylor, and M. A. Erdmann. Experiments with Desktop Mobile Manipulators. Proceedings of the 1999 International Symposium of Experimental Robotics, Sydney, Australia. M. T. Mason, D. K. Pai, D. Rus, L. R. Taylor, and M. A. Erdmann. A Mobile Manipulator. Proceedings of the 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Detroit, Michigan, pp. 2322-2327. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Observing Pose and Motion through Contact. Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Leuven, Belgium, pp. 723-729. M. A. Erdmann. Shape Recovery from Passive Locally Dense Tactile Data. 3rd Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Houston, Texas, March 5-7, 1998. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Local Observability of Rolling. 3rd Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, Houston, Texas, March 5-7, 1998. N. B. Zumel and M. A. Erdmann. Nonprehensile Manipulation for Orienting Parts in the Plane. Proceedings of the 1997 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, pp. 2433-2439. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Pose from Pushing. Proceedings of the 1996 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pp. 165-171. N. B. Zumel and M. A. Erdmann. Nonprehensile Two Palm Manipulation with Non-Equilibrium Transitions between Stable States. Proceedings of the 1996 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pp. 3317-3323. M. A. Erdmann. An Exploration of Nonprehensile Two-Palm Manipulation: Planning and Execution. Seventh International Symposium on Robotics Research, October 21-24, 1995, Herrsching, Germany, pp. 16-27. T. Abell and M. A. Erdmann. Stably Supported Rotations of a Planar Polygon with Two Frictionless Contacts. Proceedings of the 1995 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pp. 411-418. N. B. Zumel and M. A. Erdmann. Balancing of a Planar Bouncing Object. Proceedings of the 1994 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Diego, California, pp. 2949-2954. Y.-B. Jia and M. A. Erdmann. Sensing Polygon Poses by Inscription. Proceedings of the 1994 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Diego, California, pp. 1642-1649. M. A. Erdmann. Understanding Action and Sensing by Designing Action-Based Sensors. Sixth International Symposium on Robotics Research, October 1-5, 1993, Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania. M. A. Erdmann. Multiple-Point Contact with Friction: Computing Forces and Motions in Configuration Space. Proceedings of the 1993 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Yokohama, Japan, pp. 163-170. M. A. Erdmann. Action Subservient Sensing and Design. Proceedings of the 1993 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Atlanta, Georgia, Vol 2, pp. 592-598. M. A. Erdmann. A Configuration Space Friction Cone. Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE/RSJ International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Osaka, Japan, pp. 455-460. M. A. Erdmann, M. T. Mason, and G. Vanecek, Jr. Mechanical Parts Orienting: The Case of a Polyhedron on a Table. Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Sacramento, California, pp. 360-365. K. Y. Goldberg, M. T. Mason, and M. A. Erdmann. Generating Stochastic Plans for a Programmable Parts Feeder. Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Sacramento, California, pp. 352-359. M. A. Erdmann. Randomization in Robot Tasks. Proceedings of the 1990 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Cincinnati, Ohio, pp. 1744-1749. M. A. Erdmann and M. T. Mason. An Exploration of Sensorless Manipulation. Proceedings of the 1986 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, California, pp. 1569-1574. M. A. Erdmann and T. Lozano-Perez. On Multiple Moving Objects. Proceedings of the 1986 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, California, pp. 1419-1424. M. A. Erdmann. Using Backprojections for Fine Motion Planning with Uncertainty. Proceedings of the 1985 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, St. Louis, Missouri, pp. 549-554. Refereed Videotapes: S. S. Srinivasa, C. R. Baker, E. Sacks, G. B. Reshko, M. T. Mason, and M. A. Erdmann. The Mobipulator. Video Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Taipei, Taiwan. TALKS Invited Talks: AMS Special Session on Applied Algebraic Topology, Newark, Delaware, Sept 30, 2018. "Topology of Privacy : Information Lattices and Bubbles for Inference and Obfuscation." Applied Algebraic Topology Seminar, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, February 