The Albert Dorman Colloquium Series - Fall 2023

Staying informed about all aspects of the world around you beyond your professional interests is an essential component of leadership.

Fall 2023

The Albert Dorman Colloquium Series focuses on the interface between Science, Technology and Society. Colloquia normally meet during university common hours each semester. They feature talks by - and conversations with - industry, academic, and government leaders on a wide range of topics. Field trips to corporate, scientific, cultural, and community organizations are also included. In addition, some important campus political and cultural events are co-sponsored by the Honors College and regarded as part of the Colloquium Series.

Dorman Scholars must attend at least 2 colloquia and Dean's Scholars must attend at least one colloquium each semester. Both cohorts are strongly encouraged to attend more than the required amount. Please click on the colloquia titles below for more details.  

Regulations for Colloquia attendance: Attendance will be recorded at the entrance to the colloquium. Those who have been recorded as present will be emailed a link to an evaluation survey. The survey must be completed (within 10 days of the event) in order to receive credit for the colloquium. Scholars arriving more than 10 minutes after the start of the colloquium or leaving the colloquium early will not be granted credit for the colloquium. 

Additional colloquia will be added throughout the stat of the fall semester.

You are welcome to review past colloquia topics and speakers here.

2:30pm - 4:00pm | (Virtual event, registration required - register here)

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

Speaker: Dr. Douglas Tallamy, T.A. Baker Professor, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology; Professor, Biological Sciences; University of Delaware

Douglas W. Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard. If you’re concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature’s Best Hope is the blueprint you need. By acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife—and the planet—for future generations.

Douglas W. Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 111 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature's Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, and The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award. In 2020 he co-founded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, Ecoforesters, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

ADHC / CSLA Co-Sponsored Colloquium

8:30am - 10:00am | CKB 116 (Registration required - register here) 

Who were Newark's Puritan settlers?

Speaker: Tim Crist, founder and president of the Newark History Society

Mr. Crist has a Ph.D in history from Cambridge University in the UK and has done extensive research into Newark’s colonial history. He will walk us through the sequence of events that, in 1666, resulted in the sale of the land that became Newark and also reflect on new questions that have arisen in recent years about this period in American history. We’ll also examine the Newark land deed for the clues it offers about the contrasting world views of the Puritan settlers and Newark’s original inhabitants: the Munsee Lenape Indians.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

2:45pm - 3:45pm | NJIT Makerspace (Registration required - register here)

Join us for a MakerSPEAK event with Jimmy DiResta!

Jimmy is a New York-based maker whose mediums include metal, wood, plastic, and more. He has been on popular TV shows like Trash to Cash on FX Network, Hammered with John & Jimmy DiResta, on HGTV (2006), Against the Grain On The Grain DIY Network (2009), Dirty Money on Discovery Channel (2011), and many more! He currently has his own YouTube channel and podcast called “Making It", at the Makerspace he will go into further detail on his journey from college to career, and there will be an open Q&A at the end for students to ask questions and discuss more!

Honors Scholars should register both on Highlander Hub, and also via this signup.

ADHC / NCE Co-Sponsored Colloquium

8:30am - 10:00am | CKB 330 (Registration required - register here) 

What happened to the Munsee Lenape, Newark's original inhabitants?

Speakers: Vincent Mann, Turtle Clan Chief of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, and his wife, Michaeline Picaro, also a member of the Turtle Clan. The Ramapough are the descendants of the Munsee-speaking Lenape Indians who remained in New Jersey and live in the Ramapo Mountains in northern Jersey.

Ms. Picaro and Chief Mann are fierce environmental justice advocates for their community. They have also been on the forefront of efforts by Native Americans and others to challenge the way historians have described the dynamics between white settlers and the Native Americans in New Jersey, including Newark. They will discuss what happened to Native Americans in Newark after the arrival of the Puritans.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium 

11:30am - 1:00pm | Meet at the first floor lobby of the Honors Hall (Registration required - register here)

Newark Arts Festival - Downtown Newark Arts Walking Tour

Guide: Miriam Ascarelli

Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Newark highlighting locations where Newark Arts Festival exhibitions will be held. This will pave the way for you to return in your free time to explore exhibitions of interest at your leisure. 

