State-of-the-art information and communication technologies have become absolutely essential for all industries as the world is becoming more and more interconnected and data-driven. This trend has been further accelerated by the COVID pandemic. Where is the digital frontier today and what lies ahead? The annual MIT Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) event explores the latest research from across the Institute and its potential impact across industries. The webinar series will feature three sessions by six MIT faculty on the following topics: wireless communications, low power/edge computing and urban infrastructure. Additionally, a fourth session will feature MIT-connected startups presenting on the same topics.
ICT Webinar Series
Frank Konieczny, a Senior Level Executive, is the Air Force Chief Technology Officer, Office of Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He has primary responsibility to advance the Information Technology landscape of the Air Force. His current focus areas include developing the future technical target baseline, mobility enterprise solutions, data management, Identity, Credential and Access Management access/claims management, mesh networks, artificial intelligence/quantum capabilities, cyber and technology innovation pathfinders and advancing the Joint Information Environment.
Mr. Konieczny has completed advanced degrees in computer science engineering and administrative science, and in 1987 he completed all coursework for a doctorate in computer science. He has extensive experience as a systems analyst and chief programmer, working with a variety of firms including Teledyne Brown Engineering, SAIC and General Research Corporation. He has supported the programming and analytical analysis for a wide spectrum of government projects including ballistic missile defense, network design, missile test analysis, radar systems analysis and simulation, and operations research and statistical analysis. Mr. Konieczny would go on to serve as a project manager, business unit manager, Chief Scientist and Chief Technology Officer. He has managed more than 20 significant government sector programs involving multiple large and small business subcontractors and academic institutions in areas of Army and Navy manpower, logistics, force structure, undersea warfare, real time statistical analysis, biometric authentication, enterprise architecture, work flow management and simulation and modeling.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Konieczny was employed for 10 years with AT&T Government Solutions professional services business unit. He served as the CIO, CTO and Executive Director for Operations where he managed internal research and development efforts; multi-location infrastructure management and upgrade; process improvement and standardization; support organization coordination; and development of technical solutions for a wide spectrum of projects within the government sector.
Dr. Benton Calhoun. Ben Calhoun received his B.S. degree from the University of Virginia in 2000 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 and 2006, respectively. In 2006, he joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, where he is now a Professor. His research interests include self-powered wireless sensors for the internet of things (IoT), body area sensor networks, low power digital circuit design, sub-threshold digital circuits, memory design, power harvesting and delivery circuits, wakeup receivers, wireless networks, and self-powered systems. He has built an impactful research program in integrated circuit and system design with a sustained level of high productivity and excellent research. He has published over 220 papers and holds 25 US patents. He co-founded Everactive (formerly named PsiKick) in 2012 to commercialize self-powered wireless sensors initially for the industrial IoT, and he is currently co-CTO of Everactive. His work in sub-threshold circuit design and self-powered systems has led to world-leading results with the first fully self-powered body sensors. One major outcome of this work and of his vision for ULP is the NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), whose driving charter to build self-powered wireless sensors derives heavily from Calhoun’s work, and for which he is a technical thrust leader and UVA’s campus director. He has won awards for scholarship (DARPA Young Faculty Award, 3 Best Paper Awards, ISSCC Student Design Contest, Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate Award, Commonwealth Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Distinguished Research Career Development Award), teaching (All-University Teaching Award, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering New Faculty Teaching Award, University of Virginia Teaching Fellow), and entrepreneurship (Edlich-Henderson Innovator of the Year, Startup of the Year Award / Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC), Breakthrough Award / Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC).
Sheri Brodeur is a Director of Corporate Relations at MIT. Prior to this, she spent 22 years at Hewlett-Packard Company in several roles. Her most recent position was in the HP Labs Strategy and Innovation Office. The role of this organization is to set HP Labs' research strategy and extend HP's internal research capacity by partnering with universities, governments, and other companies on a global scale to rapidly advance the positive impact of technology on the world.
Sheri spent 15 years with HP Labs, HP's corporate researcher center, managing major university alliances and programs, including a $25M program with MIT. She has been responsible for managing global higher education technology programs in the areas of Security, Digital Libraries (DSpace), Information Management, and Sustainability.
Prior to this role she spent the previous eight years at Hewlett-Packard in the sales organization moving from the position of Field Sales Engineer to Global Account Manager. In this role she was responsible for selling, supporting and delivering high end test and measurement solutions for the communications industry.
Brodeur has a BS in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University and an MS in Solid State Science from the Materials Research Laboratory at Penn State University.