ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

  ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
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Agenda

​Time (Starting)
Event
Location
7:30 am
Breakfast
Board Room
8:30 am
Welcoming Remarks
Board Room
9:00 am
Session A
Buckingham Room
9:00 am
Sessions B
Hall Dining Room
10:00 am
Sessions C
Buckingham Room
10:00 am
Session D
Hall Dining Room
11:00 am
Coffee Break
Hallway
11:30 am
Regional Caucus & Group Photo
Board Room
12:30 pm
Lunch
Board Room
1:00 pm
Keynote Address: Dr. Roger Dube
Board Room
2:00 pm
Workshop
Board Room
5:00 pm
Bus to Dinner
Radisson Hotel
6:00 pm
Dinner & Social Event
Radio Social
We would like to send out a call for session presentations. Those who would like to present at RIT should fill out this form. 

We would like to send out a call for research proposals. Students who would like to present their research at RIT should submit their abstracts in this form by February 15. 
​

Sessions & Workshop


Session A: 
The Growing Importance of Indigenous Representation in STEM and Focus on AI Fairness
Tara Astigarraga
Blockchain & Hybrid Cloud Solutions, IBM Master Inventor
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are predicted to reshape manufacturing, energy management, transportation, agricultural production, healthcare, education, labor and financial markets. An intelligent computer is only as well rounded as the people who teach it and the training data it is exposed to, with Indigenous people only accounting for 0.3% of the engineering workforce, we have a severe lack of presence (and data) in a space that is of growing importance. This session will use specific real world examples of projects where early AI solutions were deployed that had unintended consequences on certain groups/populations due to incomplete or bias training data introduced into the machine learning models. These examples and future use cases will setup reflection on why it is of growing importance that we understand this space and ensure we are represented so that the solutions of the future don't disadvantage Indigenous people.

Session B: 
A Chemical Approach to Solar Solutions
Adrian Riives
Doctoral Candidate in Chemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
As the global population increases and energy demands on our planet grow exponentially, the current fossil-fuel-based energy system is not sustainable from a financial or environmental perspective. Meeting these global energy demands requires increased efficiency in current energy technology as well as the development of carbon neutral energy sources to combat climate change. Thus, it is critical to focus on the research and development of next generation renewable sources of energy. In particular, the development of artificial photosynthetic devices has the potential to lead to a significant redistribution of global energy sources, with an emphasis on the development of next generation solar devices. These next generation solar devices will mimic natural photosynthetic systems found in plants and cyanobacteria and are a viable option to solve our global energy needs.  My research is focused on the development of next generation artificial photosynthetic devices, including organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs).  Photosynthesis is a process in which photons are captured and converted to chemical energy through a series of pigment-protein complexes, also known as light harvesting arrays (LHAs). These LHA act as antennas to absorb light with chlorophyll-like pigments (also known as chromophores) which shuttles energy from one chromophoric molecule to another chromophoric molecule via a migration of excited states (excitons) to the reaction center for later chemical processes. 

Session C: 
Failure is Acceptable in an Engineering Career
A.D. Cropper
​Engineering Fellow and Chief Engineer HSI Programs, Raytheon
This interactive presentation will focused on looking at “Failure” from the Engineering perspective, why it is important and what does it mean in one’s Engineer Career. The presentation describes the different types of failures, how it impacts engineering programs, and why it is important and needed. At the end of the interactive presentation the participants will have an understanding of why Failure is an option in an Engineering Career and what one can take away from Failures. The Key learning objectives are: Understanding of the need for Failures in an Engineering Career; The value of Failures; & Failure is an opportunity to lean and expand one’s experiences.

Session D:
The Innovation of Corning Incorporated: A Day In the Life of a Scientist At Corning 
​Paula Dolley-Sonneville & Rita Shauger
Development Scientist & Human Resources Global Diversity Representative (respectively), Corning Incorporated
Corning's many inventions, with innovation playing a key role in the creation of these inventions, have been changing the lives of people for over 160 years. In present day, we can look into the life of a 23-year career Development Scientist in Corning Life Sciences on what her day is like working at Corning.
The objective of this 2-part presentation is to provide information about Corning Incorporated and what is so unique about the company, where it has been and where it is now, how it has changed lives with its inventions, and why someone would want to work at Corning as well as to provide the students with a peek at what an employee does at Corning and how they are an integral piece of the puzzle that of project teams and educational capabilities that work together as a team to make these innovative inventions.

Workshop:
Weaving Your Academic & Research Network
Presented by RIT's AISES Chapter
The Origami Baskets of Knowledge activity and template was designed by Sami Chen for the AISES 2019 Leadership Summit with the intention of supporting dialogue around the underlying reasons why we are sending children from marginalized communities through higher education not fully prepared to conform to the dominant forms of thinking. This is meant to be used as a reminder for us as scholars to remember their core values and underlying reasons for pursuing and succeeding through higher education. We often leave these conferences empowered, but overwhelmed. Having many ideas but then thinking of the roadblocks ahead. This activity has the cathartic element of coloring and crafts with soothing the concerns we have with reminders of the support all around us. 

Social Event and Dinner

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Radio Social is a bowling alley, restaurant, bar, music venue, and social club located in Rochester’s historical Stromberg-Carlson warehouse. The 42,000-square-foot facility features 34 bowling lanes, lounge areas, a variety of indoor and outdoor games (seasonally on our back lawn), and a full-service restaurant and bar.
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