Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions
ORAU’s Annual Meeting addresses key issues facing higher education
ORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. The meeting not only provides presentations by nationally recognized experts, but also gives our university consortium members the opportunity to partake in valuable discussions with council representatives and ORAU staff in conjunction with the meeting's yearly theme.
ORAU’s 2023 Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 6-7, 2023 and is focused on “Climate Security and Environmental Justice: Pathways to Achieving the 2050 Carbon Net-Zero Goal.” Experts and leaders from academia, federal agencies, and national organizations will share their views on technology innovation and transformation; science-based models for an environmentally equitable society; and future workforce development needs.
The meeting will be held in-person at the Hilton Knoxville Airport.
Meeting information
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Please note that you will need to hit the SUBMIT button twice—once to submit the registration information, and then after you review the information entered to confirm it is correct. You will then receive a confirmation email. Advance registration is required before February 28, 2023. There is no registration fee to attend, and no limit on the number of university representatives wishing to attend.
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Monday, March 6
Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Networking: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Eastern
Session 1: 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Eastern
Opening Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
- Special Introductory Video
Special Welcome Address
- Bruce Gnade, Chair, ORAU Board of Directors
Opening Keynote Address
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Christopher Frey, Science Advisor and Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development, EPA
Break: 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern
Session: Technology Innovation and Transformation
The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related to how technology can enable us to achieve the 2050 carbon net-zero goal. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.
- Katherine Smith, Director, Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey
- Eric Svendsen, Director, Office of the Deputy Director for Non-Infectious Diseases, CDC
- Additional Speakers TBA
Lunch and Networking: 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Session 3: 1:30 pm – 4:45 p.m. Eastern
Second Keynote Address
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Sanah Baig, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, USDA
Session: Science-Based Models for an Environmentally Equitable Society
The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related science-based models. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.
- Jeanne Herb, Executive Director, Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, Rutgers University
- Ann Marie Chischilly, Executive Director, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Northern Arizona University
- Ko Barrett, Senior Advisor for Climate, NOAA
Break: 4:45 - 6:00 p.m. Eastern
Poster Session, Reception, and Networking: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Dinner: 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Tuesday, March 7
Session 4: 8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Eastern
Opening Remarks and Introduction of Keynote Speaker
- Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
Third Keynote Address
- Gavin Schmidt, Director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA (Virtual)
Session 5: 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Session: Growing Future Thought Leaders through Strategic Alliances
The goal of the session is to identify best practices, lessons learned, and research gaps and barriers related to strategic alliances. This will be a true panel discussion moderated by the ORAU facilitator, rather than separate presentations.
- Shalanda Baker, Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, DOE
- Edward Maibach, Director, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
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Simon Malcomber, Acting Assistant Director for Biological Sciences, NSF
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Lisa Greenwood, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Closing Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
Annual Meeting Adjourns: 12:00 p.m. Eastern
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Past meeting archive
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Monday, March 7
Session 1: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Opening Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU Special Welcome Address
Special Welcome Address
- Debra Reinhart, Outgoing Council Chair
- Bruce Gnade, ORAU Board of Directors
Opening Keynote Address
- Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association [View presentation]
Session 2: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Panel: Preparedness: Detection, Prevention, Response and Control
- Charles C. Branas, Gelman Endowed Professor of Epidemiology and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University; and Member, Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience, National Academy of Sciences Report, “Enhancing Community Resilience through Social Capital and Social Connectedness: Stronger Together!”
