The agenda is filling up as we close in on the spring Emerging Tech Dialogues event, Trust and Data: Tools for our Changing World.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the panels, topics, and sessions that you can enjoy when you join us at the free, hybrid event, on April 2, 2025, 9-4 pm. Lunch is available for those attending in person, at Statler Hall on the Ithaca campus.

Data Classification and Access to Sensitive Data

Evan Sholle, Lecturer in Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, will explore the question of how we thoughtfully protect data while still allowing researchers to utilize it. This session will include a discussion of data governance & classification tiers as well as provide examples of collaborations (e.g., TriNetX and All of Us Researcher Workbench).

Digital Health Technology and Informed Consent

Cindy Chen, Associate Director, Research Informatics - Clinical & Translational Services at Weill Cornell Medicine, will present on how we address the challenge of digital literacy while building trust in novel technologies such as mobile apps and wearables. 

AI and the Evolution of Work

Join expert panelists from the IT Strategy & Innovation team, Ayham Boucher, Assistant Program Director for AI, Sylvie Honig, Ph.D., AI Strategist, and Trish Davis, Assistant Director of Change Management for a discussion facilitated by Rebecca Joffrey, Director of Strategy & Innovation. 

As artificial intelligence reshapes the workplace, organizations are navigating uncharted territory that requires rethinking skills, job structures, and institutional processes. Our expert panelists will delve into the swift evolution of AI and its impact on the delicate equilibrium between automation and human expertise. The discussion will challenge us all to envision the modern AI work landscape and consider how we, at Cornell, can chart a course to introduce employees to the "AI universe" while proactively shaping the future of our own jobs and careers. 

Cornell’s Data Lakehouse open house: A tour of the Data Lakehouse 

Jeff Christen, Manager CIT/EDS/Data Warehousing and Integrations, will present on the Data Lakehouse, a modern data architecture that combines the best elements of data lakes and data warehouses. Attendees of this session will explore how this hybrid approach enables both structured and unstructured data storage while maintaining data reliability, performance, and governance. Learn how Cornell is leveraging this innovative architecture to enhance data management, analytics capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration. 

Key topics will include: 

• Core principles and architecture of the Data Lakehouse
• Distinctive features and advantages over traditional data storage solutions
• Current data assets within Cornell's Lakehouse ecosystem
• Ongoing implementations and future development roadmap 

Faculty Activity Database

Dean Meloney, Director of Academic Affairs at Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business, will host a discussion about the faculty activity database used by their school, and the various process and reporting that it drives. While they make numerous crucial decisions based on the data, getting that data required establishing trust with the people who are the sources. Making it useful required accuracy and establishing trust with the leaders and administrators. Come ready for a conversation in the spirit of learning from one another and sharing how other schools and departments handle these universal problems.

Academic Planning

Aaron Fowler, Academic Reporting & Integration Manager at Cornell University for the SC Johnson College of Business, will share how they developed a database to track information that informs their academic planning, including what will be taught, and who will teach it. A lot of work went into establishing trust in the process, the database system, and the system itself. This session will explore the challenges involved in that endeavor, and how to build trust in systems, processes, and data.

Boomi: Connecting Cornell’s Digital Enterprise

Preslava Staneva, Steve Barrett, and John Parker, members of Cornell’s Enterprise Data Systems/Data Warehousing and Integrations team, will present an insightful poster session on Boomi iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service), our enterprise solution for seamless application integration. Learn how this powerful platform is already transforming connectivity across campus by efficiently connecting numerous university systems.

There will also be presentations on Data Storage Options from Chris Manly, Assistant Director of Cloud and Infrastructure Services at Cornell University, DnA – Data and Analytics from Greg Menzenski, Assistant Director of Enterprise Data services, and more!

Register today. 

This event is open to all Cornell-affiliated community members including Ithaca, Weill, and Cornell Tech campus staff, faculty, students, and researchers.