Adapting to Climate Change: 17th Annual STAR-TIDES Capabilities Demonstration The Annual STAR-TIDES Capabilities Demonstration showcases products and activities of the STAR-TIDES (Sharing To Accelerate Research – Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) global knowledge-sharing network, The network includes several thousand members engaged in building sustainable resilience, promoting human security, and creating life-changing social and economic activities. STAR-TIDES is coordinated through George Mason University’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC). This year's theme will be Adapting to Climate Change, emphasizing collaborative cross-sector approaches (such as energy + communications) to help communities adapt to the “new normal” of climate change in their region. As Thomas Freidman has pointed out, “it’s not the strongest, fastest, or smartest that survives, but rather the most adaptable.” STAR-TIDES will be held this year at Mason's Arlington campus (Mason Square) (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fsearch%2F3351%2BFairfax%2BDrive%2C%2BArlington%2C%2BVirginia%2B22201%3Fentry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg&data=05%7C02%7Cklaskey%40gmu.edu%7C23e2fb24a1f24d03e83508dc281da85e%7C9e857255df574c47a0c00546460380cb%7C0%7C0%7C638429355056690612%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WfM7Ih1baMtiHLaIaJSlucMWp0vb8pybeLmSqr46aXo%3D&reserved=0). Registration is required and is free for attendees. https://secure.touchnet.com/C20788_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1626&SINGLESTORE=true Location: Mason's Arlington campus (Mason Square) (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fsearch%2F3351%2BFairfax%2BDrive%2C%2BArlington%2C%2BVirginia%2B22201%3Fentry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg&data=05%7C02%7Cklaskey%40gmu.edu%7C23e2fb24a1f24d03e83508dc281da85e%7C9e857255df574c47a0c00546460380cb%7C0%7C0%7C638429355056690612%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WfM7Ih1baMtiHLaIaJSlucMWp0vb8pybeLmSqr46aXo%3D&reserved=0) When: Monday, April 15 09:00AM - Tuesday, April 16 4:PM EDT Agenda:  Monday, April 15th, 2024  7:00 am - 9:00 am Setup displays 9:00 am – 10:00 am: Introductions and Morning Keynote: "From Threat Multiplier to Opportunity Multiplier," Climate Security, Innovation and Leadership for the 21st Century." Sherri W. Goodman, national security executive, public policy leader, board director, and lawyer. The author of the forthcoming book "Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, & the Fight for Global Security, Ms. Goodman served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security). 10:00 am Displays open 10:00 am – 11:30 am: Panel: Promising Adaptations to Climate Change and Disruptions. Moderator: Sudha Balajapalli, PhD, (College of Science, George Mason University), Natalie Fiertz (Henry L. Stimson Center, Environmental Security Program), Francisco Aquino, (Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust), Iliad Terra (alfa8) 1130 am – 12:00 pm: Networking---visit exhibits 1200 pm – 1:00 pm: Luncheon Keynote: "Closing the Value-Action Gap: How to Invcentivze the Private Sector to Invest, at Scale, in Climate Resilience." Sharron Mcpherson, senior policy advisor on the intersection of climate, infrastructure and national security, senior adjunct in project finance, co-founder and CEO of Resilience Technologies: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Panel: Empowering Communities through Collaboration (e.g. Power-Comms Cooperatives). Moderator: Linton Wells II, PhD, (founder, STAR-TIDES), Keone Nakoa (Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of the Interior), Javier Baella (REM COOP, Puerto RIco), Scott Sklar (The Stella Group), Tiffany Perry (FirstNet) 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Networking--Visit exhibits  3:30 pm – 4:45 pm: Collaborative Adaptation to Climate Change in Virginia—Jim Kinter (Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere (COLA) Studies), Leah Nichols (Institute for a Sustainable Earth), Demetra McBride (Arlington), Bob Lazaro (Northern Virginia Regional Commission—NVRC)  5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Call to action panel. "How Government, Business, and Non-Profit Organizations Can Provide Opportunities for People to Make A Difference in Adapting to Climate Change." Claudia Nierenberg (NOAA Climate Program Office), Mr. Drew Bond (PowerField Energy, C3 Solutions), Dr. Sarah McCue (Axion, UN, World Bank) 6:15 pm – 8:00 pm: Keynote Reception     Tuesday, April 16th, 2024  Multifaceted engagement with exhibitors which will be organized to provide for substantive two-way exchanges  9:00 am: Displays Open  9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Windows available for visits to the Mason Innovation Lab, Smart Grid Lab, the new Fuse building, and Scott Sklar's Net Zero facility. Breakout rooms available for targeted visits with exhibitors, arranged in advance, by businesses, governments, communities, student groups, etc. 1:00 pm - 2:00 "shark -tank" - like pitches to accredited investors for feedback.  2:00-3:00 "Lighting Talks" (5 minute summaries of 3:00 pm Exchange of MOU between GMU C5I Center and EMP Shield Tech Lab, Inc,, of Tokyo 4:00 pm Exhibits close. Prepare for convoy to Pentagon on Wednesday, April 17th  for those companies and organization who exhibited at Mason. No host dinner (location TBD) Any questions, please contact the STAR-TIDES Team at [email protected] Co-sponsored by: George Mason University - Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities Bldg: Mason's Arlington campus (Mason Square), 3351 Fairfax Drive, , Virginia , Mason's Arlington campus (Mason Square), Arlington, Virginia, United States, 22201

