Speaking

IMG_0679I am often invited to speak at a variety of national and international conferences, symposia, panels, and other venues on STEM education, learning technology, and other areas of expertise.  A partial list of my invited talks organized by topic is below.  I have included links to a video recording if available (in bold).  If you are interested in inviting me to speak to your group or event, please contact me.


Speaking Highlights

IMG_0917I was invited to testify to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology on January 9, 2014 at a hearing on STEM education initiatives developed in partnerships between the private sector and universities. Other panelists included Hadi Partovi, the founder of Code.org, and Dean Kamen, who started the FIRST robotics competitions.  There is C-SPAN video coverage of the panel and news stories about my testimony (here, here, and here).


I presented on New STEM Education Initiatives to then Illinois Governor Pat Ryan at Illinois Innovation Day on April 11, 2013.  A story about my talk is here.

Kemi Jona speaking at Illinois Innovation Day in Springfield, IL

Kemi Jona speaking with Governor Pat Ryan


Future of Education

  • “The (unsurprising?) changes coming to the education industry,” Panel at the WeWork Innovation Summit 2021, 4/28/21, https://www.wework.com/info/wework-innovation-summit. Recording here.
  • “The new mobilities: Envisioning student mobility in the post-COVID-19 era,” Panel at World Learning Summit 2020, 10/22/20, https://wls.futurelearninglab.org/#
  • Undergraduate Learning During COVID-19 and Beyond: NSF-funded Innovations,” 10/21/20, Congressional Staff Briefing, Coalition for National Science Funding, Washington, DC (held virtually).
  • Critical Skills for Learning and Certification During and Post Pandemic,” ATP Webinar, 7/23/20.
  • Career Connections in the Era of Covid-19,” NEBHE Webinar, 6/18/20.
  • “Affordances for Teaching & Learning,” Lunch Panel, Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching, 3/27/20, Cambridge, MA (held virtually due to COVID-19).
  • “Supplement or Supplant – Credentials and Academic Degrees,” Panel at Business Higher Education Forum Winter 2020 Meeting, 2/17/20, Washington, DC.
  • “New Credentials for the Future Workforce,” Panel at ANSI/Workcred Building an Effective Workforce for the Future Conference, 11/7/19, Washington, DC.
  • “Talent for digital transformation: Computational literacy,” Panel at Back End of Innovation Conference, 11/6/19, Las Vegas, NV.
  • “The demand for lifelong learning,” Pearson Leadership Forum, 10/24/19, Austin, TX.
  • “The MicroCredentials Revolution,” Panel at Coursera Partners Conference, 4/2/19, London.
  • “Building for Success and the New Innovation Imperative,” Panel at UPCEA Annual Meeting, 3/28/18, Seattle, WA.
  • “Creating Scalable Lifelong Learning Degree Pathways,” Affordable Degrees at Scale Symposium, 10/4/18, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA.
  • “MOOCs@Work,” Invited panelist, Learning With MOOCs 2017 Conference, 10/9/17, Austin, TX.
  • “Transforming Learning for the 21st Century: Essential Shifts in Mindset and Practice,” Des Plaines Valley Region Education for Employment Annual Workshop, 10/23/15, Oak Brook, IL.
  • “Technology and the Future of Learning,” Immersive Technology & Media Panel held at The Future of Learning Convening, Institute for the Future, 10/15/15, Chicago, IL.
  • Dialogues with Gensler: Proactive Lifelong Learning,” Panel Discussion, Chicago, IL, 3/26/15.
  • “The Future of Technology in Education: Sustaining or Disruptive Innovation?” Kellogg Building Strong School Leaders Course, Northwestern University, 7/11/13.
  • “Academic Achievement in a Global Society – A Panel Discussion with Northwestern University Experts on the Future of Education,” Evanston Township High School, January 23, 2013.

