Forum Events

Monday, March 18, 2024

Speaker Series Program

“Engineering Our Wicked Problems: Some Insights from Ed Link and Binghamton”
Featuring Guru Madhavan, MBA ’07, PhD ’09
Senior Director of Programs, National Academy of Engineering

Noon
DoubleTree by Hilton Binghamton
225 Water St.
Downtown Binghamton

Our world is filled with pernicious problems. How, for example, did novice pilots learn to fly without taking to the air and risking their lives? How should cities process mountains of waste without polluting the environment? Challenges that tangle personal, public and planetary aspects ― often occurring in healthcare, infrastructure, business and policy ― are known as wicked problems, and they're not going away soon. This talk will present facets from the uplifting tale of Edwin Link, who revolutionized aviation with his flight trainer, and the rich industrial and cultural history of Binghamton to inform a model mindset for engaging with wicked problems.

Guru Madhavan is the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs of the National Academy of Engineering. He has worked in the medical device industry and has served as a technical advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the European Commission. From Binghamton University, he earned a Master of Business Administration and a doctorate in biomedical engineering and received the Edward Weisband Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service or Contribution to Public Affairs. His books include Applied Minds: How Engineers Think and Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World.

Friday, May 3, 2024

Speaker Series Program

Maggie Gray, Binghamton native and co-host, Maggie & Perloff, CBS Sports Radio

Noon
Holiday Inn, downtown Binghamton

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Annual Gala

Reception 5:30 p.m.
Dinner 7 p.m.
Binghamton University, Mountainview College, Appalachian Collegiate Center

Featuring Letters Aloud
Before They Were Famous: Real Letters, Real People, Read Aloud

For more information

Email buforum@binghamton.edu or call 607-777-5801.