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.
Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Vandermeer will be covering the basics of Veterinary Medicine (i.e. requirements for education and licensing, day-to-day operations in a veterinary practice, surgical procedures, and other career paths in veterinary medicine)

SpeakerJohn Vandermeer, D.V.M.
- Native of Highland Park and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1983
- Undergraduate education in Biomedical Science at Texas A & M University
- Veterinary degree from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
- After graduation in 1990, returned to Dallas and joined Highland Park Animal Hospital
- Professional interests include orthopedic surgery and endoscopy
Veterinarian Highland Park Animal Hospital
Full Presentations
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.
Everything has a price - how data and analytics are applied to risk assessments in business technology
Technology and Analytics are Disrupting How Risk is Priced in the Market. All businesses face risk; how can the modern world put a price on those risks to predict success and ensure insurance commensurate with the risk levels of an individual project or business?

SpeakerAmelia Valz
SVP, Specialty Construction, Arch Insurance Group Inc.
Amelia currently serves as the SVP of Construction Specialty Products for Arch, with direct responsibility for the Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) line of Business. She is responsible for management and growth of the product as well as maintaining key client and brokerage relationships. Directly before joining Arch in 2020, Amelia spent 2 years at Willis Towers Watson. There she was licensed in all 50 states and held national roles as both the Professional Liability and the Subcontractor Default Placement leader for the WTW Construction Team. Before joining Willis, Amelia started her career by spending 16 years on the carrier side of the industry, with roles at Zurich North America and then XL Catlin. Her specialty was manuscript construction risks, with underwriting and management roles across Subcontractor Default (SDI), Builders Risk, Contractors Equipment, Contractors Pollution Liability, and Construction Professional Liability.
SVP of Construction Specialty Producets Arch Insurance Group Inc.
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 ER, Poisons and Crime Scenes--Stories from the "Front Line" of Medicine medicine
This presentation will include stories and pictures from the ER at Parkland--our nation's busiest emergency department and medicine's "front line." Then learn how my journey in emergency medicine led me to study medical toxicology at the North Texas Poison Center and how I then developed a forensic toxicology practice testifying in Federal drug crime cases involving the opioid epidemic and in murder mysteries. NOTE: VIDEO MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES OF REAL SURGERY AND INTERNAL ORGANS THAT SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND DISTURBING

SpeakerStacey Hail, MD
Stacey L. Hail, MD, FACMT is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She currently serves as attending physician in the Parkland Hospital Emergency Department and the North Texas Poison Center. Dr. Hail received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Southern Methodist University in 1995. After receiving her Medical Degree at the Medical College of Georgia in 1999, she completed both her emergency medicine residency and medical toxicology fellowship at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Hail has a prolific forensic toxicology practice serving as an expert witness for attorneys throughout the United States. She has testified multiple times as a witness for the Department of Justice involving federal drug crimes due to the national opioid epidemic. Dr. Hail also has provided toxicology commentary for local and national news venues and for documentaries on the National Geographic channel, the BBC, and the Oxygen channel.
Parkland ER Doctor & Medical Toxicologist North Texas Poison Center
The Physician-Scientist medicine
Medicine is undergoing a sea of change at many levels: changes in healthcare delivery, economics, biology and technology. Whereas these myriad changes we face can be daunting at first, there has never been a more exciting time to make the world a better place through science and medicine!

SpeakerJoseph Hill, MD, PhD
- Cardiologist-scientist whose research focuses on molecular mechanisms of remodeling in the disease-stressed myocardium.
- Graduated with an MD, PhD from Duke University
- Pursued postdoctoral scientific training at the Institut Pasteur in Paris
- Clinical training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
- Faculty of the University of Iowa for 5 years
- Chief of Cardiology and Director of the Harry S. Moss Heart Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center since 2002
- Research focuses on deciphering mechanisms of structural, functional, and electrical remodeling in heart disease with an eye toward therapeutic intervention.
- Editor-in-Chief of the #1 cardiovascular journal, Circulation
- Active clinical practice focusing on general cardiology, hypertension, and heart failure.
Professor of Medicine and Molecular Biology, Chief of Cardiology UT Southwestern Medical Center
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)