Ergon Professional Hub

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing content creation by offering new services, unavailable just a few months ago, that are now accessible to anyone seeking assistance with generating text and creating any form of digital content. Tools such as ChatGpt, capable of creating well-formed text on a wide range of topics, and Dall-E, capable of generating images based on natural language prompts, are prime examples of platforms that are already part of the fabric of work for millions of people and could impact entire industries (from education to virtually all service sectors). You may be wondering what these tools are, what they do, and what they are capable of achieving. What opportunities do these tools open for supporting everyone’s work? What questions do they open for our understanding of originality, creativity, and the meaning and craft of work? We invite you to join us for a conversation on generative AI and its potential impact on the future of work. Speaker: Davide Bolchini, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Human Centered-Computing Indiana University - Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering - Indianapolis

How can we still feel that we belong, that we are part of our company when the general feeling is that we are on isolated islands? How or what can company managers do to create a strong culture when personal interactions at work pass through formal meetings on Zoom? This seminar addresses these pressing questions and more, helping attendees navigate the "new normal" of remote work environments emerging from the COVID-19 crisis.

Business analytics is a growing field that includes data analysis and self-service business intelligence. This combined presentation explores the needs and opportunities of business analytics along with the key issues in the field. Additionally, we will also learn about ways of applying machine and AI in business analytics. In this seminar, Fred Kaffenberger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredkaffenberger/) and Elisa Piscitelli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/data-science-elisa-piscitelli/) spoke analytics and machine learning application in the business settings, with discussion about opportunities to get started or to leverage your industry experience in a new way.

One of the first impressions job-seekers can make is through resumes. From traditional ‘paper-based’ ones to the online LinkedIn version, an effective resume concisely provides a summary of one’s achievements, experiences, and skillsets. However, questions remain: How can one strike a favorable first impression? What should one include in a resume? How can one advertise one’s brand concisely while expressing relevant information fully? In addition to a resume, an online presence provides an opportunity to project effective personal branding. Using social media and LinkedIn, it is possible to add a dynamic version of oneself to the professional world. It is important to remember, after skimming through a candidate's resume, recruiters and employers often use this online presence to understand more about the candidate. Some even use it to decide whether to invite someone for an interview or not. In this seminar, our speakers, Sharon Mollerus (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-mollerus-176a2483/) and Karen Kaffenberger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenkaffenberger/) talks about the steps anyone can take to write an effective resume and to synergistically create a compelling online presence.

There is a lot to consider before you make the decision to pursue a graduate degree. What are the cost and benefits of grad school? Is taking time to study a good idea in this current environment? Is online graduate education really valuable? What are the steps to take before making a final decision? How to prepare an effective application package for graduate school? We have the opportunity to discuss these questions and more with two university professors: Davide Bolchini (https://soic.iupui.edu/people/davide-bolchini/) is a Professor of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, where he also serves as founding Chair for the Department of Human-Centered Computing. Dan Baack (https://daniels.du.edu/directory/dan-baack/)is the Academic Director of MBA Programs and Associate Professor of Marketing at the Daniels College of Business of the University of Denver.

Interviews are one of the most important hurdles in a job-application process. Along with the pressure to showcase one’s best self, meeting complete strangers in-person or over Zoom can appear to be daunting. Not knowing what a potential employer is looking for in an interview can also add to the uncertainty. What if we knew what common behavioral traits an interviewer is looking for in a candidate? This would certainly help to prepare! In this seminar, Maureen Rooney (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureen-rooney-3199983/) talks about the job interview format and mechanistic aspects of how and what to prepare for.

How has the hiring process changed due to COVID-19? How does it affect those who are graduating now or in the next few months? In this panel discussion, we discuss about the hiring process and the change in the job search landscape for newly graduating students pursuing the next step of their life. Our panelists comprised of experts who have vast experience in the hiring process in the academia and the industry. Our Panelists: Andrea Baccarelli is the Leon Hess Professor and Chair of the Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Kathleen Sikkema is the Stephen Smith Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Renzo Canetta is the former Vice President of the Global R&D Oncology Policy at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Data science is a newly-formed and, as yet, loosely-defined discipline that has nonetheless emerged as a critical component of successful research and analysis. In this talk, the speakers provide an understanding of the term “data science”; identify ways that data science methods can strengthen existing techniques illustrate shortcomings in data science approaches that can be addressed by outside perspectives; and propose ways to gain proficiency in data science tools. Speakers: Jeff Goldsmith is an Associate Professor in Biostatistics at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He is the co-founder of the Functional Data Analysis Working Group (FDAWG) at Columbia Biostat. Website (http://www.jeffgoldsmith.com) and GitHub (http://www.github.com/jeff-goldsmith/). Elena Colicino is an Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and works in the field of biostatistics. GitHub (http://www.github.com/ElenaColicino/). #datascience, #data_analytics