IBM University Day

You are invited to participate in IBM University Day this coming May 15 (Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 PM, in RTP at the IBM Employee Activity and Fitness Center (EAFC; directions at the bottom of this page). Registration and poster set-up begins at 8 a.m. The schedule of events is attached below.

This is an important opportunity to showcase what the academic community has to offer industry. For students, it is specifically an opportunity to meet with prospective employers within the IBM RTP development community. In addition to IBM research, representatives from all IBM divisions at the site have been invited, and so there will be representation from IBM Software Group (SWG), IBM Server and Technology Group (STG), IBM Global Business Services (GBS), Global Technology Services (GTS) and others. Also on hand will be representatives from all corporate and local IBM university relations programs, that support joint research projects and/or recruit students.This is also an opportunity to hear what other local universities are doing.

The theme for this spring's event is "Smarter Planet," a core focus of IBM today, in which existing processes and systems can be instrumented and interconnected with intelligent software to vastly improve their cost, performance, quality etc. (see www.ibm.com/smarterplanet). We have therefore assembled a very exciting slate of speakers on this theme, that include some of the most distinguished faculty and executives from our local universities:

IBM Vice President Angela Allen will talk about the Applications Services organization within IBM Global Business Services, and the university engagement model that she has developed to provide critical skills training (sought after by today's high tech companies) - and more importantly, on-campus jobs - for local students at two NC universities. The scope of these centers and associated activities will hopefully encompass Smarter Classroom, Smarter IT Infrastructure, Smarter Healthcare, etc.

FREEDM Systems Center Director Alex Huang (with NC State) will describe the exciting work being done by the researchers and educators associated with the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery & Management (FREEDM) System Center. The center was established by an $18.5M grant from NSF, to develop technology to revolutionize the nation's power grid and speed renewable electric-energy technologies into every home and business. The center is clearly helping to bring about a Smarter (Energy) Grid.

Wake Tech Community College CIO, Darryl McGraw, will talk about his college's experiences with cloud computing, highlighting the expanded educational services, IT cost reductions and other benefits derived from using the Virtual Computing Lab (VCL). And Technology Transfer Program (TTP) Director Ramon Harris will talk about the TTP's efforts to advance the quality of education within the US HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) community through the application of technology - especially around the creation of a (VCL-based) HBCU Cloud that will push out the most advanced educational applications and resources to all participating campuses. Both efforts are clearly examples of Smarter Classroom - and Smarter IT Infrastructure.

Finally, IBM Senior Technical Staff Member Craig Nygard (Global Technology Services) will provide an overview of the IBM Smarter Planet initiatives, while IBM Director Stephanie Martin will talk IBM programs to build the necessary IT skills to carry out these transformations.

There will also be space for poster sessions/demonstrations by students and faculty - so please contact us immediately (rindos@us.ibm.com) with your poster title if you plan on presenting:

Lunch (and a light breakfast, coffee, beverages, etc.) will be provided. Please notify us (rindos@us.ibm.com) if you plan to attend.

We therefore hope you and your students will join us. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests at rindos@us.ibm.com.

Andy Head, RTP Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) and WW CAS Coordinator
email: rindos@us.ibm.com
phone: (919) 486-2016

Agenda: May 15, 2009 IBM EAFC, main hall

8:00 - 8:30 AM Arrival, registration
8:30 - 8:45 AM Welcome
8:45 - 9:30 AM "IBM Applications Services and University Engagement Models,"
Angela Allen, IBM VP, Application Services (IBM Global Business Services)
9:30 - 10:15 AM "The FREEDM (Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery & Management) Systems Center," Alex Huang, FREEDM Center Director (NC State U)
10:15 - 10:30 AM Break, poster sessions
10:30 - 11:00 AM "Wake Tech Community College and the VCL: Smarter Classroom through Cloud
Computing," Darryl McGraw, CIO (Wake Tech Community College)
11:00 - 11:30 AM "The Technology Transfer Program (TTP) and the HBCU Cloud, "
Ramon Harris, Director TTP (Executive Leadership Council)
11:30 AM - noon "IBM Smarter Planet", Craig Nygard (IBM Global Technology Services)
noon - 1:00 PM Lunch, poster sessions
12:30 - 1:00 PM Special "lunch and learn" session: "Building IT Skills for a Smarter Planet," Stephanie Martin, Director, IBM developerWorks

Location:

IBM Employee Activity and Fitness Center,
Building 400 Cornwallis Drive,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

DIRECTIONS

Directions when approaching RTP traveling east on I40 (from the Greensboro direction):

  • Take Davis Drive exit #280.
  • Turn right at the top of the exit ramp.
  • Go straight through two lights (the second light is the intersection between Cornwallis Road and Davis Drive).
  • Almost immediately past the second light, take an immediate right into the IBM Employee Activity and Fitness Center.
    (If you get to the guard gate, you missed the turn-in.)
  • Park in the lower lot.
  • Registration and the conference rooms are in the main building.

Directions when approaching RTP traveling west on I40 (from the RDU airport):

  • Take Davis Drive exit #280.
  • Turn right at the top of the exit ramp onto Davis Drive.
  • Go through the stoplight at Cornwallis Road.
  • Almost immediately after passing through the Cornwallis Road and Davis Drive intersection, take an immediate right into the IBM Employee Activity and Fitness Center. (If you get to the guard gate, you missed the turn-in.)
  • Park in the lower lot.
  • Registration and the conference rooms are in the main building.


Directions when approaching RTP from the Durham Freeway (Highway 147):

  • Take the Cornwallis Road Exit (exit number 6).
  • Turn left onto Cornwallis Road.
  • Turn left onto Davis Drive (the second stoplight).
  • Take an immediate right into the IBM Employee Activity and Fitness Center.
    (If you get to the guard gate, you missed the turn-in.)
  • Park in the lower lot.
  • Registration and the conference rooms are in the main building.