DCSI Panel Session: What Happens Next? Navigating a Modern Renaissance
The Renaissance saw the rise of Renaissance Humanism, which was a revived interest in classic Greek and Roman writings with a focus on what it meant to be human, defying the contemporary religious philosophy which permeated Europe. Consequently, the Renaissance also saw a re-emergence of great artistic works, where people were able to spend more time creating works of passion which led to an incredible artistic revolution that changed culture for hundreds of years. We still revere those artists and inventors, seeing the products of their skill and love as aspirational.
Today, we’ve realized that many people do not have to physically go to a workplace, and that realization changes the way we do things. People are spending less time commuting and sitting in offices, and instead are spending that time on their own lives and families. Recognizing we have been forced to adapt to rapidly-changing circumstances, we want to look at the benefits and issues from the point of view of different fields. We have invited associate deans from several faculties to discuss how their industries have been affected, and are moving forward, in our Modern Renaissance.
To provide some insight into a variety of backgrounds, we are proud to have a number of experts willing to speak on their experiences with computer science:
Dr. Eileen Denovan-Wright: Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Laurent Kreplak: Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Science
Dr. Nur Zincir-Heywood: Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Computer Science
Dr. Laurent Kreplak (Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Science)
Dr. Laurent Kreplak is a professor in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University and Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Science for the past 5 years. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Supelec (France) and a PhD in Physics from University Paris South. His research interests include biophysics, soft materials, and their applications in tissue engineering. He is also the co-founder of Halifax-based start-up 3D BioFibR commercializing novel protein fibers.
Dr. Nur Zincir-Heywood (Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Computer Science)
Dr. Nur Zincir-Heywood is a Distinguished Research Professor in Computer Science and Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Computer Science since July 2022 at Dalhousie University. Her research interests include machine learning for cyber security, network and service analysis. She has published over 200 fully reviewed papers and has been a recipient of multiple best paper awards. She serves as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management and Wiley International Journal of Network Management. She also promotes information communication technologies to wider audiences as a tech columnist for CBC Information Morning and a board member on CS-Can/INFO-Can.