Optimistic Outlook

Part 2: The technology to reopen education

Barbara turns her focus to K-12 schools, highlighting the reopening story of public schools in Augusta, Maine. Jon Stonier, Augusta School Department Director of Building and Grounds, and Siemens’ Erik Matzell, Senior Sales Executive, join the show to talk about the school system’s focus on air purification technology and infrastructure upgrades to safely return students to classrooms.   
 
Show Notes:
Reopening Education: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/products/buildingtechnologies/markets/education.html
Strategies: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/products/campaigns/building-technologies/markets/education/re-open-education-white-paper-form.html

Why the pandemic has changed how we build things

While infrastructure projects have continued during the pandemic, COVID-19 is impacting the construction industry in numerous ways. Richard Kennedy, President and CEO, Skanska USA, joins Barbara to discuss technology trends accelerated by the pandemic and new partnerships for improving how we build and maintain the infrastructure needed today and in the future.  
 
Smart Buildings: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/products/buildingtechnologies/smart-buildings.html 
Smart Infrastructure USA: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/about/businesses/smart-infrastructure.html 
Microgrids: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/distributed-energy-systems/princeton-resilient-campus.html 
 

Part 1: The technology to reopen education

In this series, Barbara looks at what it takes to bring back in-person learning across schools, colleges and universities. In Part 1, Molloy College President Dr. James Lentini joins the podcast alongside Siemens’ Fred James and David Santo to talk about the air purification and technology partnership helping Molloy College expand in-person learning with confidence in 2021. 
 
 
Show Notes:
 
Reopening Education: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/products/buildingtechnologies/markets/education.html 
Air purification solution: https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:91e4900b-7cb4-4382-b51e-f5ea39560f51/siemens-o2prime-highered.pdf 
Reopening America: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/about/covid-19-coronavirus.html 

Moving even faster to the cloud

In 2020, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of new cloud technologies. Where do we go from here? Stephen Orban, General Manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data Exchange, joins Barbara to discuss the cloud’s potential for helping America reopen, helping organizations thrive in the new normal, and more. 
 
Show Notes:
Reopening America: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/about/covid-19-coronavirus.html 
Smart building solutions: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/products/buildingtechnologies/smart-buildings/iot-smart-spaces.html 
Stephen’s book, “Ahead in the Cloud”: https://www.amazon.com/Ahead-Cloud-Practices-Navigating-Enterprise/dp/1981924310 
 

How do we reopen America?

As vaccines shine a bright light through the darkest days of the pandemic, Barbara shares her thoughts on how we can begin the work of reopening America and building a more resilient future. Listeners will learn practical ways that technology can help us take steps and potential opportunities in 2021 to launch large-scale action to reinvent America’s infrastructure. 
 
Show Notes:
Resources: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/about/covid-19-coronavirus.html 

Keep Moving: An interview with Maggie Smith

Can we learn to be optimists? Maggie Smith wrote her best-selling book of quotes and essays, “Keep Moving,” to move forward through the grief, anger, and uncertainty of divorce. For Barbara’s final episode of 2020, a CEO and poet explore how crisis presents an opportunity to shape the future we want, as Smith shares how she came to embrace an optimistic outlook. 

The infrastructure cities need

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock joins Barbara to discuss a U.S. Conference of Mayors survey examining mayoral infrastructure priorities in facing an unprecedented health, economic and societal crisis due to COVID-19. They highlight how infrastructure and technology investments can generate new jobs and economic recovery while forging a new path for urban resilience.
 
Show notes: “Infrastructure, Technology and Mayors’ Priorities for Confronting a Health, Economic and Societal Crisis” https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/critical-infrastructure/us-conference-of-mayors.html

Why we shouldn’t be afraid of crisis

This unprecedented healthcare, economic and societal crisis won’t be the last; the future promises an exponential increase in unpredictable threats. Peter Willis, who led the recent Resilient Leadership Project, joins Barbara to discuss how society should respond, by leaning in, and the power of intentional listening.  
 
Show Notes: 
Resilient Leadership: https://www.resilienceshift.org/resilient-leadership/ 

How will we move in 2045?

Transportation is often described as the backbone of America’s economy. Looking towards the future, former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Lyft Chief Policy Officer Anthony Foxx shares his views on how transportation can also be the backbone for social equity, fighting climate change and addressing growth in our cities. 
 
Show notes:
Beyond Traffic report
 

Looking Back at United for Infrastructure 2020

United for Infrastructure is a nonpartisan organization that brings together businesses, workers, elected leaders and citizens to advocate for the renewal of America’s infrastructure. CEO and Co-Founder Zach Schafer shares key takeaways from the organization’s recent week-long virtual gathering of experts focused on how to #RebuildBetter.
Show Notes:
United for Infrastructure