The Albert Dorman Colloquium Series - Spring 2024

12:00 noon - 1:00pm | IDS 1 (2nd floor, Martinson Residence Hall, Honors College) (Registration required - register here)

How Do Images Hoo? Art or Patching the Unpatchable

Speaker: Ilgın D. Akseloglu-Aydın

Through questioning what might be the phonic substance in the images, we delve into the functioning of looking at (and grasping) the world “in the art way”, and how it bridges senses and sense-making capacities that are at the core of life organizations. Using two photographic works presented as books, we exemplify how this kind of sense-making brings the self in regenerative dialogue with the social, and the cultural.

Ilgın D. Akseloğlu-Aydın investigates potentials in the entwinement of artmaking and philosophizing, to imagine and develop life-affirming and non-anthropocentric socio-material practices. Since 2013, she has worked as a curator, art-space director, writer, image editor, art book publisher and advisor. Today, the concrete results of her collaborations vary from the design of an artistic curriculum, to working with sound through poetry and voice. Akseloğlu holds an MA in Art Praxis and Critical Theory in Dutch Art Institute (NL), and a BA in Philosophy in Galatasaray (TR) and Sorbonne (FR) universities.

2:30pm - 4:00pm | IDS 1 (2nd floor, Martinson Residence Hall, Honors College) (Registration required - register here)

NJIT Student Engagement, Newark’s Indispensable Force Multiplier for Change

Speaker: Darrin Sharif, Director of Urban League of Essex County Tech House

Newark’s continued progress can be seen not only by the impressive economic development projects in the downtown business district, but also by an increasing number of two and three family affordable houses being constructed on vacant lots in the community that have been eyesores for more than forty years. But more than a brick-and-mortar renaissance, Newark’s continued growth and vitality hinges on its ability to prepare its elementary, middle, and high school students to compete in a world that will only become more complex and competitive. By serving as “Near-Peer” instructors and mentors NJIT students can make an invaluable contribution.

Darrin Sharif was born in Beth Israel Hospital in Newark. He attended Rutgers University where he majored in Business Management/Finance, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He served as Chief of Staff to United States Senator Cory A. Booker when Senator Booker was on the Newark Municipal Council, Central Ward. Darrin served on the Newark Municipal Council (Central Ward), from 2010 – 2014. Darrin currently oversees the Urban League’s IT infrastructure and is the Director of the Urban League’s Tech House whose mission is to empower technologically underserved communities in Newark and urban Essex County.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

Human Subjects as Research Experts: Indigenous Histories of Science in Brazil

Speaker: Rosanna Dent; Assistant Professor in the Federated Department of History, NJIT

We often think of human subjects—particularly those from marginalized groups—as vulnerable and exploited by research. However, some who choose to repeatedly participate in scientific studies develop a great deal of expertise. This talk examines the case of A’uwẽ (Xavante) Indigenous communities in Brazil who have refined their engagement with researchers for their own political purposes. From pressing health issues, to land demarcation, to an ongoing project to access historical materials and tell their own histories, they have drawn scholars into their political projects. Reflecting on her own enrollment, Dent will explore what this tells us about science, its practices, and its histories.

Rosanna Dent is a historian of science, technology, and medicine with a specialization in Latin American History. Broadly, she is interested in how human interactions unfold in the context of knowledge production, and the implications of these relationships for questions of political and social justice. After undergraduate studies in biology and work in clinical research in South America, she completed her PhD in History and Sociology of Science. Her work combines feminist science and technology studies, Indigenous studies, and digital humanities with a focus on the potential of history to be a tool for equity in the present.

Medical Humanities Colloquium

ADHC / CSLA Co-Sponsored Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Agile Strategy Lab (Registration required - register here)

All About Love: Black Feminism & its Call to Freedom 

Speaker: Dr. Brittney Cooper

The Office of Prevention and Advocacy is honored to welcome Dr. Brittney Cooper for a discussion on the rich tradition of Black feminist praxis. All About Love: Black Feminism & its Call to Freedom explores themes of gender inequality, liberatory practices in intimate relationships, and how Black feminists have laid the path for societal transformation in these areas. Join us for this and much more!

Dr. Brittney Cooper is Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University. Her work focuses extensively on Black feminism, Black women intellectuals, as well as race and gender politics within hip-hop and popular culture. Dr. Cooper is an award-winning author of Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower, and Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood. Her passion for education as well as Black women and girls has led her to co-find the Crunk Feminist Collective, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Ebony.com, the Root.com, among many others.

Women With STEAM (WWS) Colloquium

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

Enhancing Perception Through Art

Speaker: Anne Willieme, MFA; Founder and Director, ArtMed inSight

Anne Willieme, Founder and Director of ArtMed inSight, will present the key concepts of ArtMed inSight’s perceptual-art programs developed for main medical centers. Additionally, through a discussion of selected masterpieces from the world’s great museums, participants will have an opportunity to further reflect on observation, self-awareness, and communication skills and the way such know-how can support professional excellence in medicine and beyond.

Anne Willieme, MFA, is the founder and director of ArtMed inSight, an education-based organization which uses art to support the perceptual expertise of medical practitioners and professionals across fields. ArtMed inSight has collaborated with numerous leading academic and medical institutions such as NYU Langone Health, Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, Massachusetts General Hospital among many others. Willieme brings to her leadership in the art and medicine domain over 20 years of experience as an artist, art lecturer, innovative curricula designer, and passionate creator of art, medicine and science synergies.

Medical Humanities Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

The Sustainable Campus: ADHC First-Year Seminar Biodiversity Initiatives

Honors first year scholars will present their proposals for increasing and sustaining biodiversity through a campus planting. The NJIT Urban Ecology Lab and Real Estate Development & Capital Operations teams will provide the context for this project and select the winning team. Join us to support the scholars and learn about our sustainability efforts.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Agile Strategy Lab (Registration required - register here)

Building Your Financial Career: Money Management

Speakers: Monica Pereira, Branch Manager, Columbia Bank, Newark (Chestnut) & Eve Army, Cluster Branch Manager, Columbia Bank, Newark (Broad)

This "Building Your Financial Career" discussion is designed to educate scholars on important financial literacy topics. The Money Management session covers the benefits of having a bank account, savings tips and the basics of building a budget.

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

Building a 21st Century Transportation System 

Speaker: Rizwan Baig, Chief Engineer of the NY/NJ Port Authority

M. Rizwan Baig brings deep talent, wide-ranging experience, and a demonstrated commitment to embracing best practices and 21st century technology to his role as Chief Engineer. In his Port Authority career, including his most recent role as Deputy Chief Engineer, Rizwan has proven himself to be a transportation industry leader, collaborating with both agency stakeholders and regional partners to deliver critical elements of complex agency projects. As Chief Traffic Engineer, Rizwan led his team to a shared vision of design innovation, the use of new technology, collaborative project planning and execution. Rizwan is a passionate public servant with a proven record of forward-thinking executive leadership. He was the driving force behind the creation of the agency programs for traffic safety and traffic asset management, and was an early supporter of the innovative initiative to create the agency Operations Center. Rizwan holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He is also a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE) and a certified Professional Transportation Planner (PTP).

Technology and Society Forum Co-Sponsored Colloquium 

ADHC / NCE Co-Sponsored Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Agile Strategy Lab (Registration required - register here)

From Pollution to Possibilities: Site Cleanup and the Environmental Justice Movement

Speakers: Cailyn Bruno, Director of Environmental Services; Joseph Reiner & Elise Molleur, Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists, Center for Community Systems, NJIT

Contaminated sites that are now vacant, known as brownfields, have detrimental impacts to the surrounding communities. Brownfields are disproportionately located in low-income neighborhoods of color and impose an unfair burden to those neighborhoods. While posing threats, brownfields also harbor potential opportunities for revitalization into crucial community assets, including climate adaptation measures, economic and communal development, or housing initiatives. This presentation will introduce brownfields, their impacts, and their untapped potential, highlighting how redevelopment of these sites is a necessary step in addressing environmental inequities.

Cailyn Bruno is a professional geologist and licensed site remediation professional with nearly 20 years of experience in the environmental remediation industry. Together with Mr. Reiner and Ms. Molleur, the Center for Community Systems has helped hundreds of communities throughout the US overcome their brownfields challenges through educational forums and technical assistance.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

ADHC / HCAD Co-Sponsored Colloquium

This colloquium is co-sponsored by the NJIT Center for Community Systems.

2:30pm - 4:30pm | Eberhardt 112 (Registration required - register here)

Broadening the Computer Science Community

Speaker: Maria Klawe; President, Math for America

Computing is one of the least diverse disciplines in science and engineering in terms of participation by women, African-Americans and Hispanics, and the only discipline where participation by women has significantly decreased over the last four decades. This talk discusses successful strategies for significantly increasing the number of women and students of color majoring in computer science.

Dr. Maria Klawe joined Math for America as president in late 2023 after a 17-year term as Harvey Mudd College’s fifth president. She joined HMC from Princeton University after serving 14 years at the University of British Columbia. Prior to UBC, Dr. Klawe spent eight years with IBM Research in California and two years at the University of Toronto. She received her PhD (1977) and BSc (1973) in mathematics from the University of Alberta. Dr. Klawe is a member of the boards of Phenome Health and the nonprofits EdReports, MoMath, Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

ADHC / YWCC Co-Sponsored Colloquium

Women With STEAM (WWS) Colloquium

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm | NYC (Registration by invitation)

Study Tour: AECOM (NYC)

Join us for study tour to an AECOM office in NYC to meet with Sr. NY Metro Leadership. We will discuss the engineering profession, AECOM projects and programs, career pathways, and AECOM employment opportunities. The study tour will also include a site visit to Grand Central Madison.