This walking tour will be led by Miriam Ascarelli, a Senior University Lecturer in NJIT's Humanities & Social Sciences department. She is passionate about historical and contemporary Newark and is teaching a fall course titled How Newark Became Newark.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

12:30pm - 5:30pm | Meet at the first floor lobby of the Honors Hall (Registration required - register here)

The Met Cloisters: Galleries and Garden Study Tour (NYC)

Guide: Dr. Louis Hamilton; Dean, Albert Dorman Honors College

Explore the treasures of The Met Cloisters, the museum's branch dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. The Cloisters features paintings, sculptures, tapestries, textiles, and architectural highlights from regions including France, Northern Europe, and Spain. Additionally, the tour of the Cloisters gardens will touch upon horticulture in medieval Europe, correlating artworks, and the architecture of the cloisters surrounding the gardens.

Tours will be provided by both Dean Hamilton and guides from The Met Cloisters.

Bus transportation will be provided to and from the museum.

2:30pm - 4:00pm | Atrium, NJIT Campus Center (Registration required - register here)

Tuning Nanomaterials for Extreme Environments

Speaker: Kerri-lee A. Chintersingh, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor, Otto H. York Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, NJIT

When metal powders burn, they release energy rapidly, generating very high temperatures and pressures (for rockets and fireworks), and products that are useful for neutralizing harmful toxins like sarin. However, metal particles tend to agglomerate, have lengthy ignition delays, and low combustion rates/efficiencies. To mitigate these challenges, we combine different metals that can form exothermic inter-metallics or act as “shuttle catalysts” with tuned microstructure, morphology, or chemistry. We test the materials using different experiments and diagnostic tools (like high speed x-ray phase contrast imaging-XPCI) to capture condensed phase features and external optical emissions, temperatures, and gas-phase species in different environments. Machine learning is utilized to extract trends and detect anomalies from the large datasets of high-speed videos of combustion events.

Kerri-Lee Chintersingh is an Assistant Professor and doctoral alum of the Otto H. York Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, NJIT. Prior to her appointment, she served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Johns Hopkins University and Process Control Engineer in Jamaica. Her research focuses on metal powders and composites for combustion, energy, and environmental applications. She utilizes machine learning to extract data from complex and extreme environments and to optimize processes and material design. Dr. Chintersingh is a member of the DEI Committee, AIChE MAC, SWE and participates in outreach activities to stimulate STEM-based careers for high school girls.

ADHC / NCE Co-Sponsored Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | Weston Lecture Hall 1 (HCAD) (Registration required - register here)

Enduring Cancer: A Global South Point of View

Speaker: Dwaipayan Banerjee; Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society (STS); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

This talk will explore the lived experiences of cancer patients in Delhi, India. Drawing upon my book, "Enduring Cancer: Life, Death, and Diagnosis in Delhi," I discuss how cancer affects not only the physical body but also permeates all aspects of life, influencing social relationships, economic status, and mental health.

Dwaipayan Banerjee is an Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at MIT, and author of two books: "Enduring Cancer: Life, Death, and Diagnosis in Delhi" and "Hematologies: The Political Life of Blood in India". He is currently finishing a book manuscript titled "Computing in the Time of Decolonization". His research focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of health, disease, and medicine.

Medical Humanities Colloquium

2:30pm - 4:00pm | Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

Embedding EthiCS to Foster Responsible Computing Education, Research, and Practice

Speakers: Dr. Barbara Grosz and Dr. Matt Kopec, Harvard Embedded EthiCS Program

Dr. Barbara J. Gross, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences in Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is a pioneering researcher specializing in Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Planning and Human-Computer Communication. Her research in AI aims to develop the capabilities needed for computer-agent systems to function as intelligent, helpful team members over the long term and in uncertain, dynamic environments. In addition to her seminal work on natural language processing and multi-agent systems,  Professor Grosz is an advocate for greater gender equity and diversity in AI/CS and co-founded Harvard’s pioneering Embedded EthiCS program, designed to help students and faculty learn how to think through the ethical and social implications of their work.

Dr. Matt Kopec is Director of Harvard’s Embedded EthiCS and a Lecturer in Philosophy. Dr. Kopec works on issues at the intersection of philosophy of science, social epistemology, social choice, and applied ethics. He aims to devise a set of strategies to help diverse groups of problem solvers make more effective judgments and decisions. He also has research interests in scientific reasoning, rationality, cooperation, collective action, collective responsibility, the nature of evidence, decision-making under risk or uncertainty, and the role that moral norms play in our decisions.

This colloquium is cosponsored by the NJIT Murray Center, the Albert Dorman Honors College, NJIT’s Data Science Institute, the Center for Ethics and Responsible Research, and the NSF-Funded NJECC Advance Partnership project.