- John Drake, Director, Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, and Director, Global Infectious Disease Intelligence Consortium, Coronavirus Working Group, University of Georgia [View presentation]
- James Hodge, Director, Center for Public Health Law and Policy, Arizona State University
Session 3: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern
Panel: Bio-Economy: Supply Chain Resiliency and Workforce Needs
- Diane DiEuliis, Assistant Director and Senior Fellow, National Defense University; Member, National Academy of Sciences Report, “Safeguarding the Bio-Economy;” and Former Deputy Director for Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, DHHS [View presentation]
- Rachel Lipson, Director, Project on Workforce, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Harvard University; and Committee Member, National Academy of Sciences Meeting Regional STEMM Workforce Needs in the Wake of COVID-19
- Eleftherior “Lefteris” Iakovou, Professor, Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University
Tuesday, March 8
Session 4: 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Eastern
Council of Sponsoring Institutions Engagement
This time will be set aside for council business and announcements. [View presentation]
Session 5: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Panel: Modeling and Forecasting: Predictive Analytics
- Mitra Basu, Program Director, Predictive intelligence for Pandemic Prevention, National Science Foundation
- Katelyn Jetelina, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- Jade Mitchell, Associate Professor, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University [View presentation]
Session 6: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Closing Keynote Address
- Hon. Keith Martin, Executive Director, Consortium of Universities for Global Health [View presentation]
Special Closing Panel: Global Action Summit – Adaptive Solutions for Abundant Food, Health and Prosperity in a COVID-Disrupted World
- Rob Dongoski, Partner, Food and Agribusiness Lead, Ernst & Young
- Luis Gabriel Cuervo, Senior Advisor, Research for Health, Pan American Health Organization
- Scott Miller, President and CEO, Circles USA
Closing Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
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Monday, March 8, 2021
Opening Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
Special Welcome
The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director, National Science Foundation
Keynote Address
Jill Crisman, Ph.D., SES, Principal Director for Artificial Intelligence, OUSD (R&E)
Panel: Advancing R&D and Resiliency
Speakers:
- Bruce Draper, Program Manager, Information Innovation Office, DARPA
- Roberto Gioiosa, Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence-Focused Architectures and Algorithms, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Shane Shaneman, Strategic Director, National Security and Defense, Carnegie Mellon University
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Panel: Skilled Workforce Needs
Speakers:
- Patricia Martinez, Fellow, AI and Technology Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Remco Zwetsloot, Research Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University
- Sidney D’Mello, Associate Professor, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder
Council Engagement Session
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Keynote Address
Gil Alterovitz, Director, National Artificial Intelligence Institute, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Panel: Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications
Speakers:
- Partha Bhattacharyya, Program Director, AI and Technology Centers for Aging Research, National Institute on Aging, NIH
- Darrell West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
- Brian Bataille, Chief Data Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency
Closing Remarks
- Ken Tobin, Vice President and Senior Research Officer, Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU
- Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
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Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Keynote Address
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Civic Research + Innovation: Partnerships, Federal Activity, and Policy Ideas, Ben Levine, Executive Director, MetroLab Network
Panel Session 1: Critical Infrastructure Systems and Resiliency
Panel Speakers
- Rouzbeh Ross Nazari, Co-Director, Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Our Critical Infrastructure - Is it Really Ours? Sam Visner, Director, National Cybersecurity FFRDC, MITRE Corporation
- Our Critical Infrastructure - Is it Really Ours? Hannah Hess, Cyber Security Software Engineer, MITRE Corporation
- Resiliency at Multiple Scales - Connected Interdependent Infrastructures, Jibonananda Sanyal, Group Leader, Computational Urban Sciences Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Panel Session 2: Transitioning Innovative Research to Practice
Panel Speakers
- Operationalizing University/City Smart Cities Partnerships: Portland State University's Digital Cities Testbed Center, Jonathan Fink, Director, Digital City Testbed Center, Portland State University, and Kevin Martin, Manager, Smart City PDX, Portland, Oregon
- Smart and Connected Communities: Technology and Social Science Working Together for a Better Society, David Corman, Program Director, National Science Foundation
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Keynote Address
- Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Deputy Assistance Secretary for Research and Technology, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, U.S. Department of Transportation – Advanced Transportation Systems.
Panel Session 3: Social and Economic Impact
Panel Speakers
- The 2020 Readiness Challenge: The Social and Economic Impact of Smart Cities, Jason Nelson, Executive Director, Partner Engagement; Smart Cities Council
- The Chattanooga Smart Community Collaborative, Reinhold Mann, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research & Chief Scientist, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Erik Johnston, Co-Director, Center for Smart Cities and Regions; and Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
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Watch the closing panel discussion from the 2022 meeting
Watch the special panel discussion on the Global Action Summit covering the topic of "Adaptive Solutions for Abundant Food, Health and Prosperity in a COVID-Disrupted World."
Contact us
To learn more about the ORAU Annual Meeting, contact the University Partnerships office:
Casey ThomasP.O. Box 117, MS 29
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117