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SERC TALKS: “Oceans and Human Health: What We Have Learned About COVID From Cholera”

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This is the final SERC Talk of the year and the Fall 2022 series. This series was curated and will be moderated by Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Rita Colwell’s book “A Lab of One’s Own: One Woman’s Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science“. The book is a memoir-manifesto about the entrenched sexism in science, the elaborate detours women have taken to bypass the problem, and how to fix the system.

Speaker: Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D., D.Sc., Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; President, CosmosID, Inc.  |  CONTACT

Abstract
The role of microorganisms as a driver of fundamental processes of climate, emerging infectious diseases, and human health is surprisingly extensive and extraordinarily complex. It is now clear that the human microbiome plays a significant role in health and well-being. But the global function of microbes is only beginning to be understood. A model for such study is cholera, a disease the causative agent of which is a bacterium whose home is the aquatic environment. Research now shows that this bacterium is native to the environment but also a deadly pathogen, particularly in lesser-developed countries. Next generation sequencing and bioinformatics of cholera patient microbiomes suggest cholera is best described as a polymicrobial infection, with Vibrio cholerae a key player. Extension of the findings from cholera to study of the microbiome offers new insight into infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The studies on COVID-19 now provide a predictive capacity for the current pandemic.
Biography
Dr. Rita R. Colwell is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and President of CosmosID, Inc. Her interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. She has authored or co-authored 20 books and more than 800 scientific publications.

Dr. Colwell served as 11th Director of the National Science Foundation and Co-chair of the Committee on Science, National Science and Technology Council.

Dr. Colwell served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington Academy of Sciences, and American Society for Microbiology, Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, International Union of Microbiological Societies, and American Institute of Biological Sciences. Dr. Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Royal Society of Canada, and Royal Irish Academy, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society.

Dr. Colwell has been awarded 63 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education and is the recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, bestowed by the Emperor of Japan, 2006 National Medal of Science awarded by the President of the United States, and 2010 Stockholm Water Prize awarded by the King of Sweden, and the 2018 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize of Singapore. A geological site in Antarctica, Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the polar regions.
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Moderator:  Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University  |  CONTACT

More information on all SERC Talks can be found here. Thank you!

SERC TALKS: “How Can States Develop a Trained Technical Workforce?”

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This is the second SERC Talk of the Fall 2022 series on “Innovating for STEM Readiness”. These talks are curated and will be moderated by Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Speakers: John V. Lombardi, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Michael Gargano, Jr., Ed.D, CEO, The Education Think Tank | CONTACT

Abstract
While the U.S. higher education establishment continues to maintain relatively stable enrollments in spite of a wide range of challenges, the nation’s production of adequately trained technical personnel for a growing number of key jobs in industry and government continues to be inadequate. To fill this gap, states have sought to collaborate with a wide range of industries to create training programs of various kinds and duration to prepare high school graduates for careers in technical occupations sorely needed by many industries. These programs vary in intensity and organization and their funding systems reflect the widely differing conditions of their state sponsors. This talk offers a careful review of a successful program, informed by activities in other states, and highlights the key elements required for success.
Biography: John V. Lombardi, Ph.D
Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst
President Emeritus, University of Florida
Former Director, The Center for Measuring University Performance, UMass Amherst-University of Florida, 2013-2021 (Annual Publication of TARU The Top American Research Universities, 2000-2020)

MA and Ph.D, Columbia University

Relevant Recent Publications

"Competing with the Best: America's Top Research Universities 2000-2020," TARU, 2020 John V. Lombardi, Craig W. Abbey, Diane E. Craig, Lynne E. Collis.

"The Unrecognized Complexity of Higher Education," Lombardi, Craig, Michael M.E. Johns, and William B. Rouse, TARU, 2019, 2020.

"Staying at the Top: An Essay on the Comparative Advantage of America's Top Research Universities," TARU, Lombardi and Craig, 2018.

