General Sessions
Connections general sessions will focus on a collective understanding of our journey to a post-pandemic world: what science tells us about the likely paths of recovery from the pandemic; what those paths and the experiences of the pandemic suggest about the reconstruction of our daily lives in the post-pandemic era; and how we might collectively reconfigure education in building a more resilient, equitable and prosperous society as we move forward.
Session 1: Recovery From COVID
April 5, 2021 - 8:00 am - 10:00 am Eastern (US) Daylight Time
View Recording
(Registration required.)
Opening RemarksM. S. Vijay Kumar
Executive Director, Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab
Associate Dean for Open Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Panel
A path out of the COVID pandemic is in sight, with vaccines promising the hope of a return to safe in-person learning and work in the coming year for many around the world. Experts will share the science of COVID—from what we know of transmission and mutation, to the effectiveness of vaccines and their roll-out, to the probable long-term course of the pandemic and the likelihood of new pathogens emerging.
| Panelists |
Dan H. Barouch, M.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Barouch Laboratory
William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, BIDMC |
Arup Chakraborty
Robert T. Haslam (1911) Professor in Chemical Engineering
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Anette (Peko) Hosoi
Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Dean of Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Moderator |
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Sanjay Sarma
Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Vice President for Open Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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Session 2: Reconstruction of Daily Life After COVID
April 6, 2021 - 8:00 am - 10:00 am Eastern (US) Daylight Time
View Recording
(Registration required.)
In this session, we will examine the consequences of this understanding for all aspects of our societies and daily life, from commerce and transportation, to how we work and spend our leisure time.
| Panelists |
Mark Silis
Vice President for Information Systems and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Krystyn Van Vliet
Michael (1949) and Sonja Koerner Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Provost
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Michael Wilens
President, Enterprise Services
Fidelity Investments |
| Moderator |
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Sanjay Sarma
Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Vice President for Open Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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Session 3: Reconfiguration of Education in the Post-COVID Era
April 7, 2021 - 8:00 am - 9:00 am Eastern (US) Daylight Time
View Recording
(Registration required.)
Our third session will explore the implications for the education ecosystem, including the role of educational systems and their partnerships with industry. Based on this understanding, we’ll map out paths forward in each of J-WEL’s collaboratives for the coming year and take initial steps down those paths.
| Panelists |
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Christopher P. MonterolaProfessor
Aboitiz Chair in Data Science
Head, Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
Executive Managing Director, ACCeSs@AIM
Asian Institute of Management
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Krishna Rajagopal
William A. M. Burden Professor of Physics
Dean for Digital Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Emiliana Vegas
Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Center for Universal Education
Brookings Institution |
| Moderator |
 M. S. Vijay KumarExecutive Director, Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab
Associate Dean for Open Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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