16, 2015. "Geometry and Topology of Privacy." AFOSR Program Review, January 27, 2015. "Geometry and Topology of Privacy." Duke University Computer Science Colloquium, October 29, 2012. "The Topology of Uncertain and Adversarial Strategies." DARPA Mathematics Summit, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, February 21, 2012. "The Topology of Uncertain & Adversarial Strategies." Joint Physics/Math Colloquium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2011. "A Topological Representation of Planning with Uncertainty." IMA Summer School on Topological Methods for Complex Systems, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, July 26, 2011. "A Topological Representation of Planning with Uncertainty." Short Course on Computational Topology, Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, January 5, 2011. "Topology in Robotics: Planning with Uncertainty." Applied Topology: Methods, Computation, and Science, Muenster, Germany, June 22, 2010. "A Topological Perspective of Planning with Uncertainty." SToMP Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, February 19, 2010. "Strategy Complexes (Phase III, Part 1)." SToMP Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, July 30, 2009. "Categorical Strategizing (Toward Year 4; Phase III)." SToMP Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, July 29, 2009. "Strategy Complexes (Year 3; Phase II)." Applied Mathematics and Computational Science Colloquium, University of Pennsylvania, March 27, 2009. "Strategic Topology." SToMP Annual Meeting, Dana Point, California, Sept 23, 2008. "Strategy Complexes: Towards Year III." SToMP Annual Meeting, Dana Point, California, Sept 22, 2008. "Strategy Complexes (Year II)." SToMP Annual Meeting, Jacksonville, Florida, November 15, 2007. "Future: Issues and Applications." SToMP Annual Meeting, Jacksonville, Florida, November 14, 2007. "Strategy Complexes." SToMP Workshop, Chicago, Illinois, May 7, 2007. "Spheres as Sufficient Statistics? Extruding Faces in Knowledge Space." AMS Special Session on Physical Knotting and Linking, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct 21, 2006. "Protein Similarity from Line Weavings." SToMP Kickoff Workshop, Boulder, Colorado, Sept 26, 2006. "Understanding Sensing and Action." Topology and Robotics Workshop, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich, July 10, 2006. "Protein Structure Comparison from Line Weavings." Bioinformatics Seminar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 5, 2006. "Protein Structure Comparison from Line Weavings." Computer Science Colloquium Series, Iowa State University, Nov 4, 2004. "Protein Similarity from Isotopic Line Weavings." AMS Special Session on Mathematical Robotics, Evanston, Illinois, Oct 24, 2004. "Protein Similarity from Isotopic Line Weavings." Lindberg Symposium, University of Pittsburgh, June 15, 2004. "Future Roles for Computer Science in Biochemical Discovery" (short talk as part of a panel discussion). Topology and Robotics Workshop, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich, June 23, 2003. "Structural Proteomics: The Shape of Life." Computational Molecular Biology Symposium, Carnegie Mellon, March 15, 2001. "Structural Proteomics: The Shape of Life." Invited Seminar, City University of Hong Kong. Dec 8, 2000. "Understanding Shape: Contact Mechanics & Sensing." Invited Seminar, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dec 7, 2000. "Understanding Shape: Contact Mechanics & Sensing." Workshop on Mathematics and Robotics. NSF. May 16, 2000. "Introduction to Manipulation & Shape Sensing." Biological Sciences Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University. May 3, 2000. "Detecting Protein Homology from Sparse NMR Data using Geometric Graphs." Workshop on Contact Analysis and Simulation. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Leuven, Belgium. May 17, 1998. "Nonprehensile Two-Palm Manipulation." RI Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University. February 21, 1997. "Frictional Mechanics of Nonprehensile Manipulation." Computer Science Departmental Colloquium, Dartmouth College. Nov 18, 1996. "Frictional Mechanics of Nonprehensile Manipulation." Seminar, GRASP Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania. Sep 27, 1996. "Frictional Mechanics of Nonprehensile Manipulation." Second Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics. Toulouse, France, July 3-5, 1996. "An Exploration of Nonprehensile Two-Palm Manipulation Using Two Zebras." Sony. Tokyo, Japan. May 30, 1995. "An Analysis of Slide-Release Placing Operations." Workshop on the Design of Parts and Devices for Automation. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. San Diego. May 8, 1994. "Design as the Weighted Sum of Sensing, Action, and Environment." Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics. San Francisco. February 17, 1994. "The Complexity of Sensing by Point Sampling." RI Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University. January 21, 1994. "Dealing with Uncertainty by Designing Action-Based Sensors." EE Colloquium, University of Washington. November 22, 1993. "Dealing with Uncertainty by Designing Action-Based Sensors." AI Colloquium, The Beckman Institute, UIUC. November 3, 1993. "Dealing with Uncertainty by Designing Action-Based Sensors." UC-Berkeley. March 1, 1993. "Understanding Action and Sensing by Designing Action-Based Sensors." NSF Workshop on Geometric Uncertainty in Motion Planning. Catalina. June 16, 1992. "Understanding the Information Requirements of Robot Tasks by Designing Sensors." Sematech. Austin, TX. June 1, 1992. "Cooperating Robots." Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Kobe, Japan. November 5, 1991. "Multiple Moving Objects." Short talk as part of an NSF panel discussion on the future of robotics. IEEE/RSJ International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Osaka, Japan. November 4, 1991. Stanford University. April 12, 1991. "Information Requirements of Robot Tasks." Fibonacci Institute, Trento, Italy. June 29, 1990. "Randomized Manipulation Strategies." Fibonacci Institute, Trento, Italy. June 27, 1990. "Geometric Motion Planning." University of Washington. May 9, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." Yale University. May 3, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." Carnegie Mellon University. April 20, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." University of Southern California. April 12, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." Cornell University. March 30, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." Stanford University. March 20, 1989. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty: A Probabilistic Approach." Carnegie Mellon University. June 24, 1988. "On Probabilistic Strategies for Robot Tasks." General Motors Research Laboratories. May 20, 1986. "On Multiple Moving Objects." IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. May 1986. "Sensorless Manipulation." Invited talk, SIAM Conference. Albany, New York. July 1985. "Motion Planning with Uncertainty". Carnegie Mellon University. July 30, 1984. "Representing Friction in Configuration Space." Invited Workshops and Symposia: AMS Special Session on Applied Algebraic Topology, Newark, Delaware, Sept 29-30, 2018. IMA Summer School on Topological Methods for Complex Systems. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, July 25 - August 12, 2011. AMS Short Course on Computational Topology. Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, January 4-5, 2011. Applied Topology: Methods, Computation, and Science, Muenster, Germany, June 21-25, 2010. AMS Special Session on Physical Knotting and Linking, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct 21-22, 2006. Topology and Robotics Workshop. Forschungsinstitut fuer Mathematik, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich. July 10-14, 2006. AMS Special Session on Mathematical Robotics, Evanston, Illinois, Oct 23-24, 2004. Topology and Robotics Workshop. Forschungsinstitut fuer Mathematik, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich. June 23-28, 2003. Workshop on Mathematics and Robotics. NSF. May 15-17, 2000. Workshop on Contact Analysis and Simulation. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Leuven, Belgium. May 17, 1998. Second Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics. Toulouse, France, July 3-5, 1996. Seventh International Symposium on Robotics Research. Herrsching, Germany. October 21-24, 1995. Workshop on the Design of Parts and Devices for Automation. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. San Diego. May 8, 1994. Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics. San Francisco. Feb 16-19, 1994. Sixth International Symposium on Robotics Research. Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania. October 1-5, 1993. NSF Workshop on Geometric Uncertainty in Motion Planning. Catalina. June 14-17, 1992. Workshop on Computational Robotics. Part I: Cornell University, June 6-9, 1991. Part II: Cambridge, Mass, July 26-30, 1991. Course on Geometric Modeling and Robotics, Institute Leonardo Fibonacci, Trento, Italy. June 25 - July 20, 1990. Workshop on the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence. Endicott House, Dedham Mass. June 24-27, 1987. Workshop on Robotics. MIT. April 1987. ORGANIZED WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA Workshop co-organizer, "Topological Systems: Communication, Sensing, and Actuation." IMA, March 3-7, 2014. Conference co-chair, "Sixth International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics." Zeist, The Netherlands, July 11-13, 2004. Symposium co-organizer, "Computational Molecular Biology Symposium." Carnegie Mellon University, March 14, 2001. Co-organizer and speaker, Tutorial on "Mechanics and Planning of Robotic Manipulation." IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Nagoya, Japan, May 22, 1995. GRANTS Awarded: National Science Foundation. "The Foundations of a Manipulation Repertoire," to Matthew Mason, Michael Erdmann, and Siddhartha Srinivasa, 2014-2018. ($1M) Air Force Office of Scientific Research. "Topological Privacy," to Michael Erdmann, with Robert Ghrist (University of Pennsylvania), 2013-2016. ($600K) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. "Sensor Topology & Minimal Planning" (SToMP), 2006-2012. This was a multi-institutional contract ($8M), directed by Robert Ghrist at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Matthew Mason and I were co-PIs for the CMU component of the project ($1,525,500). Pennsylvania Department of Health. "Integrated Protein Informatics for Cancer Research," 2002-2006. Overall grant was to Richard McCullough ($3.5M). Gordon Rule and I were co-PIs on one project. ($268K) National Science Foundation. "Task-Level Perception from Kinesthetic Sensors," to Michael Erdmann and Matthew Mason, 2002-2005. ($565K) National Science Foundation Research Grant "Designing Robotic Desktop Assistants Using Dynamics-Based Shape-Sensing," to Michael Erdmann, 1999-2002. ($265K) National Science Foundation Research Grant "Designing Fast Parts Feeders Using Acceleration-Based Non-Prehensile Manipulation," to Michael Erdmann, 1995-1998. REU supplements awarded in June 1996 and April 1997. Two-year Creativity Extension awarded in May 1998. ($440K) National Science Foundation, Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program, "An Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory for Industrial Robotic Manipulation," to Michael Erdmann and Matthew Mason, 1994-1997. ($75K) National Science Foundation Research Grant "Towards Task-Level Planning: Action-Based Sensor Design," to Michael Erdmann, 1993-1996. REU supplement awarded in July 1994. ($219K) Carnegie Mellon University Faculty Development Award, "Understanding Sensing and Action by Building a Robot World," to Michael Erdmann, 1993-1995. ($2.4K) National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, "Information Requirements of Robot Manipulation Tasks," to Michael Erdmann, 1991-1998. ($313K) National Science Foundation Research Initiation Award, "Information-Based Task-Level Planning," to Michael Erdmann, 1990-1993. REU supplements awarded in April 1991 and May 1992. ($81K) AT&T Special Purpose Grant, "Experiments in Robotic Manipulation," to Michael Erdmann and Matthew Mason, 1990. ($38K) UNIVERSITY SERVICE SCS Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee (chair), 2015-present SCS Promotions Committee, 2014-2016. Computer Science Biology Search Committee (chair), 2003. Computational Molecular Biology Faculty Search, 1999-2002. Computational X Faculty Recruiting Committee, 2000. Merck Fellowship Committee, 1999. Speakers Club, 1999. Computer Science Faculty Recruiting Committee (chair), 1999. Biotechnology/Health Policy Task Force, 1998. Computer Science Faculty Recruiting Committee, 1998. SCS Council, 1996-1998. Robotics Program Committee, 1993-1998. Robotics Institute Review Committee, 1996. Robotics Hiring Committee, 1994-1995. Robotics Admissions Committee, 1993-1995. Robotics Research Qual Subcommittee (chair), 1994. Manipulation Qualifier Administrator, 1990-1992. Robotics Seminar Coordinator, 1990-1991. CS 127/211/212 Curriculum Committee, 1991. Robotics Hiring Committee, 1991. Robotics Research Qual Subcommittee, 1990. PERSONAL Citizenship: U.S.A. Hobbies: Running; Private Pilot, Airplane Single Engine Land, 1994; PADI certified scuba diver, 1976. ========================================================================