Industry-University Partnerships and Broader Impacts

  • “Building an ecosystem to fill the Middle Skills workforce gap,” Panel at Coursera Partners Conference, 4/2/19, London.
  • “Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships to Support Lifelong Learning,” Panel Moderator, Reskilling America’s Workforce: Exploring the Nation’s Future STEM Workforce Needs, National Science Foundation, 9/25/18, Alexandria, VA.
  • “Effectively Bridging Work and Learning,” Keynote Panel, Western Pathways Conference, 5/30/18, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Aligning Employers and Institutions with Digital Credentials,” with J. Finklestein, B. Perea, J. Tysko.  Inside Higher Ed Webinar, 3/15/18.
  • “The GE/Northeastern Experiential Pathway to Advanced Manufacturing Degrees (EQUIP),” Future of American Higher Education Working Group, American Enterprise Institute, 10/20/17, Washington, DC.
  • “Enhancing the role of higher education institutions in your smart community,” Invited panel member, Smart Cities Connect/US IGNITE Conference, 6/27/17, Austin, TX.
  • “What Do Companies Get Out of the Partnership?  Expanding the Aperture on Business and the Mutually Beneficial Role Partnerships Have on STEM Persistence,” (Panel moderator), Summit on the Intersection of Higher Education and the Workforce: Broadening the Role of Business in STEM Transfer and Persistence, BHEF & National Academies of Science, April 5, 2017, Washington, DC.
  • “Measuring and demonstrating the societal impact of science across systems and countries: Harmonization of definitions and indicators,” Impact of Science 2015 Conference, 6/5/15, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • “From economic to societal impact,” Panel discussion, Impact of Science 2015 Conference, 6/4/15, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • The Case for University Partnerships to Support K-12 STEM Education and Outreach,” STEM CORE, University of Oregon, 5/19/14.
  • Models for K-12 STEM Partnership Programs,” STEM CORE, University of Oregon, 5/19/14.
  • “Reimagining K-20 Partnerships Through Educational Technology,” Southeastern Regional Education Board (SREB) Educational Technology Collaborative Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, 9/24/13.
  • “The Case for University Partnerships to Support K-12 STEM Education and Outreach.” UC-Davis STEM Education and Outreach Summit, June 8, 2012.
  • “University Partnerships to Support STEM Education and Outreach in Elementary and Secondary Schools.” Keynote Speech, Science & Creativity Annual Conference 2011, Seoul, Korea, November 30, 2011.

Learning Technology

  • “Best Practices in Blended Learning,” UnidosUS Workforce Week, 8/17/20.
  • “A Platform Strategy for Enabling Next Generation Learner Experiences,” Invited Keynote, Learner Experience Conference (online), http://lxconf.co, 5/15/17.
  • “A New Digital Infrastructure for Learning,” Invited Keynote, Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA) Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 2/5/17.
  • “Remote Labs at Northwestern: Designing for broad impact,” Remote Laboratories and IoT: An NSF Sponsored Workshop, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Northern Illinois University, May 18, 2016, DeKalb, IL.
  • “Technology and Learning,” Guest Lecturer, American Education, Alumnae of Northwestern, 5/14/15, Evanston, IL.
  • “Using Technology to Transform STEM Education,” Lake County Articulation Meeting, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL, 2/20/15.
  • “Remote Online Labs: A New Model for Teaching and Learning Scientific Practices,” North American Network of Online Labs (NANSLO) Webinar, 9/16/13.
  • “The ‘T’ in STEM: Is Technology a tool, a content area, or both?” 100Kin10 Taste of STEM, Georgetown University, 7/15/13.
  • The iLab Network: NextGen STEM Learning,” 2013 CENIC Annual Conference, UCSD, 3/12/13.
  • “Ed Tech: Providing Access to Quality STEM Education for All Students,” STEMconnector Ed Tech Town Hall: Education Technology: The Revolution in Digital & Distance Learning, November 28, 2012.
  • “Remote Labs: A Vision for the 21st Century Science Lab”. Science & Creativity Annual Conference 2011, Seoul, Korea, December 1, 2011.

STEM Education and Research

  • “Infusing Design-Based Research in the Development and Scaling of High Impact Practices at the Lowell Institute School,” Learning Sciences Speaker Series: Spring 2018, Boston University, Boston, MA, Feb. 21, 2018.
  • “New Approaches to Broadening Participation in the Manufacturing Workforce,” International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), Chicago, IL, 9/10/14.
  • “Chicago: City of Learning.” Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago Investors Conference 2014, 8/8/14
  • Panel Discussion: K-12 STEM Education: Why These Concentrations Are Crucial,” 2014 STEM Conference, Cleveland, OH. 3/21/14.
  • “STEM Education: How to make it meaningful, experiential, and embedded in the curriculum,” Concept Talks, Chicago, IL, 9/17/13.