Join me next week to celebrate CWRU's culture of innovation

Dear Colleagues:

Please join me at Case Western Reserve University’s second annual Innovation Week, Tuesday, Sept. 26, through Friday, Sept. 29. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend, and members of the public are also welcome.

I encourage you to review the information on our featured sessions and use the links below to register today. Free lunch is provided at all noon sessions!

  • Tuesday, Sept. 26, noon–2 p.m.: Kickoff luncheon featuring keynote speaker Vladimir Bulovic, the Fariborz Maseeh Professor of Emerging Technology at MIT and the founding director of MIT.nano, plus presentation of Faculty Distinguished Research Awards.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 27, 10:45–11:45 a.m: The Office the Provost engages a panel of experts in timely and topical "Critical Conversations." These cross-disciplinary conversations cover important (and often controversial) topics providing multiple contexts. This critical conversation will address the ethics of innovation with a focus on AI.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 27, noon–2 p.m.: Luncheon, presentation of Innovator of the Year awards, and panel discussion on "Innovation as Problem Solving at Scale," moderated by Weatherhead School of Management Associate Professor J.P. Stephens and featuring: 
    • Freddy Collier, senior vice president of strategy and new initiatives at Greater Cleveland Partnership; 
    • Ethan Karp, president and CEO of MAGNET; and 
    • Mary Wadel (GRS ’98), director of technology integration and partnerships at NASA.
  • Thursday, Sept. 28, noon–2 p.m.: Luncheon, presentation of Innovation Week Milestone Awards and panel discussion on "Innovation and Corporate Engagement" moderated by CWRU Senior Vice President for Research and Technology Michael Oakes and featuring: 
    • Julie Edgar, chief technology officer at Lubrizol;
    • Steve Sumner, vice president for corporate innovation at Lincoln Electric; and 
    • Rohan Aklokar, the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve.
  • Friday, Sept. 29, noon–2 p.m: Innovation Week Poster Pitch Contest for students and postdocs. Participants will compete to win one of 10 $1,000 awards!

View a full schedule of Innovation Week events.

I look forward to seeing you at Innovation Week!

Joy K. Ward
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President