Hear from a panel of current student and postdocs about how identities influence their understanding of being an innovator & entrepreneur and a discussion on accessibility of innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E).

LOCATION: IHQ (E38) 7TH FLOOR HACKER REACTOR

DATE AND TIME: NOVEMBER 15TH 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

ABOUT THE EVENT

Join the student and postdoc community in a unique panel to critically discuss “What Does an Innovator Look Like?”

The panel will share their experiences and offer insights on:

• How identities influence their understanding of being an innovator or entrepreneur
• Thoughts on the accessibility into innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) resources
• Advice to others in the room looking to explore I&E

The panel will be 30 minutes with a 30 minutes Q&A, followed by networking with food provided. This initiative is a co-created idea between the Office of Multicultural Programs (OMP) and MIT Office of Innovation.

PANELISTS

• Shruti Ravikumar (UG)
  • Shruti is a senior at MIT studying Computation and Cognition. On campus, she is involved in student government, as the UA Vice President and is a part of the radio station (WMBR). Outside of school, she loves to hike, bake and travel.
• Alvin Donel Harvey (PhD)
  • Shí éí Alvin Harvey yinishyé. Tó baazhni’ázhi Nishłį́. Honágháahnii Bashishchiin. Biligana dashicheii. Kiyaa’áanii dashinalí. I am Diné, of the Two Who Came To the Water Clan and I am born for the One Walks Around Clan; my maternal grandfather is of German descent and my paternal grandfather is of the Towering House Clan. I am from the Navajo Nation, and currently reside in Cambridge, MA while completing my PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics. My research and development as a Diné man centers relationality as a core structure of developing partnerships, systems, and good ways of being.
• Christina Peña (MBA)
  • Christina Peña is an MBA candidate at MIT Sloan and MPA candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School where she is focusing her studies on entrepreneurship, product management/marketing, EdTech, and education policy. She is the Co-President of the Hispanic Business Club and Education Club, in addition to serving on the DEI Forum.
• Tigist Tamir (Postdoc)
  • Tigist is a postdoc in the White Lab at the Koch Institute. Originally from Ethiopia, Tigist has lived in Virginia and North Carolina since moving to the United States. She received her B.S. in Biology and Bio-Mathematics from the College of William and Mary, and her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her scientific focus is on identifying the convergence between cancer cell signaling and metabolism. She is applying techniques in proteomics, metabolomics, and computational modeling to study the processes that promote resistance to cancer therapy. Outside of the lab, Tigist enjoys traveling, dancing, martial arts, and the outdoors.

MODERATOR

• Reza Rahaman, Ph.D

Dr. Rahaman returned to MIT in 2018 after a 29 year career in the Consumer Packaged Goods, Pharmaceuticals, and Agricultural Chemical Industries to lead the four School of Engineering Technical Leadership and Communication (TLC) Programs – the Gordon-MIT Program in Engineering Leadership (GEL), the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP), the Graduate Engineering Leadership Program (GradEL), and the School of Engineering Communication Lab.

Immediately prior to MIT, Reza was the Vice-president of Research, Development, and Innovation for the Specialty Division of the Clorox Company. In that role he was accountable for developing innovation strategies for a diverse set of businesses and ensuring robust technology roadmaps and innovation pipelines to deliver growth and profit targets for 45% of the Clorox Company portfolio ($2.7bn in net customer sales). In addition to his passion for developing leaders, Reza is passionate about workplace equality. He was the Executive Sponsor of the Clorox Pride Employee Resource group, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world’s premier nonprofit promoting LGBT+ workplace equality from 2016-2021. He currently serves as a Board Ambassador. He and his husband James enjoy travel and hiking.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The Inclusive Innovation Series pulls together events and initiatives organized by MIT’s innovation and entrepreneurship community around intersecting topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and entrepreneurship. By convening the community around these important topics inside MIT’s newest home for innovators, MIT Office of Innovation aims to increase the ecosystem’s accessibility to communities historically underrepresented in innovation, entrepreneurship & STEM. We know the world’s most pressing issues require breakthrough innovations from diverse teams, and we believe these teams can meet and discover the rich resources of the I&E ecosystem through this series.

Explore the community-driven and uniquely MIT events here—and return throughout the year for more!