Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions

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Monday, March 4, 2024 (all times listed are in Eastern Time Zone)
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Registration, Refreshments, and Networking
1:15 to 1:45 p.m. Special Welcome Address
1:45 to 2:50 p.m. Keynote Presentation Sudip Parikh, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Publisher, Science Journals, AAAS
2:50 to 3:15 p.m. Break
3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Panel 1: Building a Future-Resilient Workforce Moderator: Tiffani Conner, ORAU Speakers: Carol O’Donnell, Senior Executive and Director, Smithsonian Science Education Center James Brown, Executive Director, STEM Education Coalition Gabriela Cruz Thompson, Senior Director, University Research and Collaboration, Intel Labs Alex Swartsel, Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work, JFFLabs, Jobs for the Future Joyce Malyn-Smith, Co-PI, STEM Learning and Research Center, Education Development Center, Inc.
4:30 to 4:45 p.m. Day 1 Wrap Up
4:45 to 6:00 p.m.  Break
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Poster Session, Reception, and Networking
7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Dinner

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 (all times listed are in Eastern Time Zone)
7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Networking
9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Keynote Presentation Elizabeth Albro, Commissioner of Education Research, Insitute for Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
10:00 to 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Panel 2: Equitable Access for an Innovation Economy Moderator: Tracy DiGioia, MITRE Speakers: Lizanne DeStefano, Executive Director, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing, Georgia Tech Todd Mann, Executive Director, National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools Gregory Goins, Associate Dean for Research, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University Diana Gehlhaus, Senior Advisor for Talent, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, U.S. Department of Defense
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Lunch and Networking
12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Panel 3: ORAU STEM Accelerator Moderator: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) John Regni, ORAU Board of Directors Speakers: Olivia Blackmon, Director, ORAU STEM Accelerator, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU J. Wesley Hines, Nuclear Engineering Department Head, Chancellor’s Professor; and Co-Chair, Education/Workforce Committee Chair, Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council, University of Tennessee John Dyer, Associate Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development, American Association of Community Colleges Nakeisha Ricks-Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow, Workforce Development, National Skills Coalition
1:45 to 2:00 p.m. Break
2:00 to 3:15 p.m. Panel 4: Strategic Alliances to Advance the K-16 Education Ecosystem Moderator: Sam Visner, ORAU Board of Directors Speakers: Ashley Greeley, K-12 GenCyber Project Lead, Center for Education, Innovation and Outreach, National Cryptologic University, National Security Agency Richard Irwin, Executive Dean, Center for Regional Economic Enrichment, University of Memphis Scott Lucas, President, National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers Dennis Foutz, Lead, University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, Joint Hypersonics Transition Office, U.S. Department of Defense
3:15 to 4:20 p.m.  Keynote Presentation Lora Weiss, Director, CHIPS Research and Development (or) Rachel Lipson, Senior Policy Advisor, CHIPS for America, U.S. Department of Commerce
4:20 to 4:30 p.m.  Closing Remarks
4:30 p.m. Annual Meeting Adjourns

Speakers photos and bios coming soon.

Key Takeaways and Opportunities (.PDF, 3.1MB)

Monday, March 6

Opening Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU

Special Welcome Address

• Bruce Gnade, Chair, ORAU Board of Directors (Virtual)
• Joseph Heppert, Chair, Council of Sponsoring Institutions

Opening Keynote Address

• Sanah Baig, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, USDA [View presentation]

Session: Technology Innovation and Transformation

The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related to how technology can enable us to achieve the 2050 carbon net-zero goal. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.

• Katherine Smith, Director, Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey
• Eric Svendsen, Director, Office of the Deputy Director for Non-Infectious Diseases, CDC
• Kimber Bogard, Deputy Executive Officer for Programs, National Academy of Medicine [View presentation]
• Allen Walker, Senior Advisor, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate, NSF

Second Keynote Address

• Christopher Frey, Science Advisor and Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development, EPA

Session: Science-Based Models for an Environmentally Equitable Society

The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related science-based models. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.

