CS 201: Inside the Moonshot Factory at [x], DARCY GRINOLDS, Google

Speaker: DARCY GRINOLDS
Affiliation: Google

GRINOLDS

ABSTRACT: The moonshots at [x] (formerly Google[x]) aim to solve big problems using radical technology solutions, which come with a variety of unique challenges. In self-driving cars, high precision and recall are crucial for identifying pedestrians, vehicles, and unmoving objects to choose a safe and smooth driving trajectory. In contrast, the biggest challenges of the internet balloon project are on a wider scale; with a large network of moving balloons circling the earth, how can we optimize balloon density to provide the right level of service to rural and urban areas and minimize inactive travel time (especially over oceans)? This talk will probe into some of these challenges and offer a glimpse into the “Moonshot Factory” at [x].

BIO: Darcy Grinolds loves solving fun and challenging problems with great people, which she does every day at [x]. She graduated from UCLA with a BS/MS in Physical Chemistry/Materials Science, after spending a fair amount of time in Boelter Hall and Young Hall. She earned a PhD at MIT studying semiconductor nanoparticles for use in solar cells, and then started her non-academic career at Google[x] in a role she didn’t know existed until she was interviewing for it. Darcy is a Hardware Reliability Engineer at [x], which involves physically breaking products and working with coworkers ranging from PhDs in CS to PhDs in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, to hobbyists and entrepreneurs.

Hosted by Professor John Cho

REFRESHMENTS at 3:45 pm, SPEAKER at 4:15 pm

 

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Oct 29, 2015
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm

Location:
3400 Boelter Hall
420 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles California 90095