Meadowlands magazine presents CFI’s very first INX22
Felician University launched a brand new international knowledge exchange known as INX22 in June, which resulted in a $10,000 prize awarded in the student competition on day two, and was featured in the latest issue. from Prairie Magazine.
An impressive array of international and regional leaders in the fields of innovation and sustainability gathered on June 6 and 7 at two very diverse venues – American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ and Felician University in Rutherford, NJ – to the first Innovation kNowledge eXchange of 2022 – INX22.
The two-day forum, focused on developing innovative and sustainable solutions to some of the world’s major challenges, was organized by the Felician University Lenke Family Center for Innovation, University Technology Centerand Buildings & Grounds Department, as well as the Royal Academy of Sciences International Trustof which HRH Prince Adnan El-Hashemite, professor at Felician University, is a member.
“INX22 was an impactful and ambitious event filled with incredible inspiration and big ideas,” said Joseph Lizza, Executive Director of the Lenke Family Center for Innovation and one of the forum’s initiators. “We are extremely proud of the caliber of programming for this first-ever event, which brought together forward-thinking industry leaders from our own backyard and around the world.”
On the first day of the forum, the theme was “Inspiring Global Sustainable Solutions”. A diverse list of speakers, all pioneers in their own fields, set the tone for the two-day event by sharing their journeys, imparting essential lessons and offering insights. These pioneers included:
- Khawar Nasim, Acting Consul General of Canada to the United States in New York
- Clare Guinness, Innovation District Manager for Innovation City Belfast (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
- Kai Feder, chief of staff at the New Jersey State Office of Innovation
- David Perlin, Ph.D., Scientific Director of the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation
- Kemi Olugemo, MD, Director of Communications for Women of Color in Pharma
- Lawrence Lenke, MD, world renowned spine surgeon, and his wife, Beth Lenke
Roundtables on the first day focused on food sustainability in restaurants and in the global food supply as a whole, as well as Felician University student innovation activities that were implemented at INX22 .
Food sustainability panelists included chef Antonio and Brenda De Ieso, owners of farm-to-table Italian restaurant Fiorentini. Their restaurant has the distinction of being the first business in Rutherford, NJ to be identified on the New Jersey State Sustainable Business Registry. The panel also included Stacey Antine, MS, RDN, founder of HealthBarn USA, based in Ridgewood, NJ; and Ron Mirante, founder of Bone-In Food, LLC, headquartered in Hillsborough, NJ
Engaging future entrepreneurs and thinkers is essential to the success of any sustainability agenda, here and around the world. In support of this reality, students from Felician University hosted an insightful panel on how they used innovative technologies and ideas to support this year’s forum activities. The panel included students led by Joe Celentano, David Crawford and Gabriela Rivera Pira, as well as Kendrick Moran, Richard Mejia, Daniella Ospina and Ashley Rodriguez.
Day 2
The second day of the INX22 forum focused on the Student Case Study Competition, organized by Felician University, Rutherford. Through a rigorous process leading up to the forum, five teams of students were selected from an international pool of applicants to present their ideas and propose solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: “Enable all live in good health and promote the well-being of all”. at any age. »
During this segment of the forum, two teams from Felician University and Italy’s John Cabot University, and a team from Italy’s University of Pisa, delivered their presentations, which were streamed internationally on a live video stream. The four-person team from the University of Pisa emerged victorious, winning the event’s $10,000 team prize.
The winning team’s idea was to create a multi-step plan for harmonizing health data worldwide, with a two-pronged approach through institutional and technological innovation. Students described the challenges of uniform data collection and assessment globally – including weak and fragmented institutional capacities, differing and often insufficient national funding, and a general lack of availability of disaggregated health data. . The team’s solution focused on fixing missing data.
Receiving the honorable mention designation in the student case competition was a
Felician University student team, including Thailina Marrero and Farah Alnami, coached by faculty advisor Janel Owens. The team explained how to meet the challenge of creating a systemic global network for electronic health records that offers accessibility, privacy and accuracy – and can be shared across multiple healthcare provider platforms.
The entities that presented this year’s forum were greatly strengthened by the achievements of the event and are already looking forward to 2023. In the words of Joseph Lizza, “We would like to thank our sponsors, our speakers, our volunteers and, of course, course, our participants, for their incredible support. We look forward to seeing everyone next year at INX2023.
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The INX team responsible for the design and implementation of INX22 was led by an extensive executive committee whose members included:
- Joseph Lizza*, MBA, CPA, CGMA, Executive Director, Lenke Center for Innovation
- Louis Ruvolo*, DBA (ABD), program director, Lenke Center for Innovation
- HRH Adnan El-Hashemite*, Executive Director and Associate Professor, Office of Global Academic Initiatives, Royal Academy of Science in Trust, and Representative of Felician University to the United Nations Department of Global Communications
- Meggan O’Neill*, BA, Director of Buildings and Grounds
- Deanna Valente*, DBA, Dean, University Technology Center
- Maura DeNicola, Vice President of Communications and External Relations
- Ronald Gray, Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students
*Founding member of INX
INX22 also highlighted the critical nature of the participation and support of Dr. Lawrence and Beth Lenke, who are widely known for shining a light on the importance of innovation in healthcare and across the intellectual spectrum. . As benefactors of the Lenke Family Center for Innovation at Felician University, the Lenkes are year-round champions of collaboration between experts, entrepreneurs, and students; and the think tank environment that assesses, synthesizes, and influences innovative market advancement.
Overall, the inaugural “Innovation kNowledge eXchange” (INX22) forum was a real success.
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Pictures
Top left: Beth Lenke, Felician University Board of Trustees and Dr. Lawrence Lenke
Bottom left: Khawar Nasim Acting Consul General of Canada to the United States in New York
Center (left to right): Joseph Lizza, Executive Director, Lenke Family Center for Innovation; Chiara Pederzani, student at the University of Pisa; Alberto Giovannetti, student at the University of Pisa; Dr. Salvatore Tallarico; Anita Sammarini, student at the University of Pisa; Vincenzo Di Lillo, student at the University of Pisa; Beth Lenke, Felician University Board of Trustees; Dr. Louis Ruvolo, Program Director, Lenke Family Center for Innovation
Top right: Joseph Lizza, Executive Director, Lenke Family Center for Innovation
Bottom right (left to right): Dr. Mazdak Zamani, professor of cybersecurity and computer science; Maura DeNicola, Vice President, External Relations and Communications; Dr. Charity Dacey, Associate Dean; Dr. Stephanie McGowan, Dean; Joseph Lizza, Executive Director, Lenke Family Center for Innovation; Dr. Louis Ruvolo, Program Director, Lenke Family Center for Innovation; Assemblyman Christopher Tully; Kai Feder, chief of staff at the New Jersey State Office of Innovation; Beth Lenke, Felician University Board of Trustees; Dr. Deanna Valente, Dean; Meggan O’Neill, Director, Facilities Operations
