Lecture 65: Global Mega Trends and their Implications

When: Thursday September 12, 2013 – 7:30 PM
Where: Montgomery Community College (Rockville Campus) – Humanity Building (HU), Conference Room 009 (Get Directions, Campus Map )

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Speaker: Nicolas Gorjestani
Language: English

Synopsis:

To be successful in the 21st Century, societies, organizations and entrepreneurs will have to navigate the economic, demographic and technological sea changes that are taking place globally. The mega trends forecast a smarter, flatter, hotter and more populous planet. Moreover, the compass of global economic activity will increasingly point towards the East and South. As the organizing principle shifts from a paradigm of scarcity of factors of production to a paradigm of abundance of knowledge, we will have to learn new rules of survival. The intelligent societies of the future will increasingly revolve around the principles of innovation, collaboration, sustainability and harmony. The emerging knowledge-based, innovation-driven organizations of the 21st Century will be seen less as mechanical systems and more like living organisms. The former hierarchical structures will have to adapt to more network-driven alliances that will require different management practices and behavioral incentives to motivate the knowledge workers. The first lecture (on September 12) will set the scene with an overview of the global mega trends, and the second lecture (on a date to be determined) will explore the societal and organizational implications.

About the Speaker:

Nicolas Gorjestani is a former senior official of the World Bank. An economist by training, Mr. Gorjestani had held a variety of senior staff and management positions at the World Bank for more than three decades, before retiring in July 2007. He now devotes his time to advising, lecturing and writing on knowledge-based development strategy, innovation, intelligent cities and organizations, organizational learning, and leadership development issues. Since retiring from the World Bank, Mr. Gorjestani has also been Senior Adviser/Consultant at the World Bank; Adjunct Professor in Knowledge Ecology at the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong; Executive Director, Global Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation Partnership; member of the Learning Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University; and a member of the New Club of Paris, a think tank focused on issues of the global knowledge economy. A recognized international thought leader on knowledge-based development, organizational change, innovation and learning issues, Mr. Gorjestani has published on knowledge-based development and organizational change topics and keynoted at several major international events.

Fee (including dinner): $5 Students, $15 Public

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Lecture 64: An Introduction to Zinc Oxide: Material Analysis, Growth, and Device Fabrication

When: Thursday August 8, 2013 – 7:30 PM
Where: Montgomery Community College (Rockville Campus) – Humanity Building (HU), Conference Room 009 (Get Directions, Campus Map )

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Speaker: Saeed Esmaili., Ph.D.
Language: English

Synopsis:

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a compound semiconductor packed with unique chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties which make it a suitable material for various device applications. ZnO is extensively used in sensors including gas sensors, biological sensors, electro-mechanical sensors, and it is widely used in everyday sunblock creams due to the adsorption of harmful UV light. As it will be discussed, to fully utilized a semiconductor in device applications, two types of electrical conductivity, namely n-type and p-type are necessary and because of the challenges of p-type ZnO growth, its application are limitted. In this work, however, successful fabrication of high quality p-type ZnO is reported. Since silicon is the workhorse of semiconductor industry, ZnO films are grown on Si substrates. In this presentation material analysis of high quality ZnO thin films grown on silicon (Si) substrates along with fabrication of Si/ZnO junction devices are discusses. Also examples of practical and interesting applications of this technology will be included in the presentation.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Saeed Esmaili is a recent graduate of the A. James Clark school of Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park. His thesis was focused on the fabrication of high quality wide gap semiconductors and their applications in microelectronics. He also holds a Masters (2007) and a Bachelors degree (2005) in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland. Prior to his immigration to the States back in 2001, he completed a Bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Iran AKA Shahid Beheshti Univerisity of Tehran. Dr. Esmaili has also completed continuing education programs in advanced English, Physics, Computer Science and Mathematics at Georgetown University in Washington DC. During his studies, he has taught several courses in Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering. Dr. Esmaili is currently working as an operational research analyst. He also continues his research on the development of zinc oxide based microelectronic devices.

Fee (including dinner): $5 Students, $15 Public

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Lecture 63: Arthritis, Not all joint pains the same

When: Thursday July 11, 2013 – 7:30 PM
Where: Montgomery Community College (Rockville Campus) – Humanity Building (HU), Conference Room 009 (Get Directions, Campus Map )

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Speaker: Leili Parsa, M.D.
Language: English

Synopsis:

Arthritis means joint inflammation. This presentation will cover the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management of the two most common types of arthritis, osteoarthrits and rheumatoid arthritis.Osteoporosis is another common disorder, particularly in women. The screening criteria, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis will also be discussed.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Leili Parsa is a board certified internist and a clinical fellow in rheumatology at Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Parsa received her medical doctorate (M.D.) at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2005 with honor. Following completion of her M.D., she joined a group of scientists in the Department of Cell and Neurobiology University of Southern California Los Angeles, California. She characterized structure of duct system of rabbit lacrimal glands and their role in making tear. She also investigated an animal model of Sjogren, an autoimmune disease resulting in dryness of mouth and eyes. Dr. Parsa completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Union Memorial Hospital of University of Maryland in 2011. Dr. Parsa’s areas of clinical expertise are autoimmune disorders including systemic lupus erythematosis, vasculitis and arthritis. Dr. Parsa’s current research is focused on novel therapeutic strategies targeting rheumatoid arthritis.

Fee (including dinner): $5 Students, $15 Public

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