Science & Technology Festival
October 7, 2022
First, choose your class period
Then take a look at past presentations below
Note, however, that enrollment ended on Oct 05, 2022.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Software Are Changing the World technology
Were already seeing AI in our cars, on our phones, in our social media and game apps, when we use Siri or Alexa, when we chat with bots for customer support, and in our GPS apps like Waze. AI is everywhere today and we'll continue to see AI even more in the future. What's in store for the future of AI and how will AI and software change our world for the better?

SpeakerSejal Pietrzak
*Sejal Pietrzak has held executive leadership positions for fast-paced, global enterprise software companies for the past two decades. *Most recently, Sejal was the CEO of DealerSocket, a leading software company in the automotive industry. *Recognized with several awards including recently being ranked #7 in the Software Reports Top 50 SaaS (Software as a Service) CEOs list, one of the top 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry, and one of the Top 25 Women in Private Equity-Backed Software Companies. *Holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelors degree from The College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Technology CEO & Board Member
Civil and Environmental Engineering engineering
A broad overview of the fields of civil and environmental engineering, including: structural engineering, transportation systems, geotechnical engineering, stormwater management, environmental modeling, water supply and resources, wastewater systems, solid waste management, etc. The presentation will include descriptions of SMU's undergraduate and graduate programs in CEE.
SpeakerJohn Easton, Ph.D.
Dr. Easton has been on the faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Southern Methodist University since 2000. Currently he serves as assistant chair, chief undergraduate advisor, and program director of the Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. He is a senior lecturer, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Environmental Engineering, including Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering, Aquatic Chemistry, Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Biological Processes and Wastewater Treatment, Urban Hydraulics and Hydrology, Laboratory and Field Methods, and Environmental Epidemiology. He serves the university as secretary of the Council of General Education and the Lyle School as director of accreditation. Dr. Easton received his PhD in Environmental Health Engineering, along with an MS degree in Civil Engineering, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; he also holds a BA degree in Biology from the University of Kansas.
Senior Lecturer and Assistant Department Chair Southern Methodist University
Electrical Engineering Development and Commercialization in the High Tech World engineering
I will bring some of the chips and products I designed to class, and provide a demo/experiment together. I will also speak on chip engineering and design.

SpeakerSiraj El-Ahmadi
An experienced executive with a proven track record of building and leading multi-disciplinary teams to design and scale award-winning technology products and solutions at startups and Fortune 500 companies. An inventor of more than 30 Patents, Siraj is team leader with deep cross-functional experience in R&D, Product Management, Business Development and Technical Marketing. Strength in anticipating critical market transitions and commercializing industry-first products to serve billion-dollar-plus addressable markets. Experience raising venture capital, interfacing with public market analysts, and adding strategic value via technical advisory and outside director board positions.
From Science Fair to Unraveling Periprosthetic Joint Infection science
In this presentation, I will share with you my experiences unraveling periprosthetic joint infection, and also, how I first got interested in science.

SpeakerRobin Patel, MD
Robin Patel, M.D., is the Director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. In this research laboratory, she and her colleagues study biofilms and resistance to antibiotics. Biofilms cause a large number of infections in modern clinical practice, such as periprosthetic joint infection and infective endocarditis. Resistance to antibiotics is a global crisis.
Dr. Patel and her team are unraveling the process of biofilm formation and resistance to antibiotics. They are developing new and improved diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for biofilm-associated infections and to tackle antibiotic resistance. Her group uses in vitro studies as well as animal models of infection for their studies.
Dr. Patel is a Past-President of the American Society for Microbiology. She is the Co-Director of the Mayo Clinic Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory; in this state-of-the-art clinical facility, she and her colleagues develop and deploy cutting-edge assays for clinical detection of bacteria, identification of bacteria, and characterization of antimicrobial resistance and susceptibility.
Focus areas
Biofilm-mediated infections Novel approaches to diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection Novel antimicrobial agents for therapy of bacterial infections Animal models of infection Clinical bacteriology diagnostic assays
Elizabeth P. and Robert E. Allen Professor of Individualized Medicine, Professor of Microbiology, and Professor of Medicine Mayo Clinic
Semiconductors: The Invention that Transformed the World engineering
Semiconductors are found in nearly every piece of technology that we use, and they play a critical part in our lives. This has only become more apparent recently, with the semiconductor shortage attracting enormous attention, causing unprecedented supply chain issues, and even exposing a serious national security crisis. But what even is a semiconductor? Why do we need them, how do they work, how are they built, and why can't we manufacture them fast enough? I'll answer all of these questions as I discuss the semiconductor industry and my job as a semiconductor manufacturing engineer at Samsung.
As a recent college graduate and HPHS alumnus, I'll also discuss my experiences studying mechanical engineering and help you decide which engineering path you might enjoy most.

