8th Annual Bunshaft Lecture
Hosted by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS)
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the UAlbany Campus Center, Assembly Hall
• 10:00am – Registration begins
• 10:30am – Lecture
• 11:30am – Reception in the Fireside Lounge (outside of Assembly Hall)
Note: Visitor parking in Collins Circle
Dr. Guru Madhavan
Our guest speaker, Dr. Guru Madhavan, is the Director of Programs at National Academy of Engineering in Washington, DC. Dr. Madhavan is also a graduate of SUNY and author of Applied Minds How Engineers Think.
Abstract
Dazzling technological innovations get all the attention, but maintenance is just as crucial and integral to our survival and progress. Using examples from history and contemporary culture, and with a complex systems engineering perspective, this talk will reflect on how we think and speak about innovation at the expense of those activities that keep our civilization running and are vital to rethinking preparedness.
About the Speaker
Dr. Guru Madhavan is the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs at the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He has served as a technical advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the European Union Malaria Fund. He has contributed to the research and development of cardiac surgical catheters for ablation therapy and neuromuscular stimulators for improving blood circulation, and has led analyses for prioritizing new vaccines for development. prescription drug pricing, and developing strategies for cancer control. A systems engineer by background, he received his MS and PhD in biomedical engineering and an MBA from the State University of New York that awarded him the Edward Weisband Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service or Contribution to Public Affairs. He has served as a vice-president of IEEE-USA and was a founding member of the Global Young Academy, and has been named a distinguished young scientist by the World Economic Forum. His awards include the National Academies’ Innovator Award, National Academy of Medicine’s Cecil Medal, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation’s Laufman-Greatbatch Award for significant contributions to health systems and technology and the Becton Dickinson Award for Professional Achievement, and the Washington Academy of Sciences’ Leadership Award in engineering. His publications include the coedited volume “Engineering and Philosophy” (Springer), coauthored book "Making Better Choices: Design, Decisions, and Democracy" (Oxford), and the widely translated nonfiction "Applied Minds: How Engineers Think" (W.W. Norton). For his books and lectures, he has received the IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Public Understanding and the Advancement of the Engineering Profession and the George F. McClure Citation of Honor. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.
About the Bunshaft Lecture
Established through the generosity of Albert Bunshaft ’80 and Caryn Bunshaft ’82, The Bunshaft Endowment in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences provides support for this lecture, which is designed to provide information to the student community about a broad range of topics related to careers in computing and engineering sciences.