This program allows you to share your interest in a specific subject by teaching STEM topics to students aged 13-18. IEEE Penn State Harrisburg will supply the equipment you need for the sessions, and we'll also arrange for your transport to the library. If you decide to sign up, you're looking at a commitment of just one hour on a Monday. It’s a direct way to engage with and excite young learners about STEM. Should you choose to participate, you could make a meaningful difference in a student's approach to learning. This initiative is a chance to contribute to the STEM field's future, and it's open to Penn State Harrisburg students interested in volunteering. Co-sponsored by: Middletown Public Library Room: Second floor , Bldg: Middletown Public Library, 20 N Catherine St, Middletown, Pennsylvania, United States, 17057

This initiative provides an opportunity for you to engage with and inspire young students aged 8-13 in the Middletown area by teaching them about STEM topics. Penn State Harrisburg's IEEE will provide all the necessary equipment for your sessions. By signing up, you commit to just one hour on a specific Monday. This represents a straightforward and impactful way to share your passion for STEM with eager young minds. Choosing to be part of this program can significantly influence a young student's learning perspective. It offers a valuable opportunity to play a part in nurturing the next generation's interest in the STEM fields. This opportunity is specifically available to Penn State Harrisburg students eager to volunteer their time and knowledge. Co-sponsored by: Middletown Public Library Room: Second floor , Bldg: Middletown Public Library, 20 N Catherine St, Middletown, Pennsylvania, United States, 17057

Learning and representing low-dimensional structures from noisy and possibly high-dimensional data is an indispensable component of modern data science. Recently, a special class of nonlinear embedding methods has become particularly influential, most notably, the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and the uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP). Despite their empirical success in many research fields, these algorithms are oftentimes subject to criticisms such as lack of theoretical understanding, unclear interpretations, sensitivity to tuning parameters, etc. This talk will present a novel theoretical framework for understanding and explaining the exceptional performance of t-SNE and other related algorithms for visualizing high-dimensional clustered data. The results uncover the intrinsic mechanism, the large-sample limits, and several fundamental principles behind the algorithms; they also have practical implications to improve the current nonlinear embedding methods in real-world applications, such as enabling efficient selection of tuning parameters, improving normativity of analytic praxis, and avoiding common interpretive pitfalls. Recognizing current limitations, it will also introduce some new approaches and ideas that may lead to more accountable and reliable dimension reduction and data visualization. Join our talk to dive into data and explore the cutting-edge techniques of dimension reduction and data visualization, along with their practical applications. Speaker(s): Rong Ma Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/413700