Drexel to Serve as an Official Host for Citywide B. PHL Innovation Fest

Drexel will be hosting a number of events on campus as part of the B. PHL innovation fest this month.

This month Drexel University will be one of 13 host venues for a new citywide celebration of creative thinking, called B. PHL Innovation Fest. The festival, which will be held from Oct. 15-17, is designed to highlight organizations, entrepreneurs and innovators throughout the region.

Locations around Philadelphia will hold interactive workshops, sessions, exhibits and events highlighting innovation in fields like health care, technology, engineering, art, music, film and more.

Some of the festival’s headliners include musician and author Questlove; award-winning actor, television host and entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross; writer, producer, actor, director and illustrator Abbi Jacobson; former NFL player and entrepreneur Marques Colston; and head of innovation and creativity at Disney Duncan Wardle.

During the three-day festival the university will host several events that will showcase its leadership in fields ranging from virtual reality to cybersecurity and entrepreneurship to food science.

“We’re excited to have Drexel as one of our official location partners for the B. PHL Innovation Festival,” said Michelle Histand, executive director, B. PHL. “Our location partners and content architects exemplify the out-of-the-box, innovative mentality that B. PHL seeks to inspire through its cross-disciplinary programming. Philadelphia is a hotbed for innovation on the East Coast and these organizations and entrepreneurs are the driving force propelling us forward. Their positive impact on our great city will be on display in October and will surely be felt for years to come.”

One of the signature events on campus is a discussion between President John Fry and DJ Paoni, president of SAP North America, about the future of career development as disruptive technologies are changing industry. The event will be held on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. in Gerri C. LeBow Hall.

The University City campus will host a number of other B. PHL events throughout the festival.

And Drexel programs and faculty will be featured at a number of events, including:

• Think Like a Hacker: An Ethical Hacking Demonstration & Discussion, Oct. 15, 9:10 a.m., a discussion and demonstration on how easy it is to hack into public spaces and suggestions for keeping personal data and devices safe.
• Nutrition for the Brain and Body, Oct. 15, 12 p.m., experts from Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions will present the latest nutrition sciences research in this guided, open-house style event.
• VR & Immersive Media Technology Lab, Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m., a tour of Westphal College’s new Immersive Research Lab dedicated to the study of immersive media including VR, AR and other technologies.
• Philly Votes, Oct. 15, 3:40 p.m., experts from the Philadelphia Autism project and the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute and Philadelphia Commissioner Al Schmidt lead an overview of new efforts to improve accessibility accommodations in Philadelphia’s voting process.
• Disruption Dialogues: Consumer Product Goods and the Future of Work, Oct. 16, 11:30 a.m., hear from Five Below’s Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer Judy Werthauser about how disruptions are influencing the business of consumer product goods.
• The Creative Brain: From Insight to Action, Oct. 16, 3:30 p.m., professors from the Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences program in Drexel’s Department of Psychology and School of Education lead a discussion about the “Aha!” moments that spark creativity and how the team’s research is pinpointing their origins, as well as research on creative mindsets.
• Immune Modulation and Engineering Poster Session and Reception, Oct. 16, 4:30 p.m., some of the top biomedical researchers will present their work as part of the inauguralImmune Modulation & Engineering Symposium, in parallel with Biomedical Engineering Society’s 2019 annual meeting in Philadelphia.
• Happy Hour and Pitches at ic@3401, Oct. 16, 5 p.m., a lightning talk session for founders to talk about their technology – what they are most proud of, and what was the most difficult part.
• Is Food the Future of Pharma? Real Food Alternatives to Drugs, Oct. 17, 1:20 p.m., experts from the Drexel Food Lab present recipes they’ve created to be alternatives to pharmaceuticals.
• Behind the Seams: The New Era of Fashion, Oct. 17, 11:30 a.m., Philadelphia’s hottest fashion designers will discuss the fashion landscape and what we can learn from the innovators with an eye for fashion.
• T3: Third Thursdays at Three, Oct. 17, 3:40 p.m., this monthly event at Drexel’s ExCITe Center features a range of speakers who offer 5-minute “lightning talks” about ideas, innovations and ongoing research spanning countless disciplines and interests.

With the purchase of a badge, B. PHL attendees will gain access to the full suite of festival events and locations throughout the city, all of which are walkable or accessible by public transportation. To further enhance the festival experience, a B. PHL mobile app will enable attendees to create their own customized schedule based on events of interest.

For more information about the festival and to keep updated on the latest news, such as added participants, tickets and more, visit www.BPHLFest.com. 

The festival is also seeking volunteers to help out at the events. Each festival volunteer will receive a full badge allowing them to attend other festival events. Visit bit.ly/drexel-bphl-form to volunteer.