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The Hub


APRIL 27, 2023

New TechBox Program for Middle and High School Students Marries Exciting Technology, Career Exploration

The TECH Hub's inaugural TechBox program has attracted nearly 20 middle and high school students from the Hough neighborhood in Cleveland to explore cutting-edge technologies—things not many students anywhere get to experience—and related career paths. Drones. Artificial Intelligence. 3-D Printing. These and others were the themes for the six-week program. For participating, students receive a gift card and a tablet for use during the program that they get to keep following completion. Check out this great segment on News Channel 5 about the program, which aired Tuesday.


Coordinated in partnership with local nonprofit DigitalC, the entire effort evolved out of a grant from the Public-Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), which helped establish the Internet of Things Community Advisory Board (ICAB). The ICAB includes six Hough residents and three organizational partners. Initial meetings revealed two primary public interest technology needs: developing youth programming and helping seniors with digital and computer competency. The TechBox program achieves both. Students 14-years-old and older who complete the program have the opportunity to receive training from DigitalC and become paid Digital Navigators in their community, helping seniors access and understand technology.


The TECH Hub expects to make this an annual program and is hoping to have students who participated in the first cohort help shape and plan the next one. TechBox is also planning a series of drone-focused activities at League Park this summer open to all community members.

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Student Team Selected to Compete at MetroLab Network Student Cup


An interdisciplinary team of Cleveland State University (CSU) graduate students is among the finalists for MetroLab Network’s 2023 Student Cup competition. In June, members of the team will travel to Portland State University to present their research examining data privacy and equity risks in the use of an app-based parking payment system in Oakland, California, and vie for a $1,000 prize alongside a dozen other student teams from across the country.

 

The CSU team includes law students Katrice Williams, Jessica Cohen, Zachary Jacobson, and Sharilyn Clark, and Master of Social Work student Sarah Behlke. Their research is the outgrowth of their participation in the Data Privacy & Equity Assessment Clinic, co-taught by TECH Hub Co-directors Dr. Patricia Stoddard-Dare, professor of social work in the College of Health, and Professor Brian Ray of the College of Law, with Dr. Chansu Yu, professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the Washkewicz College of Engineering, and several national experts. The clinic was supported by the CSU TECH Hub, along with the Internet of Things (IoT) Collaborative, and a $90,000 grant from PIT-UN. Congratulations to all and good luck!

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College of Law Selects IAPP Westin Scholar


Jessica Cohen is the recipient of this year's Westin Scholar Award. The privacy law faculty in CSU's College of Law select one student each year to receive this prestigious award from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), a global information privacy community and resource. The award includes $1,000, two years of membership with the IAPP and other industry-related benefits. Jessica, who works fulltime as part of Verizon Communications' state government team, is working toward the Cybersecurity & Data Privacy certificate and plans to pursue opportunities in data privacy with Verizon after she graduates.

Cybersecurity Conference Brings High-profile Speakers to Campus


More than 100 legal minds attended, in person and online, this year's Cybersecurity Conference, put on by the College of Law and Professor Brian Ray, director of the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection. The two-day conference attracted distinguished speakers, including Stephen Vina, senior advisor in the Office of the National Cyber Director at The White House (pictured at right above, with Professor Ray). This is the newest office to be established in the federal administration, underscoring the importance of having a national strategy dedicated to combatting cyber attacks.

2023 Hackathon Unveils Big Ideas to Solve Real-world Challenges


Thirty students from various areas of study came together for 48 hours of intense, high-energy problem-solving as part of the 2023 Community+Technology+Innovation Hackathon earlier this month. This is the third year for the Hackathon, which was held March 30 through April 1 at the Monte Ahuja College of Business, and it continues to grow. With support from the TECH Hub and the IoT Collaborative, this event is an extensive collaboration between CSU students, faculty and community judges. This year, student teams were challenged to come up with technology solutions to three vexing community problems: Black infant and maternal mortality; tracking and compliance of forensic testing kits; and factors that hinder Black students at predominantly white institutions. The winning team ("Unveiled," pictured above) included students majoring in information systems, electrical engineering, computer science, and business. They received $1,000 for their technology solution to address the tracking of forensic testing kits.

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School of Nursing Faculty in the News


New data show the U.S. maternal mortality rate is the highest it's been in 60 years, higher than in any other high-income country. And Black mothers are the most affected. Dr. Heather Rice, APRN-CNP, PMHS, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, has been studying maternal and infant mortality among Black mothers and babies in Cuyahoga County, where the challenge is especially acute. Dr. Rice spoke about this public health crisis on a recent episode of WKSU's Sound of Ideas as well as during a panel discussion following a screening of new documentary Aftershock, on March 20.

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Know Someone Who Could Benefit from the TECH Hub?


The CSU TECH Hub is committed to promoting the study of digital technologies and translating that research in ways that can enrich Northeast Ohio and its residents. We strive to be a resource for faculty and students from every college and field of study, providing a platform for interdisciplinary engagement, research and learning in pursuit of technology for the good of everyone.


The TECH Hub is led by faculty from multiple disciplines—health, law, engineering, and urban studies—with the support and input of a multidisciplinary advisory board. We regularly engage with a core group of faculty from across the

university—our affiliates—who focus on or have expressed an interest in understanding how technology relates to, supports and advances their respective fields and beyond. We are always looking to connect new faculty to all the TECH Hub offers. If you know someone who might be interested in becoming an affiliate, reach out.

CONTACT US

The Hub is the monthly newsletter of Cleveland State University's (CSU) TECH Hub, designed as a resource for advisory board members, affiliates, faculty, and students. Have news to share with your colleagues? Reach out to TECH Hub Coordinator Sybilla Waltrip.