On October 25, Michigan Technological University launched Innovators in Industry, a project connecting students with MTU alumni in industry. The aim is to give students direct access to industry experts, leaders, and influencers to help shape students’ paths.
The initial three-part series consisted of virtual sessions where featured alumni gave short presentations with Q&A from students and others in the audience.
Recordings of each of the first three sessions are available below.
Future plans for the Innovators in Industry series include in-person sessions and on-location visits for students to industry hubs.
October 25 • The Future of Autonomous Vehicles & Mobility
Co-hosts: Janet Callahan, Dean of the College of Engineering, and Jeremy Bos ’00 ’12, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.
Featured alumni: Sean Kelley ‘86 of the Mannik & Smith Group, Inc., an engineering and environmental sciences consulting firm; Mark Rakoski ‘95, of Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America Inc.; and Birgit Sorgenfrei ’91 of Ford Motor Company.
Innovators in Industry: Future of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility
November 1 • The Computing Revolution
Host: Dennis Livesay, Dean of the College of Computing
Featured alumni: Dianne Marsh ’86, director of device and content security, Netflix; Austin J. Noronha ’87, managing director, Sony Innovation Fund; Stuart Pann ’81, senior vice president at Intel Corporation; Christine Roberts ’91, senior vice president and general manager, software and services solutions, Poly.
Innovators in Industry: The Computing Revolution
November 8 • Entrepreneurship, Startups, and Venture Capital
Host: Dean Johnson, Dean of the College of Business
Featured alumni: Kanwal Rekhi ’69, managing director of Inventus Capital Partners; John Rockwell ’79, president, CEO, and director of Accelergy Corp.; Chang Park ’73, president, CEO, and founder of Universal Remote Control, Inc.; and Rebecca Ufkes ’87, president of Ufkes Holdings.
