Optimization and Control of Dynamical Systems

 

Professor Mario Rotea 

Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

 

This talk gives an overview of our research in optimization and control of dynamical systems, and its application to various engineered systems. In the first part, a convex program known as semidefinite program (SDP) will be presented. An SDP has a linear objective function with constraints on the eigenvalues of a linear matrix-valued function of the optimization variables. I will explain the benefits of applying semidefinite programming in vibration analysis in turbomachinery and state estimation under modeling uncertainty. In the second part, I will describe our work on extremum seeking control (ESC), which is a model-free control algorithm based on the gradient method of nonlinear programming. The effectiveness of ESC to identify and track operating points of maximum performance of complex nonlinear systems will be illustrated using a thermoacoustic cooling process. The talk will conclude with highlights of the Control Systems Program at the NSF.

 

 

Mario Rotea is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University and the Director of the Control Systems Program at the National Science Foundation. He joined the Purdue engineering faculty after receiving his M.S.E.E. (1988) and Ph.D. (1990) in Control Science and Dynamical Systems, from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Rotea also received an Electronic Engineer degree (1983) from the National University of Rosario, Argentina. Dr. Rotea was a Senior Research Engineer (1997-98) at the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) in East Hartford, CT. His research lies in optimization and control of dynamical systems and its application to engineered systems. He is a past recipient of the NSF Young Investigator Award. In 2006, Dr. Rotea received the C.T. Sun School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Excellence in Research Award.

Dr. Rotea has been on the Editorial Board of the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control and the Conference Editorial Board of the IEEE Control Systems Society. He has served as member and chair of the D.P. Eckman Award Committee of the American Automatic Control Council. He has served in the Program Committee of the American Control Conference. In 2005, he became the Program Director for Control Systems in the Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems at the National Science Foundation. His program enables fundamental research and education in the prediction and control of complex systems, with broad applicability to civil and mechanical systems. He is an elected member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Control Systems Society.

Friday, October 20, 2006

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Rm. 1500 EECS