Experiential Learning Thursday March 30,2023 Symposium
Cailean Cooney Assistant Professor, Open Educational Resources Librarian New York City College of Technology
She initiated the OER Fellowship program in academic year 2014-15, and since 2016 has led the college’s participation in the CUNY-wide initiative to increase awareness and use of OER and open educational practices. Cailean has published research about student and faculty perspectives on OER, impacts of OER on student outcomes, and presented on a local, regional, and international level, about open education initiatives, faculty professional development, and usability and instructional design. Her work intersects with academic libraries, higher education, and open education
Vicki Franks, Esq. Special Counsel McCarter and English, LLP
Ms. Franks is Special Counsel at the law firm of McCarter and English, LLP. She has been involved with intellectual property, and primarily patents, for almost twenty years. She began her career in patent litigation at a boutique IP law firm, litigating high-stakes cases that spanned a wide breadth of technologies, from wireless handheld devices to complex pharmaceutical compounds. Over the course of her career, she has appeared before federal district courts throughout the U.S., including for trial. She has multiple peer-reviewed publications and was recognized as a New York Rising Star, Super Lawyers: Intellectual Property Litigation, 2011–2015 and a New York Super Lawyer, 2016–2018. Her pro bono efforts have included veterans’ disability claims and various small business intellectual property matters generally related to copyright and trademark law.
Dr. Katherine Gregory Associate Professor Health Sciences Department, New York City College of Technology
Dr. Katherine Gregory is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner with over 20 years of research and social marketing in health experience. She is an Associate Professor in the Health Sciences Department at New York City College of Technology/CUNY. Her book, The Everyday Lives of Sex Workers in the Netherlands (Routledge, 2005), addresses working conditions, cultural practices, and social agency of transgender and migrant sex workers. Her current research interests focus on the social and ethical aspects of genetics, the impact of surveillance technologies on health, health communication, and critical qualitative methodologies.
Dr. Michelle Juarez
Assistant Director of Diversity and Research Readiness DNA Learning Center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Michelle Juarez, received her BS in Plant Biology from University of California, Berkeley and her PhD in Genetics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. In 2013, Michelle joined the faculty at City College New York where she taught Microbiology, Genetics, and Introductory Biology. Her research interests included Drosophila developmental genetics and science communication. Michelle joined the HHMI Inclusive Excellence initiative in 2019, to support colleges and universities to build their capacity to effectively engage students from all backgrounds in science. Currently an Assistant Director, Diversity and Research Readiness at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center NYC at City Tech; working to support initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in STEM education at high schools and 2-year colleges.
Cyrus Meherji, Faculty Lecturer, Computer Systems Technology Department, New York City College of Technology
Professor Cyrus Meherji studied Electrical/Electronic Engineering, then worked at a small company that worked on sound systems for the military and went on to teach Electronics / Computers at a two-year college for approximately 28 years.
Prof. Meherji started experimenting with computers and became hooked on programming. He has also worked in the industry for an MSP (Managed Service Provider for IT); this is where Prof. Meherji grew to understand computer/network/cyber security issues that play a major role in all our daily lives.
Currently, Prof. Meherji is teaching in the CST department at CUNY New York City College of Technology.
Dr. Jessica Murray Director of Digital Communications for Transformative Learning in the Humanities, CUNY
Jessica Murray, Ph.D., is Director of Digital Communications for Transformative Learning in the Humanities. Through her research and organizing, she advocates for greater accessibility to transportation, education, and employment for people with diverse disabilities. Through separate National Archives and New York State Archive grants, she is developing a website highlighting primary sources that tell the story of the struggle for equal education access by racial minorities and students with disabilities in New York City, and is working to establish an archive of the disability rights movement in New York City to be housed at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.
