Washington, DC | October 1-2
2024 Summit Agenda
Our annual summit brings together 100+ local government leaders, innovators, and academic researchers from across the civic ecosystem that aim to intentionally bring two vital public institutions together in partnership: our local governments and universities. MetroLab’s summit is the moment in which we ask questions of each other in the spirit of learning, feature impactful work, and seek opportunities for collaboration. This year, the summit will focus on “A R&D Agenda in Service of Cities” – or how local governments consider research as an asset, and how this can move forward step by step with the university community and community partners during this time of innovation and economic investment.
Day 1 | Tuesday, October 1st
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW; Washington, DC 20001
9:30 AM
Arrival, Check-in and Breakfast
10:00 AM
Welcome: Kate Burns, MetroLab Network
10:15 AM
This panel will explore what challenges and opportunities local government leadership face, and how we can coalesce around the important mission of making our communities better.
- Mayor Levar Stoney, City of Richmond, VA
- Moderator: Katharine Lusk, Executive Director, Planning Advisory Council, City of Boston
10:45 AM
This panel will explore what challenges and opportunities university leadership face, and how we can coalesce around the important mission of making our communities better.
- Taylor Eighmy, Ph.D., President, University of Texas at San Antonio
- Kathy E. Johnson, Ph.D., President, University of New Orleans
- Jonathan Koppell, President, Montclair State University
- Moderator: Jennifer Keup, Executive Director, Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU)
11:45 AM
Break
12:00 PM
Grace Wickerson, Health Equity Policy Manage of the Federation of American Scientists
Hunter M. Jones, Senior Program Manager, Climate Program Office (CPO), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
12:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
State of the Lab: MetroLab’s Executive Director, Kate Burns, provides the annual update on the state of research and science in communities, and building our understanding of transformative partnerships with local governments and universities.
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
2:00 PM
Kellogg vs Kerslake: the contrasting challenges and possibilities of civic innovation in the US and the UK
This panel will work via specific examples of universities with strong civic origin stories as well as strong re-commitments to civic in more recent years. It will draw out the differences and similarities, the challenges and possibilities, around the renewed civic mission – thinking both at institutional and national level. It will move to some provocative generalisations and recommendations and then – during the second half of the session – enable challenge or endorsement of these via live online interactive data gathering using ‘Mentimeter’ and via discussion. Overall, we will look at how we can learn from this cross-national comparison to ‘do civic’ better, and how we can collaborate effectively across these systems. It will include particular consideration of engagement with community partners in city-regions as well as with local government.
- Amy Cohen, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director, Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, George Washington University
- Shauna Rigaud, Associate Director for Student Programs, George Mason University
- Des McNulty, Chair, Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub, University of Birmingham, UK
- John McWilliams, Director of Civic and Alumni Engagement; Global Engagement, University of Bristol, UK
Confronting Housing Insecurity with Public-Private Solutions
This panel invites government officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders to explore a crucial aspect of tackling homelessness: the necessity of a systems change approach and cross-sector collaboration. Join us for an insightful discussion on how integrating efforts between hospitals, mental health providers, homeless shelters, and governmental agencies can effectively address the multifaceted challenges of homelessness. Participants will gain practical knowledge on overcoming regulatory barriers, optimizing resource allocation, and enhancing community engagement to achieve sustainable solutions for homelessness.
- Steve Mokrohisky, County Administrator, Lane County
- Eve Gray, Director, Health & Human Services, Lane County, OR
- Jacob Fox, Executive Director, Homes for Good
- Moderator: Allan Co, Program Director, Centre for Public Impact
3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:30 PM
The Role of Scientists and Technologists in Local and State Governments
As local and state policymakers face an increasingly complex scientific and technological landscape, scientists and technologists can play a role in guiding policy. There are many models for scientific advising at the local and state level across North America that can be replicated elsewhere. Participants during the session will learn about how COPA-STEP is placing scientists and technologists in Pennsylvania’s third largest city to address climate change, how Missouri scientists and technologists are drafting “Science Notes” for the state legislature, and how Quebec is placing scientists in residence in municipalities across the province.
- Stefan Peterson, Co-Founder, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science & Technology Policy Program
- Tomy Granzier-Nakajima, former Missouri S&T policy fellow and current AAAS DOE Science & Technology Policy Fellow
- Patricia Gruver-Barr, Director, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science & Technology Policy Program
- Simon Barnabé, Victoriaville’s Chief science advisor, Quebec
Curb Space Revolution: USDOT SMART Grants & Digital Infrastructure
Cities in OMF’s SMART Curb Collaborative are at the forefront of leveraging technology and data to make smarter decisions about public space. Each member is piloting curb management technology that enables the dynamic management of the public right of way. Now halfway through their pilot programs, cities have initial data and insights to share. From community outreach to procurement and internal city processes, hear about projects that are bringing new technology, processes, and data management strategies to their cities. Hear from partners and members of the OMF’s SMART Curb Collaborative in this panel discussion. Whether you’re looking to adopt a digital curb management program in your city, want to learn more about making data-informed decisions, or would like to learn how to improve your city’s innovation capacity, attend this session to learn and meet key partners and participants in the SMART Curb Collaborative.
- Camron Brigdford, Senior Principal, Cityfi
- Chris Shelley, Smart Mobility Coordinator, City of Philadelphia
- Michael Schneurle, Director of Open Source Operations, Open Mobility Foundation
- Moderator: Tom Schenk, Managing Director, KPMG
4:30 PM
Networking Break
4:45 PM
Day 1 Closing Remarks
5:00 PM
Day 1 Concludes
5:30 PM
Networking Reception
MetroBar : 640 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Day 2 | Wednesday, October 2nd
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW; Washington, DC 20001
9:30 AM
Arrival, Check-in and Breakfast
9:45 AM
10:00 AM
- Varun Chandola, Program Director, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), National Science Foundation
10:45 AM
This panel of federal colleagues will present what their agency is considering with respect to the future of AI.
- Wendy Nilsen, Deputy Division Director for the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS), National Science Foundation
- Alan Sim, Chief Data Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Oliver Wise, Chief Data Officer and Acting Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, US Department of Commerce
- Moderator: Matthew Zhou, Assistant Chief Data Officer, CA Office of Data and Innovation
11:30 AM
Break
11:45 AM
Libraries are a pillar of our communities. And more than ever, libraries are fostering innovation and bringing digital access. This panel will explore the important role that libraries play to both our cities and to our academic institutions.
- Marcia A. Mardis, Associate Dean for Research, Florida State University
- Brooks Rainwater , President and CEO, Urban Libraries Council
- Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director, DC Public Library
- Moderator: Story Bellows, Partner, Cityfi
12:30 PM
Lunch
1:45 PM
This panel will explore how philanthropic organizations see its role in supporting equitable and regional growth, technological and scientific progress, and more.
- Kumar Garg, President, Renaissance Philanthropy
- Allison Scott, Chief Executive Director, Kapor Foundation
- Alexandra J. Taylor, Program Officer, Hillman Family Foundations
- Moderator: Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer, Federation of American Scientists
2:30 PM
Break
3:00 PM
INRIX Project Presentations
Last year, MetroLab announced the INRIX x MetroLab Challenge, in which MetroLab members were eligible to submit collaborative projects that unlocked unique INRIX data sets to help researchers and innovative local government leaders discover, implement, and scale innovative solutions and new thinking. During this hour, we will hear from two of the teams that competed in this opportunity, the University of Washington and the City of South Bend/Notre Dame University teams.
- Moderator: Kory Young, Public Sector Partnerships Manager, INRIX
- Evaluating the Impacts and Effectiveness of Traffic Calming Measures Within Road Networks
- Nifemi Oluwatomini, PhD Student – Notre Dame University
- Kara Boyles PhD, PE, City Engineer – City of South Bend, IN
- Utilizing INRIX data to calibrate agent-based transportation models like POLARIS across multiple dimensions
- Zeyu Wang, PhD Student – University of Washington
4:00 PM
Break
4:15 PM
Local R&D Workshop
MetroLab Network is set to develop a Local Government Research and Development Agenda to identify the research needs of local governments, set to inform congressional policy makers and federal agencies on the R&D needs of cities and counties. Join this interactive workshop to discuss open research needs, current barriers to partnership, and ways in which we can work together to inform national stakeholders about local government research needs and knowledge gaps.