Events

Society of Women in Engineering, Eta Kappa Nu, IEEE and American Society of Mechanical Engineers come together to host a jeopardy night! Room: 024/026, Bldg: Geier Hall, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

A Texas Instraments employee comes to campus to introduce students to what goes on at TI and what best to do to prepare if they want to go into the semiconductor industry. Room: 435, Bldg: Min Kao Building, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Come join fellow IEEE section members at 6 PM Thursday, Oct 22 at the Oak Room in downtown Knoxville, TN for food, drink and a talk by ORNL quantum researcher Muneer Alshowkan. The talk is entitled “Reconfigurable and Resilient Entanglement Distribution in Software-Defined Flex-Grid Quantum Networks”. We will also provide updates on upcoming plans for the section in 2027 and opportunities to get involved. Please RSVP if you plan to attend so we have a ballpark head count. Dr. Muneer is a Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he specializes in quantum networking and communications. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science with a dual focus on quantum technologies and cybersecurity. Dr. Muneer holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Bridgeport and an M.S. from the New York Institute of Technology. Talk Abstract: Entanglement distribution is the backbone for emerging quantum applications, including dis- tributed quantum computing, enhanced sensing, and private communications. The development of quantum networking requires architectures capable of dynamically allocating entanglement re- sources to meet diverse user needs and ensure resilience against transmission disruptions. Current quantum networks often face limitations in scalability and flexibility due to their reliance on fixed spectral assignments and static connectivity. To address these limitations, we discuss flex-grid quantum networks that adapt advanced bandwidth management techniques from classical light- wave communications for on-demand, reconfigurable entanglement distribution. In this talk, we present our progress in developing flex-grid quantum networking at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We describe ultra-broadband entangled photon sources designed for adaptive spectral routing and allocation, enabling entanglement distribution with bandwidth tailored to user needs. We then discuss deploying these techniques in a software-defined quantum network integrating quantum and classical channels and control planes, distributing entanglement across multiple nodes in separate buildings while demonstrating multihop connectivity and link recovery to maintain service continuity despite link failures. Additionally, we examine spectral contention between independent entangled sources sharing wavelength channels and strategies for mitigating its impact on network performance. This work paves the way for future scalable, resilient, and resource-efficient quantum networking infrastructures. Speaker(s): Muneer 102 W Anderson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, 37917