11:30am - 1:00pm | Weston Gallery (HCAD) (Registration required - register here)

Slow Studies: On the Value of Observation in a Distracted World

Speaker: Gail Swanlund; Director of Graphic Design Program, California Institute of the Arts

Doing nothing might seem like a waste of time, especially in today’s heightened and atomized culture of side hustles and incessant connectedness. But time away from our endeavors is vital, and adopting a habit of quiet observation—sitting, preferably outside, and simply noticing—can be nourishing for our minds and creative projects alike. The activity of alert and deliberate observation, occupying one spot and methodically recording what is happening, just as it is, shifts the experience of time and how we receive information.

Gail Swanlund is a teacher, graphic designer, and amateur wildlife observer. In her work as an artist and graphic designer, she finds one of the most powerful points of departure is written language’s unavoidable ambiguity. Consequently, at the heart of her studio practice is making work that holds varying kinds of (mis)communication. As an academic, she strives to contribute something eccentric to the conversations around graphic design and its adjacency to other disciplines. She teaches at CalArts in Los Angeles.

ADHC / HCAD Co-Sponsored Colloquium

2:30pm - 4:00pm | Weston Lecture Hall 1 (HCAD) (Registration required - register here) 

Biology of Sustainable Food Systems

Speaker: Maria Stanko, PhD; Senior University Lecturer, Biological Sciences, NJIT

Honors Faculty Fellow Colloquium

7:00pm - 9:30pm | 110 Warren Street Theatre (Registration required - register here)

Theatre Performance & Talkback: MR. BURNS a post-electric play

Ticket purchase is required.

8:30am - 10:00am | Atrium, NJIT Campus Center (Registration required - register here)

Board of Visitors Roundtable Networking

Scholars will have the opportunity to learn from and network with Board of Visitor members of the Honors College in a roundtable format.

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Makerspace (Registration required - resigter here) 

In Make 105 (Introduction to Metrology and Measurement), students will be introduced to precision measurement tools and print reading.

ADHC / NCE Co-Sponsored Colloquium

2:30pm - 4:00pm | Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

Honors Interdisciplinary Research Forum

Scholars from ENGL102 Honors and STS 205 Honors will discuss their research from this semester. Engage with scholars as they showcase their digital posters and cast your vote for the top presentations. This forum will be highly interactive and an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas while learning about an array of research taking place across campus. 

2:30pm - 4:00pm | GITC 3700 (Registration required - register here)

Join GWiCS in collaboration with WiCS, the Department of Data Science, the Murray Center for Women in Technology, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence for an enlightening talk by Dr. Rina Bliss, an accomplished author and Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. In this engaging session, Dr. Rina Bliss will explore the transformative concepts from her latest book, "Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential" (Harper Wave 2023).

Dr. Rina Bliss will delve into the critical issue of how the traditional measurement of intelligence often falls short, disproportionately affecting women and people of color in STEM fields. She will present a groundbreaking perspective on defining and assessing intelligence, offering a path that recognizes and celebrates the diversity of human potential.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into reimagining the concept of intelligence and its profound implications for individuals of all backgrounds and abilities.

11:30am - 1:00pm | GITC 1400 (Registration required - register here)

Cyber Security Awareness

 

Speakers: Judy Chu, Senior Vice President, Cyber Security Product Management Executive 

Daniella Santana, Senior Vice President, COO – Cyber Security Technology and Business Routines & Enablement

This session is designed for those interested in raising their awareness about digital threats and security while also empowering them to protect themselves and their personal information from crime. Conversation will highlight key elements of the threat landscape and how to recognize threat actors and their potential objectives. Participants will also have the opportunity to identify warning signs of potential scams and fraud and learn how to report it.

Judy Chu is the Product Management Executive in Cyber Security. Responsible for governing and coordinating through the product lifecycle processes to ensure we
are optimizing the delivery of our cybersecurity capabilities. Judy joined Bank of America in 2013 and has held various roles in the Chief Operating Office (COO) team – Economics, Portfolio Management, Chief of Staff and Operations COO in Technology Infrastructure and Global Banking and Markets Technology organizations.
Judy was born and raised in New York City and New Jersey, and graduated Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Daniella Santana is COO for the Cyber Security Technology (CST) team. Daniella joined Bank of America in 2009 holding various roles within Consumer & Small Business, as well as Ultra-High Net Worth marketing. In 2017, Daniella transitioned into technology and operations, joining the Network Service Operations team. She became Chief of Staff for Operations & Global Regions within Technology Infrastructure, and later transitioned to Global Information Security, becoming Chief of Staff for Cyber Security Assurance, Business Information Security Office, and Cyber Security Technology.
Born and raised in Miami, FL, Daniella currently resides with her husband in New York City. She is of Puerto Rican descent and is fluent in English and Spanish.

ADHC / MTSM Co-Sponsored Colloquium