Fall 2024 Colloquium
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Our colloquium series is held once a week in Arlington, VA for faculty, students, and guests! Speakers include academics, captains of the industry, technologists, venture capitalists, defense companies and even our very own ECE alumni. Each talk has a question-and-answer portion, so come prepared!
All colloquiums are held in-person at the Virginia Tech Research Center with a Zoom option.
| Location: | Virginia Tech Research Center, 900 N Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203 |
| Room: | Foggy Bottom |
| Reception: | 3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. |
| Talk: | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. |
September
Sep 4. Jahin Habib '16
Strategy and Consulting, Accenture
Empowering Engineering Futures: Unleashing Potential in Electrical and Computer Engineering through Leadership and Networking
In the ever-changing world of technology, the fusion of leadership, soft skills, and networking has become essential for electrical and computer engineering professionals. This presentation will dive into the impact of effective leadership and the development of essential soft skills like communication and adaptability, offering opportunities beyond traditional roles.
Additionally, the power of networking will take the spotlight, illustrating how it can unlock unconventional career paths and fuel professional advancement. By delving into these topics, this presentation aims to inspire and empower electrical and computer engineering students and professionals, providing them with the skills and insights needed to thrive in the dynamic landscape of technology and engineering.
Sep 11. Ed Reynolds '85
Project Manager, NASA Missions - TIME's 100 Top Influential People of 2023
Lessons from Failure and Success
In September 2022, NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test impacted the asteroid moon Dimorphos and for the first time humans had redirected the trajectory of a celestial body. The purpose of the test was to demonstrate that simple kinetic impact could be used as a tool to protect Earth from catastrophic asteroid impacts. Dimorphos is a small moon, roughly 150 meters in diameter, of a larger asteroid Didymous. Neither had ever been imaged before. The nature of the test required DART to autonomously navigate the last four hours of the mission autonomously and to impact the smaller asteroid at a velocity of over 14,000 miles per hour. Days before the impact, DART would eject a smaller spacecraft named LICIACube that would image the impact and collect valuable data regarding the ejecta. The test was a huge success.
Ed Reynolds was the project manager for the DART mission through its development and flight and impact. This presentation goes through the challenges of the DART mission and its development and its role in planetary defense. Ed will also discuss previous asteroid and comet missions and successes and failures along that journey and the lessons learned along the way.
Held in the Ballston Room of the Virginia Tech Research Center
Sep 25. Zach Rattner '11
CTO and Co-Founder, Yembo
Engineering 2.0 - Applying creativity in the AI era
Creativity isn't just for artists—it's a crucial skill for electrical/computer engineers ready to make a real-world impact. Join Zach Rattner, CTO and Co-Founder of Yembo as he shares how creative thinking can amplify your technical expertise to solve complex, real-world problems. Expanding on insights from his book, Grow Up Fast: Lessons from an AI Startup, Zach will share his journey of applying AI and computer vision to modernize traditionally low-tech industries such as moving and property insurance.
Zach will discuss the importance of lateral thinking, the value of interdisciplinary knowledge, and how to identify opportunities where your technical background can drive innovation.
And catch Zach at our alumni happy hour after his colloquium talk!
October
Oct 2. Ray Hensberger
Global Head of Artifical Intellegence & Machine Learning, Amazon Web Services
The Evolving Landscape of Artificial Intelligence: From Big Data to Generative AI
In the blink of an eye, Artificial Intelligence has taken a critical leap in transforming industries across the world. While it seemed to happen overnight, it didn't. There have been transformative shifts in technology that have enabled AI to become what it is today, from wrangling massive amounts of data to the meteoric rise of Generative AI.
Ray will draw from his experience to dive into the evolution of the field to examine how the advent of Big Data, followed by advancements in Data Science and infrastructure, have paved the path for increasingly mature and faster iteration cycles in AI.
Along the way, he will share his personal journey of his diverse career path that has put him at the center of this technological inflection point. With a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic landscape of Artificial Intelligence, he'll provide valuable insights in what it takes to propel your own journey in this rapidly evolving field.
Oct 9. Mansoor Hanif
Executive Director Cognitive City Design, DARABASE
Big City Life in the 2050s
Urban Living is set to change dramatically by the second half of this century. What are the drivers of this change? What emerging technologies will support the future urban experience? How will we perceive the mixed realities of future cities? What are the risks and opportunities? How can innovators leverage the early trade winds to this destination during the transition which has already started?"
November
Nov 6. Harold Smith
CEO and Co-Founder, Monkton
Building Faster Ways to Fix Things
Harold Smith III, Monkton’s CEO and 2004 Virginia Tech alumni, interacts with everyone from executives to end users, developing ways to solve issues before they occur for federal and commercial customers. Harold has led Monkton from its first project, developing a mobile maintenance app for the U.S. Air Force, which went from kickoff to user acceptance testing in less than four months. Since then, he’s made it a priority to work with the best partner companies in the industry, valuing organizations committed to change and not afraid to take risks.
Harold is on a mission to use Cloud Native capabilities to deliver solutions at the speed of relevance for every customer, saving them money and bringing desired functionality to life faster. Find out more about startup challenges and successes, get advice on opportunity discovery, and hear tips and insights for problem-solving entrepreneurs who want to push past their comfort zone.
Nov 13. Joseph Kozak
Senior Electrical Engineer, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
