Conference Review
On Thursday, March 19, 2015, the Office of International Programs held its 8th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges focusing on the theme of Technology. The conference, the only one of its kind on Drexel’s campus, was attended by over 275 students, faculty, and community members. This important event provided the opportunity for students to come together to address global challenges and explore innovative solutions through the lens of technology.
During the six panels, students presented research, posed questions, and offered solutions on a wide array of global topics including health; media, culture, and the arts; justice and human rights; business and economic trends; social and political trends; and science and technology’s effects on society.
The conference featured keynote speaker, Bernard Amadei, PhD, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Founding President of Engineers Without Borders, USA. The keynote address focused on the importance of globally responsible engineering education for students and professionals to foster a community of engineers and scholars who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to endemic global problems such as access to clean water, health disparities, and climate change. President John Fry gave the opening remarks to the keynote speech, stressing the importance of technology in a globalized world.
The conference concluded with a lively reception co-hosted by Global China Connection in honor of Chinese New Year and closing remarks delivered by Julie Mostov, PhD, vice provost for Global Initiatives.
The Office of International Programs would like to extend its gratitude to all of the panelists who contributed to the success of this event. We also appreciate the time and dedication of our faculty moderators.
Keep an eye out this fall for announcements about the 2016 9th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges.
GLOBAL MEDIA, CULTURE, AND ARTS
Panelists:
- Qianwen Ai, Ellean Berry, Layire Diop, Yi Yin Liang
- Mary Conway, Antoinette Carter, Barclay Stiles, Christina Wallace, Inbal Madar
- Asia Crawford, Xiaojing Fang, Areil Evans, Carlo Hernandez
- Kaichen Hu, Pen-U-Sa Ruangrak, Devon Winter, Jingyu Yan
- Gizem Yali, Kent Pittman, Lili Mao, Briana White
- Madeline Demas
Moderator: Prof. Philip Salas and Prof. Albert Tedesco, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Video of presentations
GLOBAL HEALTH
Panelists:
- Amy Riley
- Issac Adams
- Seyi Aderotoye
- Peter Naranjo
- Natalie Lord
- Michael Koerner
Moderator: Prof. Jane Fedorczyk, PhD, College of Nursing and Health Professions
Video of presentations
GLOBAL BUSINESS & ECONOMIC TRENDS
Panelists:
- Sneha Agrawal
- Emma Zdgiebloski, Andrew Kosinski, Joseph Bouve
- Julia Hildebrand
- Michael Kozak
Moderator: Prof. Jodi Cataline, College of Business & Economics
Video of presentations
GLOBAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Panelists:
- Agastya Sinha
- George Armentani, Brendan Stec
- Farrah Rahaman
- Megha Shantha Kumar
Moderator: Prof. George Ciccariello-Maher, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
Video of presentations
GLOBAL SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TRENDS
Panelists:
- Summer Retif, Molly Cuka, Athira Sivan
- Jay Park, Sander Yu, Jess Manyoky
- Bhavya Sharma
- David Geib
Moderator: Prof. Chloe Silverman, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
Video of presentations
GLOBAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY
Panelists:
- Adam Bleiman
- Matthew Parsons
- Burim Derveni
- Ge Pu
- Chelsea Knittel
- Amanda Pentecost
Moderator: Prof. Richard Cairncross, PhD, College of Engineering
Video of presentations
In addition, we appreciate the organizations, students, and staff who provided research demonstrations and information on engagement opportunities:
- Engineers Without Borders
- Student Global Advisory Board
- Knovel
- Transformers
- Damiano Patron
- Global China Connection
Thank you to the staff and volunteers including, but not limited to:
- Madeline Demas
- Farzana Rahman
- Daniel Forsyth
- Jessica Kratzer
- Marcos DeArruda
- Marcia Henisz
- Erica Sebastian
- Lucia Cucinotta
- Lisa Shen
- Kate Hughes
- Adelaide Key
- Yiting Yang
- Gabrielle Mnkande
- Una Massenburg
Finally, a special thank you to Heidi West, Director and Adam Zahn, Program Coordinator of the Office of International Programs, without whom, none of this would have been possible.