OPEN TO ALL
Background:
The future of life-science activities in West Harlem has never been brighter. Leaders from CUNY, Columbia, and a Harlem-based initiative will discuss current activities and future vision for this burgeoning cluster.
Event Programming:
6:00 PM Doors open
6:10-6:15 Introductions
6:15-7:00 Presentations and Q&A
7:00-8:00 Networking reception with free food and drinks
Speaker 1: Kevin Gardner, Director of the Structural Biology Initiative of the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC)
Kevin Gardner is the founding director of the ASRC’s Structural Biology Initiative. He is an international leader in using combinations of structural biology methods, including NMR spectroscopy and X- ray diffraction, to probe and control how cellular proteins perceive and react to changes in the environments around them. Dr. Gardner and his research group are working with expert biochemists, chemists, cell biologists and engineers to test new applications for exciting new anti-cancer therapies and research tools. Dr. Gardner is the Einstein Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The City College of New York. He is also involved in different roles with several biotech companies, serving as co-founder and CSO of Optologix, Inc. and helping found Peloton Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Gardner received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto. He joined UT Southwestern as the inaugural W.W. Caruth Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research and was later named the Virginia Lazenby O’Hara Chair in Biochemistry.
Speaker 2: John Blaho, CUNY Director for Industrial-Academic Research
John Blaho has been responsible for creating and maintaining productive Sponsored Research Projects between Industrial entities and CUNY research faculty, and is currently working to increase the amount of faculty entrepreneurial activities. Since joining CUNY, he has led the creation of two new NSF IUCRC centers at the City College of CUNY and has served as the Industrial Mentor for 3 CUNY NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) teams. Dr. Blaho led the creation of and serves as the Program Director of the NYC Regional Innovation NSF I-Corps Node (NYCRIN). Finally, Dr. Blaho is the lead of the CUNY Innovation Hot Spot for the NYC Regional Economic Development Council of Empire State Development. Dr. Blaho was trained as a chemical engineer, received his Ph.D. in biochemistry, and was the PI of an academic research lab at the University of Chicago and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of CUNY for over 25 years. Subsequently, he served a CSO function at a biotech company in Princeton, NJ.
Speaker 3: Victoria Hamilton, creator and director of Office of Research Initiatives at Columbia University
Victoria Hamilton created and currently directs of Office of Research Initiatives at Columbia University, which works across disciplines, schools, and campuses to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration- particularly among scientists, engineers, and medical researchers. The Office supports planning and building of research infrastructure, secures external funding for collaborations, and administers a seed fund for very early-stage research that falls outside the traditional boundaries. Prior to joining Columbia, Ms. Hamilton recieved a BA and an MBA from Harvard University. She was also a principal of The Washington Advisory Group, consulting with both industry and non-profits on the intersection of scientific and technical research and commerce. Previously, she was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of General American Investors, a NYSE-listed closed end investment fund, and for ten years a senior member in SRK Management Company, a private venture capital firm.
Speaker 4: Bruce Lincoln, co-founder of Silicon Harlem
Bruce Lincoln co-founded Silicon Harlem, which is a nationally recognized for-profit social venture dedicated to transforming Harlem into a hub for technology and innovation. A member of the Mayor’s Broadband Advisory Task Force, he has been at the forefront of the equitable development of the Internet in Harlem and the City of New York. Mr. Lincoln is also a Senior Fellow at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. In the past, Mr. Lincoln was the Senior Educational Technologist and Manager of Community Outreach at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University where he managed a ten-year cycle of projects that served as national models for equity and access to the socioeconomic benefits of Internet. Moreover, he served served as an advisor to the White House, was a member of the PITAC (The President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee), and served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE).
Submit your questions for the speakers here!
Directions to the event:
http://apam.columbia.edu/directions-davis-auditorium-cepsr
We recommend you enter from campus: From the campus entrance, walk in along College Walk, head north up the steps, go around Low Library and to the back of Uris Hall (the Business School).