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February 20, 2024

TECH TIME Q&A with Dr. Kelle DeBoth Foust

Multidisciplinary Matchmaker


The saying “wears many hats” is perfectly applicable to Dr. Kelle DeBoth Foust, associate professor in the Occupational Therapy Department of the College of Health at CSU. In addition to her faculty role, she is the managing director and chair of the board of advisors of the TECH Hub and co-academic director of the Internet of Things Collaborative (IOTC), a partnership with Case Western Reserve University. She is also the co-founder and coordinator of PLAAY on the Move, a unique, multidisciplinary project housed in the Center for Innovation in Medical Professions that develops low-cost, high-impact technologies that promote mobility in young children with impairments. Through her work with the TECH Hub, she coordinates the Tech Box program for middle and high school students in Cleveland, the second installment of which begins at the end of February. And that’s not even mentioning various research projects she’s engaged in.

 

How does she keep it all straight?

 

“I get excited about new projects and collaborations, whatever they are, and then figure it out,” said DeBoth Foust, who worked with children with autism and developmental disabilities for 20 years before moving into academia. “It’s all connected, really.”


In the latest TECH Time Q&A, DeBoth Foust shares how she first got involved with the TECH Hub and why multidisciplinary work is so important to her.

READ THE Q&A

TECH HUB EVENTS

Thanks to the TECH Hub AI Champions who are helping to plan our AI Symposium this spring:


Melanie E Gagich

Melissa Clark

Selma Koc

Chris Rennison

Navid Goudarzi

Xiongyi Liu


Stay tuned for more details!

IN THE COMMUNITY

Next Tech Box Program Set to Begin This Month


In its second year, the TECH Hub's Tech Box after-school program for middle and high school students is expanding to include students from more neighborhoods. Also new this year, the program will offer Saturday sessions and workshops to give students a more in-depth experience and will augment the focus on career pathways to help students get more connected to potential future careers.


Each week, the program will explore a new topic, including digital arts, drones, computer coding, smart cities, app design, and more. The program will kick off on February 29. Tech Box is open to students 12 years and older living in Glenville, Hough and St. Clair-Superior neighborhoods. Please share the information with those you think would be interested.


DOWNLOAD POSTCARD HERE

AROUND CAMPUS

CSU TECH Day - TODAY!


Cleveland State University Career Development & Exploration, alongside generous grant funding from the New America Fund, is hosting a TECH Day on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Faculty, staff, employers, and students will participate in an exciting day of learning about ways that technology is leveraged to generate public benefits and promote the public good.

LEARN MORE

NRTea Time on Feb 29


The Center for Human Machine Systems will host an NRTea Time on Thursday, February 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in BH 420. This is an exceptional opportunity to hear from the distinguished Dr. Annalu Waller, professor of Human Communication Technologies at the University of Dundee in Australia. She is also the Director of the Dundee Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Research Group. She has been working in the field of AAC since 1985 and has centered her career around designing communication systems to assist nonspeaking individuals.  


REGISTER HERE

NSF OPPORTUNITY

NSF Civic Innovation Challenge Resources


The National Science Foundation will host a webinar for the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) program on Thursday, February 22, at 1 p.m. ET. The 90-minute webinar will provide an overview of the program and details of the new solicitation and important submission information for potential proposers across academia, community organizations, and state and local government. Stage 1 proposals are due May 1. You can register for the webinar here.


CIVIC program directors are also available for one-on-one calls with prospective proposers to answer questions regarding the program and proposal ideas. Meetings can be scheduled using this link.


Additional resources:


  • Sign up to serve as a reviewer for CIVIC proposals at this link



CALL FOR PAPERS

Artificial Intelligence and You: The Social and Human Dimensions of AI


The Missouri University of Science and Technology Center for Science, Technology and Society (CSTS) in Rolla, Missouri, invites proposals for paper presentations, poster sessions and panel discussions for its Spring 2024 conference, to be held April 25-27.


The conference will explore such questions as: What is AI? What does it mean to be artificial? How is intelligence created? What are the advantages and disadvantages when data gathered by artificial intelligence impacts human decision-making in areas such as healthcare, personal security or consumerism? What do you do when your smart device tells you to breathe or move or sleep and what does this suggest about the future of human agency? 

 

The conference will be held on the campus of Missouri S&T. Thursday evening, April 25, Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin of New York University and the Center for Responsible AI, will present a keynote talk, with a welcome reception after. Friday all day and Saturday morning will comprise the paper, poster and panel sessions. Students are particularly encouraged to participate.

 

Submit abstracts using this Google form by March 1. Be sure to include all the information requested. Contact Dr. Kathleen Sheppard (sheppardka@mst.edu), the director of the CSTS, with questions.

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