"America's Research Universities: Is the Enterprise Model Sustainable?" Lombardi and Craig, (2017 (National Academy of Sciences, Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium: Modeling and Visualizing Science and Technology Developments, December 4-5, 2017; Irvine, CA) [revised and updated version published in TARU, 2018]

"Modeling Research Universities: Predicting Probable Futures of Public vs. Private and Large vs. Small Research Universities," Rouse, Lombardi, and Craig (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (119, 2018).
Biography: Michael Gargano, Jr., Ed.D
Michael Gargano, Jr.'s 39-year career in higher education has focused on improving institutional performance indicators common to the field. He is the former President/CEO at St. Vincent's College in Bridgeport, CT. Mr. Gargano has served roles in public and private higher education, including serving as: Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Connecticut State College and University System; Vice President for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs and Dean ad interim at the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio; Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services at the Louisiana State University System; Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and Associate Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services at George Washington University. Mr. Gargano currently serves as a consultant to higher education institutions and Boards of Trustees.
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Moderator:  William Rouse, Ph.D, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University  |  CONTACT

More information on all SERC Talks can be found here. Thank you!

SERC TALKS: “Not All Skills Are Created Equal: Agility and Innovation in STEM Education”

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This is the opening SERC Talk of the Fall 2022 series on “Innovating for STEM Readiness”. These talks are curated and will be moderated by Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Speaker: Dr. Richard DeMillo, Charlotte B. and Roger C. Warren Professor of Computing and Chair, School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, Georgia Institute of Technology  |  CONTACT

Abstract
The post-pandemic higher education landscape is very different from the one I wrote about in my 2017 book Revolution in Higher Education. Battles over online education have faded, and new challenges have arisen. This webinar is an update on what has changed and why. Examples will be drawn from the recent Presidential announcement of debt forgiveness for student loans, the continued rise in college tuition, whether a college degree is still relevant, and how the sudden appearance of high-demand interdisciplinary skills change the very idea of academic credentials. It is fair to say that the revolution continues.
Biography
Richard DeMillo is the Chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. He holds the Charlotte B. and Roger C. Warren Chair in Computing at Georgia Tech. He is also Managing Director of Gtatrium™, LLC, a subsidiary of Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures. He was formerly the John P. Imlay Dean of Computing and Director of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center.

Positions he held prior to joining Georgia Tech, include: Chief Technology Officer for Hewlett-Packard, Vice President of Computing Research for Bell Communications Research, Director of the Computer Research Division for the National Science Foundation, and Director of the Software Test and Evaluation Project for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has also held faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University and the University of Padua, Italy.

His research includes over 100 articles, books and patents in software and computer engineering, cryptography, cybersecurity, and theoretical computer science. In 1982, he wrote the first policy for testing software intensive systems for the US Department of Defense. DeMillo and his collaborators launched and developed the field of program mutation for software testing, which is today the standard technique for determining software test adequacy. He is a co-inventor of Differential Fault Cryptanalysis and holds the patent on applying DFA to break public key cryptosystems. His 1979 paper “Social Processes and Proofs of Theorems and Programs,” co-authored with Richard Lipton and Alan Perlis has been reprinted dozens of times and was recently cited as one of the 50 classic papers in the history of computer science.

He currently works in the area of election and voting system security. His work has been cited in court cases, including a 2019 Federal Court decision declaring unconstitutional the use of paperless voting machines. He has served as a foreign election observer for the Carter Center and is a member of the State of Michigan Election Security Commission.

He has served on boards of public and private cybersecurity and privacy companies, including RSA Security and SecureWorks. He has served on many non-profit and philanthropic boards including the Exploratorium and the Campus Community Partnership Foundation (formerly the Rosalind and Jimmy Carter Foundation). He is a fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In 2010, he founded the Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Tech’s living laboratory for fundamental change in higher education. He served as Executive Director for ten years. He was named Lumina Foundation Fellow for his work in higher education. His book, Abelard to Apple: The Fate of American Colleges and Universities, (MIT Press, 2011) helped spark a national conversation about online education. A 2015 sequel, Revolution in Higher Education, also published by MIT Press, won the Best Education Book award from the American Association of Publishers. From 2015-2018, he co-chaired Georgia Tech’s Commission on Creating the Next in Education. The Commission’s report was released in 2018 and was awarded the awarded 2019 Achievement Award of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. He received the ANAK Society’s Outstanding Faculty Member Award in 2016 for his work in service to students.
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Moderator:  Dr. William Rouse, SERC Research Council Member, Senior Fellow in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University  |  CONTACT

More information on all SERC Talks can be found here. Thank you!