Assaf is also the Associate Director and founding member the MIT Senseable City Lab, a research group which develops technologies in big data, machine learning and robotics aimed at improving livability in cities. He had supervised research in areas of urban sensing, data fusion and urban transportation, and also lead the lab partnership initiatives with cities and the private sector.
Assaf has a background in physics, and design. He holds over 150 patents and publications, and has been honored with multiple international awards including the Red Dot Luminary, Time Magazine, Thomas Edison, and James Dyson awards.
Alex most recently served as the Chief Scientist at the U.S. Agency for International Development, with rank of Assistant Administrator. Alex founded and headed the Office of Science and Technology, and created the vision for and helped launch the Global Development Lab, the Agency’s DARPA for Development, and was part of the founding team of USAID’s Policy Bureau Prior to USAID, Alex worked in multiple positions within the Office of the Secretary of State, and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, at the Dept. of State, including overseas service under the Coalition Provisional Authority redirecting former weapons scientists to rebuild science in Iraq, and leading the Obama Administration’s scientific engagement with Iran under Ambassador Dennis Ross. Alex was the founding country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan Program and helped create Afghanistan’s first national park. Alex is the author of the recently released book, The Snow Leopard Project, through Public Affairs, an imprint of Perseus Books Group, which describes this effort.
Robinson Snowden was awarded the NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Graduate Fellowship (SSGF) in 2012, which supported her graduate work in the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy. As an SSGF fellow, she conducted verification research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she led computational and experimental investigations into the feasibility of detecting radiation generated inside of open-source warhead designs.
Robinson Snowden became the first black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT in 2017, and holds a BS in physics from Florida A&M University. Her story in STEM has been featured in MARVEL Comics, CNBC, NBC, BET and other national television, radio and print media.
In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. He has contributed to Refugees International, American Public Media and been featured on CNN and in the Washington Post.
He is currently attending the University of Southern Maine as a political science major and works as an interpreter for Somali immigrants. His memoir is a vivid reminder of why western democracies still beckon to those looking to make a better life.
She has a background in international security (Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy, Tufts University, PhD and MALD; University of Melbourne, BA
[Hons]). While completing her PhD, she was a fellow in the International Security
Program and Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard University's Belfer Center
for Science and International Affairs.
Emma serves on the advisory committee of N Square—a multi-funder initiative to
promote innovation in the nuclear realm. She was a 2014-2016 Emerging Leader
at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
In addition to her activities in hydrogen, Birdsall takes personal interest in promoting STEAM learning and diversity within the industry. Birdsall is a board
member of Women Influencing and Impacting Toyota – a group established to promote the talent and visibility of the women of Toyota through continued
learning, self-development and leadership.
Birdsall received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University (previously General Motors Institute).
Bob’s current research and writing interests include developing and testing methods of effective public dialog on issues that cut to the core of identity, meaning, belonging and belief, and the assessment, reform, design and implementation of dispute handling systems for organizations, societies and institutions.
Bob is the co-author of two books: Designing Systems and Processes for Managing Disputes (Aspen, 2013; 2d Edition, forthcoming, 2019) and The Handbook of Dispute Resolution (Jossey-Bass, 2005). He has also published articles in leading dispute resolution journals including the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution and the Journal of Dispute Resolution. His writing and commentary have appeared in various print and broadcast media outlets including The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Lost Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, CNN’s Situation Room, and the BBC.
As a professional facilitator and conflict resolution consultant, Bob works with individual, non-profit, governmental and corporate clients across many sectors. He specializes in assisting individuals and groups seeking to manage conflicts in highly sensitive, emotional or difficult situations. He has also taught negotiation to attorneys at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the international law firms of Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, LLP, Freshfields, Braukhaus, & Deringer, Crowell & Moring, LLP, Shearman & Sterling, LLP and Clifford Chance, LLP.
He is an alumnus of the PopTech Social Innovation Fellows Program and has been awarded the Echoing Green Fellowship for Public Service and the Ashoka Fellowship for leading social entrepreneurs. He received his B.A. from Harvard University, his Ed.M. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and his M. Div. from Harvard Divinity School. Mr. Dawson is a resident of Dorchester, MA.
Poetry Out Loud’s official rules require permanent residence, so Monga filed a lawsuit against The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. A judge granted a motion allowing him to compete, and he went on to represent the state of Maine in the competition. Monga says fighting to compete in Poetry Out Loud was important to him — and others. “I am not the only kid who’s an immigrant. There is a huge body of kids from all over the world who are definitely in my situation,” Monga says. “So, I wanted to create a way that kind of opened the door for everyone.” His plight has been covered by a number of national news agencies, including NPR.
