February 28, 2019

SIU Information Technology Day 2019 features sessions, demonstrations

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. — More than 35 presentations, demonstrations and tours are scheduled March 14 when Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Office of Information Technology hosts IT Day 2019. 

“Driving Success with Technology” is not intended to be a deep dive into technology but an opportunity to provide the audience with eye-opening and thought provoking ideas. The day will feature sessions on a variety of topics including: 

  • New ideas and challenges.
  • Transformational change in academics and the workplace.
  • Positioning information technology in the workplace.
  • Advanced supercomputing.
  • Leadership and management.
  • Business and entrepreneurship.
  • Technology tools. 

Technology professional conference is free  

The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with many of the activities in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium. Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and Scott Bridges, assistant provost and director, information security will kick off the day at 8:30 a.m. 

Jeromy Franks, a senior education adviser with Gartner, will lead the kickoff discussion at 8:45 a.m. in Guyon Auditorium, “Driving Success with Technology — How technology affects our workplaces, academic spaces, and the people in them.” 

The event is free but slots are limited and pre-registration is encouraged. Lunch will be provided. Organizers expect between 400 and 600 people to attend. The event is targeted toward professionals in technology, business and education-related fields, as well as students who are pursuing technology-related fields. 

An array of interests will be discussed 

The event will feature representatives of the business and industry community, IT professionals from campus and the region, technologists, administrators and educators from K-12 through higher education. In addition, many sessions qualify for 5.75 professional development credits for educators. 

Additional information on the program is on the IT Day 2019 website. 

Recommended sessions include: 

  • 9:15-10 a.m. – Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium: “Technology Alone Does Not Solve Problems – Strategic thinking, collaboration, focus, and technology are key to solutions.”
  • 1 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 654: “Technology Propels Young Minds to Take Flight — Using aerospace technology and education to make STEM fields enticing to students.”
  • 1 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 752: “Smart Campuses, Smart Cities – What new generations expect from the ‘space’ around them.”
  • 2 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 610: “Coaching Millennials — Motivating them to reach further, accept challenge and achieve more.”
  • 2 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 752: “What’s Happening in Our School Systems — The power of technology in accelerated learning and the lifelong struggle of those left behind.”
  • 2 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 724: Using Technology to Fuel an Organization or a Region — Developing a climate and culture of innovation.”
  • 3 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 610: “Is it Real or is it Fake? How to evaluate information in the Information Age.”
  • 3 p.m. – Morris Library, Room 752: “Time to Prepare for the Near Future — How to engage the coming workforce in transformational change.” 

For more information on the event, contact Linda Hubbs, director, strategic communication and innovation, Office of Information Technology, at 453-4021 or olindahubbs@siu.edu.