Albert Dorman '45 '99HON was the founding chair and CEO of AECOM, a global infrastructure consulting company with over 50,000 employees, more than $13 billion in revenues, and ranked consistently among the “Best Places to Work” in the nation.

ADHC / NCE Co-Sponsored Colloquium

9:30am - 1:30pm | NJIT Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

2024 Murray Center Women Designing the Future Conference: Intelligent Uses of Artificial Intelligence

GET READY FOR CHANGE!

Generative AI is getting ready to transform your life—not in some distant future but now: the way you learn, the way you earn (and how much), and, not least, the way you vote. Get ready for change: join us on March 22 and interact with experts as they explore how AI will disrupt the economy, creating new opportunities for growth and new occasions for bias and inequity. 

Scholars may attend either of these sessions to count for the colloquium:

SESSION #1: Getting ready for Change: How AI will Transform the Workplace

9:30-10:00 Conference Co-Host: Grace Wang, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science & Associate Dean for Research, Ying Wu College of Computing, NJIT

10:00-10:30* Keynote: Jane Oates, Senior Policy Advisor at WorkingNation

10:30-11:00 Rashmi Jain, Professor, Information Management and Business Analytics, Montclair State University

11:00-11:30* Panel Discussion and Q&A

SESSION #2: Making Technology work for ALL of Us: How AI may Increase Systemic Inequities and Subvert Democratic Processes

11:30-12:00 Ilana Beller, Organizing Manager, Democracy Campaign at Public Citizen

12:30-12:30* Keynote: Fay Cobb Payton, Professor Emerita, Information Technology/Analytics, North Carolina State University

12:30-1:00 Lunch Pick Up and Break

1:00-1:30* Panel Discussion and Q&A

*Student prize drawing

Women With STEAM Colloquium 

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT Campus Center Atrium (Registration required - register here)

The Fortune 500: From Your First Job to the Governing Board - Guidance from NJIT Alumna and Trustee, Norma Clayton

Speaker: NJIT Alumna and Trustee, Norma Clayton

This year nearly 2 million men and women will graduate from college. Another 1 million will earn associate’s degrees or professional certifications. With degree in hand, they will set out to make their mark on the world. For some, this can be a daunting task. Finding a job, a place to live and adapting to new environments, can be challenging. Join NJIT alumna, Norma Clayton as she shares her experience and lessons learned throughout her career, working for 4 Fortune 500 companies.

Women With STEAM Colloquium

11:00am - 12:30pm | Meet at 1st floor lobby, Martinson Residence Hall, Honors College (Registration required - register here)

Study Tour: Newark and Abolitionist History Walking Tour

Guide: Luci Parrish; Library Access Services and Outreach Coordinator, NJIT

The Newark and Abolitionist History Walking Tour will begin at the Honors College and take students through a part of the city with a significant African American and abolitionist history on the way to the Shadow of a Face monument dedicated to the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, then on to the Newark Public Library, where they will tour the Inspire! Newark's Underground Railroad Pop-Up Exhibition, featuring stories of Newark's anti-slavery activists, gathering places, and work in the Underground Railroad. The tour will end with a time of creative reflection.

Luci Parrish is the Library Access Services and Outreach Coordinator of the Van Houten Library at NJIT. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK working on a dissertation within the humanities. Her undergraduate internship was with an organization fighting human trafficking and modern day slavery in Athens, Greece. She lived and worked on the south side of Chicago for 5 years, where she worked for various non-profits.

City Leadership & Civic Engagement Colloquium

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

Passing the Torch: Networking Roundtable

"Passing the Torch" is a networking roundtable event for Honors alumni and scholars.

Women With STEAM (WWS) Co-Sponsored Colloquium

11:30am - 1:00pm | IDS 1 (2nd floor, Martinson Residence Hall, Honors College) (Registration required - register here)

Introduction to Generative AI

Speaker: Amy Hoover;  Assistant Professor of Informatics, NJIT; Honors Faculty Fellow

Learn about this project-based honors course which will be offered in Fall 2024. The course will be complemented with readings on the topic and coding in python. The course will look at current literature in the field and discuss different methodologies. The goal of this course is to arm everyone with the concepts that they need to understand how large language models (LLMs) work and get a sense of their capabilities. The course will also cover some important issues around AI and how it is being discussed in society today, especially in terms of bias and fairness, and explore some techniques to create more equitable systems. Join us to learn more about this exciting new honors course!

