Keynote Speakers

Keynote 1: Last Mile Security in Connected Sensor Applications
Xiaolin Lu (TI Fellow, Director of Kilby Innovation Lab, Texas Instruments)
2016 CIE/USA AAEOY (Asian American Engineer of the Year) Awardee

Xiaolin Lu is fellow of Texas Instruments and director of Kilby Innovation Lab responsible for driving various differentiated industrial- and energy-related connected system level solutions using TI embedded processors, connectivity, analog and power management devices. Her focus area covers: connected sensors, ultra-low-power connected MCU and analog as well as security.
Xiaolin is well-known as an embedded system and software expert inside and outside TI and has given keynote and plenary talks at numerous technical conferences. She is the author/co-author of more than 60 U.S. issued patents and the recipient of a series of awards: 2016 Asian American Engineer of the Year, and Society of Women Engineers (SWE), etc.

Keynote 2: Dissolvable Fracturing Tools: How to turn a terrible material into a great product
Dr. Michael Fripp (Chief Scientific Advisor, Halliburton)

Michael Fripp is a Distinguished Engineer and has worked for the last 18 years creating new oilfield technology for Halliburton. He has over 350 awarded and pending patents that address many aspects of downhole oil and gas production. He is a principal inventor of the materials in dissolving hydraulic fracturing tools as well as of oilfield acoustic telemetry and fluidic devices. He has been named as an Innovative Thinker by World Oil Magazine and has been recognized as a Texas Genius by the organization Genius Awards. Dr. Fripp has a PhD degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and is a licensed professional engineer. He has authored numerous technical papers and has coauthored 4 books.

Keynote 3: Advanced Analytics to Optimize Customer Experience in Retail Electricity Delivery
Darshan Bhate (VP of Strategy, Pricing & Analytics, TXU Energy)

Darshan Bhate is the Vice President of Strategy, Pricing & Analytics of TXU Energy, where he is responsible for the P&L for the Residential and Mass Markets business units, and leading the enterprise analytics function that generate measurable incremental value through the application of AI/ML principles and techniques. Before joining TXU Energy, Darshan worked in Investment Banking (Mergers & Acquisitions) Group of Credit Suisse in New York city. Darshan graduated from University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business with a MBA (Honors) in Finance & Corporate Strategy. He also has a MS degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Govt. College of Engineering, Pune, India.

Parallel Sessions

Session 1: Automation and Smart Machines

2:45 – 3:15 PM: Dr. Andrew Stevens, Machine Learning Engineer, Sivananthan Laboratories
3:15 – 3:45 PM: Dr. Simon Mak, Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship and Associate Director, SMU
3:45 – 4:15 PM: Dr. Frank Lewis, Moncrief-O’Donnell Endowed Chair and Head,
Advanced Controls & Sensors Group UTA Research Institute (UTARI), UTA
4:15 – 4:45 PM: Panel Discussion
4:45 – 5:30 PM: Networking
[Click here for bio and abstract]

Session 2: Advanced Materials and Manufacturing

2:45 – 3:15 PM: Craig Lee, AT&T Plano Foundry Director, AT&T
3:15 – 3:45 PM: Dr. Adrian Avendano, Chief Product Officer, Ares Materials
3:45 – 4:15 PM: Dr. Walter Voit, Founder and CEO, Adaptive 3D
4:15 – 4:45 PM: Panel Discussion
4:45 – 5:30 PM: Networking
[Click here for bio and abstract]

Session 3: Leadership & Career Development

2:45 – 3:15 PM: Kim Cummings, AVP HR & Diversity, BNSF Railway
3:15 – 3:45 PM: Dr. Chee Ching, Vice President, Automation, Technology & Development, AT&T
3:45 – 4:15 PM: Conrad Chun, Vice President of Communications, Boeing Global Services
4:15 – 4:45 PM: Panel Discussion
4:45 – 5:30 PM: Networking
[Click here for bio and abstract]