Fall 2024 Seminars
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 9/9/24 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
ANKUR MAHAJAN
TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGER
RBC Royal Bank Canada
TITLE: Applied Data Analytics in Financial Industry
Main Areas Covered:
- Advent of Bigdata (the 3 V's)
- Data Privacy & Data Protection
- Data & AI Ethics
- Data Governance Structure
- Future of Career in Data Analytics
Bio:
An accomplished Technology Professional with 25 years of Technology Delivery within Banking, Insurance & Financial Institutions. Delivered data-driven initiatives across large initiatives, solving problems of Bigdata, Regulatory & Compliance, Data Privacy, Data Governance. Executed small to large-scale initiatives ($2-10mn budget) with large team size, while effectively managing Agility and delivery constraints in a matrix environment. Working experience across USA, Canada, UK & India.
Certifications Achieved:
- Project Management Professional
- Scaled Agile Advanced Scrum Master 5.0
- Certified Data Management Professional by DAMA
- Certified Scrum Master
- Professional Scrum Master-1
- ITIL V3
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 9/16/24 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
Mike Brugnoni
Sr Solutions Architect
Amazon Web Services
TITLE: Introduction to Amazon Cloud
Main Areas Covered:
AWS Training and Certification Opportunities for Students
Cloud vs Traditional Datacenters
What is the Shared Responsibility model?
What AWS is doing in the Artificial Intelligence space
Bio:
Currently a Solutions Architect at AWS, I help higher education institutions design, deploy, and innovate using cloud services. I am based in Rochester, NY, and hold a degree in Information
With over 16 years of experience in the IT field, I have primarily specialized in IT infrastructure and operations throughout my career. In recent years, I’ve transitioned to cloud computing, earning two Azure certifications and seven AWS certifications.
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 9/30/24 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
Amy Brombos, EdD
Data Dissemination Specialist
US Census Bureau
TITLE: Demystifying Federal Data
Main Areas Covered:
-Learn how to tell stories about the communities you live in using federal demographic and economic data.
-Discover how the federal government obtains data about the population, households, businesses, and the economy.
-Learn how the government categorizes and structures the data it collects.
-Navigate millions of tables of raw data to draw correlations and create custom reports.
-Explore USAjobs to learn about federal jobs and internships.
Bio:
Dr. Amy Brombos began her federal service during the 2020 Decennial Census campaign as the New York State Partnership Coordinator for the US Census Bureau. She earned the Bronze Medal for Leadership, the highest honor awarded to a civilian employee by the Department of Commerce, for her leadership during the COVID pandemic. She transitioned to the Data Dissemination and Training Branch in 2022 as a Data Specialist covering New York State and specializes in academic and educational data. Prior to working with the US Census Bureau, Dr. Brombos spent over two decades in academia. She was a biology and physics teacher, Chief Information Officer, Researcher, and Adjunct Professor, teaching courses on Data Use for Continuous School Improvement and Strategic Planning, Accreditation, and Academic Grant Writing. Dr. Brombos is a graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa with degrees in Liberal Arts (BA), Sports Psychology (BS), and Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (MS). She also earned degrees in Secondary Science Education (MS) and Educational Leadership in Higher Education (EdD) from D'Youville University in Buffalo.
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 10/7/2 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
Tyler Bursee
Solutions Architect
Mike Brugnoni
Sr. Solutions Architect
TITLE: Workshop: Build a Generative AI Enabled Web App
NOTE: A laptop required to attend the workshop
Main Areas Covered:
Understand how to set up and configure Amazon Bedrock resources on AWS.
Demonstrate how to integrate LLM functionality into an existing web application.
Explain the purpose and benefits of using Amazon Bedrock for integrating large language models (LLMs) into web applications.
Bio:
Mike: Currently a Solutions Architect at AWS, I help higher education institutions design, deploy, and innovate using cloud services. I am based in Rochester, NY, and hold a degree in Information
With over 16 years of experience in the IT field, I have primarily specialized in IT infrastructure and operations throughout my career. In recent years, I’ve transitioned to cloud computing, earning two Azure certifications and seven AWS certifications.
Tyler: Solutions Architect at AWS Supporting Higher Education Customers in Upstate NY.
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 10/21/24 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
Denise Harris
Director, Career and Professional Education
BSU
TITLE: CAPE Overview
Main Areas Covered:
Meet the staff in CAPE
Identify ways we can support your career development
Learn about career related resources
Bio:
Denise M. Harris has over 21 years of higher education experience and is currently the Director of the Buffalo State Career and Professional Education Center. She oversees the comprehensive career development program for both the undergraduate and graduate student population. Denise is a certified career coach, qualified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a certified Etiquette Expert, and an ATIXA trained Title IX Investigator. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in communication from SUNY Fredonia, and her Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. Denise is a member of the Western New York Association of College Career Centers, the National Career Development Association and the American Association for Employment in Education.
Fall 2024 Data Science and Analytics Seminar Series
Monday 10/28/24 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM Bacon 115
Jeff Manhardt
Director, AI & Citizen Development
Compass
TITLE: Gen AI in a business environment powered by data as the lifeblood of the organization
Main Areas Covered:
Bio:
Jeff Manhardt is from Buffalo, N.Y., and recently promoted from Director of Project Management to Senior Director, AI & Citizen Development for Compass Group - a global food service company based in North Carolina with a curiosity for what is possible and over 18 years of success achieving project, program & Portfolio management objectives while utilizing situational leadership to manage international teams. He has led 3 PMOs, dozens of projects & programs and is an acquisition specialist. Jeff’s award-winning, results-oriented, people-driven leadership approach has culminated with projects, programs & portfolios delivering real business value. Jeff received his Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MOL) from Medaille University, is a 2013 LIMC graduate, frequent conference speaker, and former adjunct professor at the University of Buffalo, Canisius College, Daemen College & Medaille University. Jeff has served as the President of the PMI Buffalo chapter from 2017-2021 after serving in positions of VP of Programs, VP of Professional Development, VP of Technology & Business Services, and VP of Finance. During his free time, Jeff enjoys triathlons, reading, and watching football. Jeff has also served on the boards of the Buffalo Chapter of the IIBA, BA/PMWorld Toronto Board of Advisors, Graycliff Conservancy, and is currently serving on the Habitat Buffalo Board.
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