SpeakerWills Rutherford
HPHS Class of 2018 Rice University B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Semiconductor Manufacturing Engineer at Samsung Part of team that operates 5,000 semiconductor vacuum pumps
Semiconductor Manufacturing Engineer Samsung Austin Semiconductor
Software Development and Running the Cloud: Building the Worlds Future technology
Do you want to be a wizard? Building software is the closest thing that we have in our world to creating a spell or casting a ward. You can go from a blank screen to an application to sell goods, algorithm to predict user behavior, or anything you can imagine using just your wits alone. Join together with other development wizards to combine your powers to build applications to improve peoples lives through your teams work.
These applications have to live in the real world somewhere, and so, you must build your cloud: hundreds, or thousands, of servers all working in unison to run all the applications your users want to build. The cloud has to understand both the hardware underneath it as well as the Master Control ensuring that everything works together well. This is the basis of a whole world of invention and innovation.

SpeakerAndrew Goetz
- Graduated with a BA in Molecular Biology from Princeton University 96
- Worked in Cancer Drug Development for 8 years - basic research and pharmacokinetics
- Started a software company during the .com boom, some applications still in use
- Moved into Human Resources Software technology
- Joined IBM Cloud to lead development and IT teams maintaining the backbone of the Cloud
Senior Manager of Fabric Software Development IBM
Technology + Business: My career in the middle
I am going to talk how I am able to work on technology projects by supporting business units. So I have the best of both worlds - technology and business knowledge

SpeakerJose Vargas
The Digital Divide technology
It is more important than ever for brands to embrace digital technology in their business. We will cover companies like YETI, Adidas, Ford and LOreal on how they embrace technology to make the customer experience better than ever.

SpeakerCory Clark
Client Account Director
The Environment and Sustainability - Careers With Impact science
Explore the design of buildings for energy efficiency, environmental investigations into polluted water bodies, protection of cities from extreme weather events, and more. There are so many paths to create a positive impact on the environment. It is an exciting time in this field, and a field you can make a lifelong career from. Learn about the important work done through environmental science, engineering, life/earth sciences, geographic information system (GIS) mapping, and more.

SpeakerNovella Landau
Focus on Global Environmental Sustainability Practices
BS, Mechanical Engineering - UTA & Texas Tech University
Created global sustainability database for the open sharing of projects creating positive impacts on the environment. Posts can be freely submitted by any person or community, and span a wide range of categories (home water conservation, school recycling programs, energy efficient building features, renewable energy use, etc.).
Worked as a facilities consultant, performing building and property assessments of hundreds of facilities across the United States, often adjacent to environmental site assessors and other building specialists. City engineer among teams involved with construction of city systems such as water/sewer pipelines and distribution, streets and sidewalks, stormwater drainage planning, and transportation/traffic services.
Founder Ambient Green
What Kind of Engineer Do You Want To Be? engineering
If you want to become an engineer, have you ever thought about what kind of engineer you want to be? Manufacturing Engineer? Industrial Engineer? Quality Engineer? Environmental Engineer? Design Engineer? Safety Engineer? Facilities Engineer?
Where I work, all of these kinds of engineers (and more) work at one place! What do these kinds of engineers do in support of manufacturing the state-of-the-art F-35 Fighter Jet?
Come by and I'll tell you all about it!!

SpeakerLuke Gilpin
I graduated from SMU with degrees in Geology, Mechanical Engineering, and Geophysics. My first job out of college was a Petroleum Engineer with Mobil Oil Co. as in the New Mexico oil fields. After one year, the oil business crashed and I got laid off. I then took a job in Fort Worth as a Facilities Engineer at Lockheed Martin where the F-16 Fighter Jet was being built. We currently build the F-35 stealth fighter. After a few years, I became an Environmental Engineer cleaning up waste disposal sites at the Lockheed facility. Ten years later, I became a Quality Engineer auditing environmental, safety and health management systems. Ten years after that, I took a job as a Safety Engineer whose job is to reduce risks of employee injuries in a manufacturing plant.
Staff Safety Engineer Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Working in Sports Video & Television other
"Working in Sports Video & Television" is a presentation with Paul Williard, a self-employed video editor and producer who has worked for the likes of ESPN, NFL Films, the Dallas Cowboys, Imagine Entertainment, and others, mostly in the documentary space. Starting at Keller High School and taking film courses taught by Manuel Vasquez, Paul continued to pursue a career in video, and will give you a comprehensive look at what goes into making videos of all kinds, whether they are for a Netflix documentary or for Instagram. In addition to the strategies for creating videos, he will take you through the different kinds of specialized equipment and software needed to put together high-end videos. Paul will also touch on his struggles and successes, aiming to give personal advice on how to make it in the film industry.
SpeakerPaul Williard
Freelance Video Editor and Producer Fig Tree Productions (self-employed)
Full Presentations
Schizophrenia, Medication, and the Brain medicine
More details to come! A fascinating presentation on Brain Science, effects of medication on the brain, schizophrenia, and other major mental health illnesses.

SpeakerJoanna Price
Experienced Business Specialist from Johnson & Johnson working in the hospital & health care industry. Skilled in the therapeutic areas of Mental Health, Urology, Neurology, and Gastroenterology. Bachelor of Science (BS) focused in Marketing from Arizona State University.