Amy Hoover is an Assistant Professor of Informatics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Formerly she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Playable Innovative Technologies Lab (PLAIT) at Northeastern University with Gillian Smith and Casper Harteveld and was formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Digital Games at the University of Malta with Georgios Yannakakis.

Her research acknowledges that humans and computers excel in different areas of the creative process, and draws on these unique talents to build systems that harness the power of each. Conceptualizing creativity as a search in a structured space of computational artifacts, she researches constructing such search spaces and search methods to solve a given problem or produce a desired experience, with effective search and modes of human-computer collaboration as core concerns. While her doctoral work focused on developing representations and collaborative environments for composing music, during her postdoctoral positions she has been extending these ideas to build and study video games from both AI and human-computer interaction perspectives. Her combined doctoral and postdoctoral work intersects with data science, human-computer interaction, and many areas of artificial intelligence. In the future she plans on developing methods for designing games and facilitating human-computer collaborations that focus on solving problems in domains.

11:30am - 1:00pm | NJIT 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. 

7:00pm | Jim Wise Theatre, Kupfrian Building, NJIT 

Legally Blonde: Theater performance and talk back

The hit Broadway musical, adapted from the movie starring Reese Witherspoon, is being performed by NJIT and Rutgers students as part of the NJIT/Rutgers Theatre Season.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

4:00pm - 5:30pm | NJIT Agile Strategy Lab (Registration required - register here)

Fellowships for International Experiences and Research

Speaker: Dr. Paul Hoyt-O'Connor; Director, Honors Advising and Prestigious Fellowships, NJIT

Hear from current and former students about why and how to apply for prestigious fellowships that help you to travel internationally and gain research experience. They will share tips about the process and how it is has helped them to think through and write about their goals.

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

Join us for a panel discussion on the life and legacy of Albert Dorman moderated by Dean Louis Hamilton and featuring: 

Dan Henderson '11 (HON)

Innovator, artist, and inventor of wireless picture and video messaging

Member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Member, NJIT Board of Directors

J.Robert Hillier ’17 (HON)

Principal, Studio Hillier

Chair Emeritus and member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Dhiraj Shah BS CS ‘99H

General Partner, Primera Capital

Executive Chairman, AVAAP

Member, NJIT Board of Trustees

Former member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Dick Sweeney BS IA ’82 ’18 (HON)

Co-founder, Retired Senior Vice President – Engineering, Keurig

Chair Emeritus, ADHC Board of Visitors

Sri Ganisetti

Current Albert Dorman Honors Scholar 

President, ADHC Honors Scholar Council

6:00pm - 7:30pm | NJIT Agile Strategy Lab (Registration required - register here)

The Future of Civil Engineering and Architecture - Celebration of Life: Albert A. Dorman, ’45, ’99 HON (1926-2023)

Join us for a panel discussion of distinguished Albert Dorman Honors College alumni who will commemorate the life of Albert A. Dorman, ’45, ’99 HON (1926-2023) by sharing their insights and experiences with disciplines he felt could change the world: civil engineering and architecture. Hear where our ADHC alumni feel the future of these fields are heading and what your role can be in designing this future. 

Moderator: Dean Louis Hamilton

Panelists:

Karen Cilento Ekshian B Arch ‘12H

Principal, Space & Mark Architecture

Former member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Michael J. Hanrahan B Arch '96H MS MGMT '96

Principal, Clarke, Caton, Hintz  

Member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Samir Saini BS CE ‘97H

Sales Enablement & Ops Director for Government – Americas, Microsoft

Former CIO – Citywide: New York City and Atlanta, GA

Member, ADHC Board of Visitors

Vatsal Shah BS CE '08H MS '09 PhD '15

Principal Engineer, ANS GEO

Member, ADHC Board of Visitors

President, NJIT Alumni Association

11:30am - 1:00pm | Virtual event (Registration required - register here)

Engineering Disney - Celebration of Life: Albert A. Dorman, ’45, ’99 HON (1926-2023)

Among his many outstanding achievements, Albert A. Dorman, ’45, ’99 HON (1926-2023) was the civil engineer of record for Disneyland in 1955. Learn about the many facets of Disney and the variety of career paths available through this iconic organization.

Moderator: Burcak Ozludil, PhD
Associate Dean
Albert A. Dorman Honors College

Panelists:

Horane Henry

Executive Director, Software Engineering, The Walt Disney Company

NJIT BSc Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology '10

NJIT MSc Technology Management '14

Meagan Hopper, PMP, WELL AP

Senior Project Manager, Facility Asset Management (FAM), Disneyland

NJIT BS Architecture '08

Thomas K. Morris

Creative Development Executive - Retired, Walt Disney Imagineering