• Jeanne Herb, Executive Director, Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, Rutgers University [View presentation]
• Ann Marie Chischilly, Executive Director, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Northern Arizona University
• Hunter Jones, Program Manager, National Integrated Heat Healht Information System, NOAA [View presentation]
• LaToya Miles, Deputy Director, Air Resources Laboratory, NOAA

Tuesday, March 7

Opening Remarks and Introduction of Keynote Speaker

• Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU

Third Keynote Address

• Gavin Schmidt, Director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA (Virtual) [View presentation]

Session: Growing Future Thought Leaders through Strategic Alliances

The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related to strategic alliances. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.

• Shalanda Baker, Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, DOE
• Edward Maibach, Director, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
• Simon Malcomber, Acting Assistant Director for Biological Sciences, NSF
• Lisa Greenwood, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology

Closing Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU

Monday, March 7

Opening Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
• Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU Special Welcome Address

Special Welcome Address

• Debra Reinhart, Outgoing Council Chair
• Bruce Gnade, ORAU Board of Directors

Opening Keynote Address

• Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association

Panel: Preparedness: Detection, Prevention, Response and Control

• Charles C. Branas, Gelman Endowed Professor of Epidemiology and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University; and Member, Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience, National Academy of Sciences Report, “Enhancing Community Resilience through Social Capital and Social Connectedness: Stronger Together!”
• John Drake, Director, Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, and Director, Global Infectious Disease Intelligence Consortium, Coronavirus Working Group, University of Georgia
• James Hodge, Director, Center for Public Health Law and Policy, Arizona State University

Panel: Bio-Economy: Supply Chain Resiliency and Workforce Needs

• Diane DiEuliis, Assistant Director and Senior Fellow, National Defense University; Member, National Academy of Sciences Report, “Safeguarding the Bio-Economy;” and Former Deputy Director for Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, DHHS
• Rachel Lipson, Director, Project on Workforce, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Harvard University; and Committee Member, National Academy of Sciences Meeting Regional STEMM Workforce Needs in the Wake of COVID-19
• Eleftherior “Lefteris” Iakovou, Professor, Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University

Tuesday, March 8

Council of Sponsoring Institutions Engagement

This time will be set aside for council business and announcements.

Panel: Modeling and Forecasting: Predictive Analytics

• Mitra Basu, Program Director, Predictive intelligence for Pandemic Prevention, National Science Foundation
• Katelyn Jetelina, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• Jade Mitchell, Associate Professor, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University

Closing Keynote Address

• Hon. Keith Martin, Executive Director, Consortium of Universities for Global Health

Special Closing Panel: Global Action Summit – Adaptive Solutions for Abundant Food, Health and Prosperity in a COVID-Disrupted World

• Rob Dongoski, Partner, Food and Agribusiness Lead, Ernst & Young
• Luis Gabriel Cuervo, Senior Advisor, Research for Health, Pan American Health Organization
• Scott Miller, President and CEO, Circles USA

Closing Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
• Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

Monday, March 8, 2021

Opening Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
• Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

Special Welcome

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director, National Science Foundation

Keynote Address

Jill Crisman, Ph.D., SES, Principal Director for Artificial Intelligence, OUSD (R&E)

Panel: Advancing R&D and Resiliency

Speakers:

• Bruce Draper, Program Manager, Information Innovation Office, DARPA
• Roberto Gioiosa, Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence-Focused Architectures and Algorithms, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Shane Shaneman, Strategic Director, National Security and Defense, Carnegie Mellon University

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Panel: Skilled Workforce Needs

Speakers:

• Patricia Martinez, Fellow, AI and Technology Office, U.S. Department of Energy
• Remco Zwetsloot, Research Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University
• Sidney D’Mello, Associate Professor, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder

Council Engagement Session

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Keynote Address

Gil Alterovitz, Director, National Artificial Intelligence Institute, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Panel: Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications

Speakers:

• Partha Bhattacharyya, Program Director, AI and Technology Centers for Aging Research, National Institute on Aging, NIH
• Darrell West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
• Brian Bataille, Chief Data Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency

Closing Remarks

• Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
• Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU