Shady Side Academy hosted the third event in the Innovation Speakers Series, Smart Cities: The Impact in Pittsburgh and Globally, featuring a panel of experts who shared their perspectives about how smart cities are solving some of the biggest challenges for citizens and cities today and what the future can hold. 

Nearly 60 guests attended the event, which featured three expert panelists: 

• Karen Lightman, executive director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University
• Mike Zeto, VP of IoT solutions and general manager of Smart Cities - Internet of Things at AT&T
• Santiago Garces, director of the Department of Innovation and Performance at the City of Pittsburgh.
• Special guest and Shady Side alumnus Erik Buell '68, chief technical officer of FUELL

Shady Side Academy hosted the second event in its new Innovation Speakers Series, How Platforms and Blockchain are Reshaping Business for Today and Tomorrow, on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation on the Senior School campus.

Nearly 50 guests attended the event, which event featured two expert panelists from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business: SSA parent Dr. Timothy Derdenger, associate professor of marketing and strategy, and Dr. Param Vir Singh, Carnegie Bosch associate professor of business technologies. The moderator was Ari Lightman, distinguished service professor of digital media and marketing at CMU's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.

This is the second event in the new Innovation Speakers Series; a third event is planned for spring, with details TBD.

Watch a video of the full presentation on YouTube (1:07)

Shady Side Academy hosted the community event The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Pittsburgh and Beyond, featuring a panel of experts exploring the promise of artificial intelligence and how it is shaping business, education and economics in Pittsburgh and beyond.

Nearly 200 guests attended the event, which was moderated by author and Science magazine correspondent Ann Gibbons Scherlis, who is also an SSA trustee and past parent. The panelists included several members of the Shady Side Academy community working in the AI field:

• Dr. Tuomas Sandholm, Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University; SSA parent
• Dr. Shiv Rao '97, Executive Vice President, UPMC Enterprises; SSA alumnus
• Eben Adams '89, Vice President, Growth and Partnerships, LegalSifter; SSA alumnus and parent
• Dr. Katerina Fragkiadaki, Assistant Professor of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University

Watch a video of the full presentation on YouTube (1:16).