Trailblazer Speakers Summer 2022
Public Session | Keynote Speakers
Olivia A. Graeve
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Director, CaliBaja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems University of California, San Diego
LATinE Keynote Lecture Title: Building Compassion and Human Bridges Through Research Collaborations
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 9:45-10:45 AM
Abstract: We have often been asked why it is important to promote and implement gender and ethnic diversity in academia and industry. We believe it should not be justified based on economic considerations. Diversity has many more positive outcomes. It promotes human understanding and compassion and allows people of all identities to recognize value in others and themselves. We are convinced it is the solution to world peace, and with a fervent belief in the beauty of peace, have built an educational program where diversity takes center stage. The ENLACE summer research program was built on hope; hope that we can build something extraordinary, with kindness, compassion, and respect for others. During this talk, owe will discuss this program as an example broader impacts effort that is highly effective and that may serve as a model for other programs.
Moderators: Luciano Castillo, Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering
Julio Ramirez, Karl H. Kettelhut Professor in Civil Engineering and National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Network Coordination Office (NCO) Center Director
C. Fred Higgs III
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Director, Rice Center for Engineering Leadership; John and Ann Doerr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, at Rice University
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 1:15-2:15 PM
Abstract: A nation’s power is determined by three key components: economic, military, and political strength. Technology greatly affects all three of these components, and it is researched and/or developed by universities, companies, and government labs. All these institutions are dependent on well-trained students from universities. So, at the heart of a nation’s power is university professors whose labs are continuously producing professionals, professors, and products. And at the start of the pandemic (2019), history was made when more than half of the nation’s under-16 population identified as racial or ethnic majority. Therefore, the future workforce and student base is more diverse and if the nation is to flourish, technology needs to be advanced and continuously commercialized and utilized. These aspirations cannot be fulfilled unless higher education diversifies its faculty, but at the crux of it is more and more tenured underrepresented minority (URM) engineering faculty. In this talk, I make the case for engineering trailblazers to first and foremost, consider academia.
Moderator: Phillip S. Dunston, Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of Construction Engineering and Management
Closed Session | Speaker
Lisa Hanasono
Academic Director of Training & Content; Certified Workshop Facilitator; Faculty Success Program Coach, National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)
Time Management: How to Manage Your Time So You Can Publish Prolifically AND Have a Life Beyond the Ivory Tower
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 8:00-11:00 AM
Public Session | Keynote Panel
How to be Yourself and Succeed as an Under-represented Engineering Faculty?
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 3:45-4:45 PM
Abstract: Balancing the many responsibilities that come with being an engineering faculty member can be challenging. It can be even more so for faculty who are historically underrepresented in engineering, who often have to navigate additional obstacles. Join our panelists as they reflect on experiences and strategies that allowed them to feel comfortable with their identities, all the while thriving in their engineering careers. Ample time will be provided for questions and rich discussion.
Moderator
Barrett Caldwell
Professor of Industrial Engineering and Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics (By Courtesy), Purdue University, and Director, NASA Indiana Space Grant Consortium
Lola Eniola-Adefeso
Professor - Chemical Engineering Associate Dean for Graduate & Professional Education (ADGPE), University of Michigan
Claudia C. Marin-Artieda
Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Graduate Student Director of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Howard University
Closed Session | Program Managers
Keynote Panel: How to Get Early Career Research Funding?
Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 8:15-11:15 AM
National Institute of Health
Tina Gatlin, Ph.D.
Program Director, Division of Interdisciplinary Training, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institute of Health
National Science Foundation
Ronald D. Joslin
Program Director, Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport System, National Science Foundation
Ellen M. Robinson
Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA