Speaker Series

List of 9 items.

• John Halligan - Tuesday, September 17, 2024

  Sewickley Academy welcomes John Halligan to present an anti-bullying program to the Middle and Senior School students. Ryan's Story inspires students to make positive changes in their lives towards reducing bullying and cyberbullying, and preventing teen suicides. 
  
  Thank you to the Home and School Association for sponsoring this speaker!

• Gita Varadarajan - Friday, November 8, 2024

  The Lower School welcomes author Gita Varadarajan to read and discuss her children's books Save Me a Seat and My Bindi.
  
  Gita is the acclaimed author of multiple Scholastic publications including Save Me a Seat, My Bindi and its upcoming companion book, My Saree. Gita is a sought-after guest author and speaker at schools across the country, where she inspires children to create stories in their own voices. A frequent panelist at children’s book ceremonies, Gita has more than two decades of teaching experience. Currently, Gita teaches fourth graders in Princeton Public Schools. Gita has a Masters in Literacy Instruction, from Teachers College, Columbia University.
  
  

  Thank you to the Home and School Association for sponsoring this speaker!

• Andrew Moore, Ph.D. - Tuesday, November 12, 2024

  Dr. Andrew Moore currently serves as the CEO of Lovelace AI, a start-up developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform and solutions to support missions in national security, disaster relief, and other areas where advanced computer science can help keep people safe. He is also an advisor with the United States Central Command.

   

  Previously, Dr. Moore was the general manager and vice president of Google Cloud's AI division and dean of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science.

   

  Dr. Moore has established himself as a leading expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and robotics. He has dedicated his work to how AI can be implemented for good and developed responsibly. In 2005, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association of Artificial Intelligence.

   

  He has written over 200 academic papers on AI and co-authored “The Handbook of Biosurveillance.”

   

  Dr. Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Cambridge.
  
  When: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.
  Where: Rea Auditorium, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: There is no cost to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-serve and reservations are recommended. RSVP here.

• Cristopher Mason, Ph.D. - Monday, December 9, 2024

  Dr. Christopher Mason currently serves as the WorldQuant Endowed Professor of Genomics and Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, with appointments at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center and the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute.

  
  

  Additionally, he is the director of the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, co-founder and global director at Biotia, and co-founder and scientific director at Onegevity.

  
  

  Dr. Mason is the author of “The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds” and co-author of “The Age of Prediction: Algorithms, AI, and the Shifting Shadows of Risk.”

  
  

  Dr. Mason holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in genetics and biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madision and a doctorate in genetics from Yale University.
  
  When: Monday, December 9, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.
  Where: Rea Auditorium, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: There is no cost to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-serve and reservations are recommended. RSVP here.

• Rick Clark - Monday, January 27, 2025

  Rick Clark joins Sewickley Academy from Georgia Tech to discuss College Admissions 101 with Senior School students as well as an evening program for parents. The parent programming will include a discussion of the trends in college admissions, how schools make their decisions, debunking myths, and how to approach a healthy, family-first college admissions experience.
  
  Rick Clark is the Executive Director of Strategic Student Access at Georgia Tech. He has served on a number of national advisory and governing boards at the state, regional, and national level. Rick travels annually to U.S. embassies through the Department of State to discuss the admissions process and landscape of higher education. He is the co-author of the book The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together, and a companion workbook published under the same title. A native of Atlanta, he earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.Ed. from Georgia State University. Prior to Georgia Tech, Rick was on the admissions staff at Georgia State, The McCallie School and Wake Forest University.   

  
  

  When: Monday, January 27, 2025 at 6:15 p.m.
  Where: Gregg Theater, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: There is no cost to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-serve and reservations are recommended. RSVP here. 

   

  Thank you to the Home and School Association for sponsoring this speaker!

• Eisenhower Institute Speakers - Wednesday, February 12, 2025

  The Eisenhower Series College Program is a United States Army War College outreach program that exposes intellectually curious audiences, who have little direct knowledge of the military, to men and women who have spent many years in the national security enterprise. Each year, different, small teams of panelists visit various universities, schools, and their communities across the nation. The Army War College student body includes senior military officers of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as foreign officers, and senior civilian managers of federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of the Army. Speakers and topics for 2025 are TBD. Check back soon for more information!

  
  When: Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. 
  Where: Gregg Theater, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: All members of the SA community and the general public are invited to this session. There is no cost to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-serve and reservations are recommended. RSVP here. 

• William Oliver, Ph.D. - Friday, February 21, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.

  Dr. William Oliver serves as the Henry Ellis Warren (1894) Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is also the director of the Center for Quantum Engineering and associate director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics. 

  
  

  Dr. Oliver is a principal investigator in the Engineering Quantum Systems Group at MIT, providing programmatic and technical leadership targeting the development of quantum and classical high-performance computing technologies. 

  
  

  Previously, he spent 20 years working with the Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems Group within the Lincoln Laboratory at MIT, culminating in the role of Laboratory Fellow.

  
  

  Dr. Oliver is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Physical Society (APS) and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 

  
  

  He serves on the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee and the U.S. Committee for Superconducting Electronics and is a board member for the IEEE Applied Superconductivity Conference (ASC).

  
  

  Dr. Oliver holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese from the University of Rochester, a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

  
  When: Friday, February 21, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.
  Where: Rea Auditorium, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: There is no cost to attend. Seating will be first-come, first-serve and reservations are recommended. RSVP here.

• Pittsburgh CLO Gallery of Heroes - Friday, March 7, 2025

  A cast from Pittsburgh’s CLO Gallery of Heroes will bring a performance of The Next Galileo to campus for the enjoyment and education of our students and community. Gabriella is full of questions, but short on confidence as the quietest kid in the school’s astronomy club. That all changes when she takes an amazing journey back in time to meet the legendary astronomer, Galileo Galilei, and assist him as he races to finish his first telescope. Through a remarkable friendship that spans four centuries, Gabriella and Galileo take audiences on an adventure that champions the joy of scientific discovery and the wonders of the imagination. Funded by the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, Massey Charitable Trust, and other organizations, Pittsburgh CLO’s Gallery of Heroes program travels to area schools to educate and enlighten students about the lives and accomplishments of significant historical figures through mini-musicals. Parents, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend.

• TEDxYouth - May 2025 (Final Date TBD)

  TEDxYouth events are independently organized TEDx events focused on youth and young adults. TEDx events are local, self-organized gatherings where TED-like talks and performances are shared with the community. The events specifically cater to younger audiences, often featuring speakers who are young themselves or who address topics relevant to youth interests, concerns, and perspectives. These events aim to inspire and empower young people to share their ideas and engage with important issues in their communities and the world.

  
  Who: All members of the SA community and the general public are invited to this event
  When: May 2025
  Where: Rea Auditorium, Sewickley Academy
  Tickets: RSVPs are encouraged. More information regarding tickets to come.