Dr. h. c. prof. MSc. Michal CEHLÁR, PhD.
Title: The Green Energy Sources for Smart City, Sustainability and Hydrogen
Bio:
Dr. h. c. prof. MSc. Michal CEHLÁR, PhD. acts as Dean of the Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Košice, professor of the Management of Processes of Acquisition and Processing of Raw Materials, expert on Valuation of Mineral Deposits, chairman of the Slovak Board of Mining Chamber SBK uniting the mining industry of the Slovak Republic, president of the Association of Waste Industry SR ZOP, member of High Level Steering Group EIP on Raw Materials European Commission, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Association of Industrial Unions and Transport APZD.
Abstract:
Ambition targets to reach the climate neutral world by mid-century will be and is the biggest challenge for all communities including cities, regions, all societies. Challenges based on climate changes, lack of clean energy sources and materials are hand in hand with environmental and social risks and this adding additional constraints and load the system even more. The solution to reach defined target from global perspective will be combination Efficiency, Renewable energy, Fuel change, Nuclear energy, New technologies, Carbone Capture and Storage and Other innovations. All innovations at all parts along the value chain will be needed to reach Emission compliance and Improve Material and Energy Efficiency in the transformation process to the new carbon neutral standard. Sustainability for SMART Cities and SMART regions will be built on Efficiency pillar, delivered by digitalization and electrification with applying the newest system of advanced control, optimalization and system of advisors to save energy, costs, and CO2 emissions. Renewable energy will be the second mandatory pillar and will allow to deliver the needed energy, energy solution will be combination of different source of renewable energies connected into proper micro grid cycle. Utilization of geothermal energy can bring advantages and cover needs of thermal and electrical energy in cycle 24/7, and bring expected stability, availability, and sustainability of energy system. eFusion technology is in development stage and can unlock the source of clean and price-competitive energy at any point on Earth, based on HDR geothermal system. Fuel change will be the third mandatory pillar which allow to realize the carbon neutral public transportation for cities and regions based on the hydrogen applications. Utilization of hydrogen will bring capabilities for energy storage which is important from design of smart cities point of view.
Prof. MSc. Jozef RISTVEJ, PhD.
Title: Smart City Resilience
Bio:
Prof. Dr. Jozef RISTVEJ gained his Ph.D. in 2007 at the University of Žilina, Slovakia – the EU, in Crisis Management. Since that time he received postdoctoral position as the Assistant Professor, in 2014 after successful habilitation he has received position as Associate Professor and in 2019 as Full Professor at the Department of Crisis Management, Faculty of Security Engineering, University of Žilina. Since October 2014 he is at the position of Vice-Rector for International Relations and Marketing at the university. In 2007 he participated in ISCRAM Crisis Management Summer School for Ph.D. students. In 2010 received the visiting scholar grant of Ruth Crawford Mitchell to the Center for Disaster Management at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh. In his work he is focusing on supporting the information systems in the area of the decision making process in crisis management and smart city resilience. For the year of 2012 was selected by the European Commission as Erasmus Staff Ambassador – 25th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme and in 2018 he received the Price for Science and Technology of the Minister of Education, Science and Research of the Slovak Republic. He was member of the editorial review board of the International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (IJISCRAM) of the ISCRAM Association and the editorial board of the Infotechnology journal in Lithuania, in 2012 was member of the ISCRAM 2012 Conference organizing committee. He is author of several papers in Europe and abroad. He is a member of several European and national scientific project teams and as well of the ISCRAM Association in Brussels (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management), the Society for Science and the Public, in Washington D.C., Vice-President of the AMAVET – Slovak Association for Youth, Science and Technology, in Bratislava and Senior Member of the IEEE.
Abstract:
Building of Smart City Resilience is going hand in hand with building of Smart Cities as a Safe City. Concept of Smart City as a Safe City needs to include Resilience as an important part of the approach. The main focus should include the questions of the Safety, Security and Resilience as a whole in such cities. Along with these topics of Safety, Security and Resilience it is important to highlight and discuss the importance and use of modelling and simulations in building of Smart City. This Smart City is then becoming also a Safe City.
Prof. Predrag, K. NIKOLIC, PhD. MBA
Title: Meta Cities: AI-Driven City Scape Design
Bio:
Dr. Predrag K. NIKOLIC is a Full Professor and Chair of the Graduate User Experience (UX) Design Program at the College For Creative Studies, Detroit, United States. He is an experimental designer, interactive media artist, and digital media expert with a PhD in Digital Media and an MBA. His research focuses on mix-experiential reality, singularity, Human-AI interaction, artificial intelligence emancipation, intelligent interfaces, robot creativity, AI aesthetics, and design for behavioral changes. He mixes immersive virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, and responsive environments to engage audiences in new interactive experiences and media perceptions.
His ongoing research project Syntropic Counterpoints had numerous exposures worldwide and artworks such as AI.R Taletorium, Aquaterrestrial Colonization, Metaphysics of the Machines, Botorikko Machine Created State, Robosophy Philosophy, In_Visible Island, Digital Lolipop. He exhibited and presented his works at Ars Electronica Festival, International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA), SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, Technarte, EmTech MIT Review Dubai, Singapore Science Center, Maison Shanghai, Hong Kong – Shenzhen Design Biennial, National Museum of Applied Arts in Belgrade, National Museum of Education in Belgrade.
Dr. Predrag K. NIKOLIC has published numerous research papers in creative user experience and co-creation, artificial intelligence creativity, AI aesthetics, robot–robot interaction, design for behavior change, mix-experiential reality, multi-sensory interfaces, interactivity, and interface design. He is Editor-In-Chief for EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies Journal, European Alliance for Innovation Fellow, listed artist in Leonardo Electronic Directory, SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community Member, international exhibitions curator, and serves on many conference committees.
Abstract:
Meta Cities is a virtual city paradigm where people seamlessly get together, work, play, and socialize as in physical cities. Those meta-communities can be the digital twins of our everyday living environment, any other place on Earth, or imaginative cityscapes created by humans or machines.
In the virtual worlds of human and artificial intelligence imagination, our physical reality is merging with the digital universe through various technologies. We are moving from a set of independent virtual realities to integrated cross-realties, intelligent environments, and 3D virtual worlds where network of Meta Cities is becoming a paradigm of a new “natural” human habitat.
In this presentation, a special focus is given to opportunities and potentials of giving artificial intelligence to design those virtual cities and living urban landscapes for us, opportunities and concerns for such co-existence between humans and machines as well as belonging ongoing project and experiments toward enhancement of sensory experiences in such environments.
Assoc. prof. RNDr. Michal Greguš, PhD.
Title: Challenges of Higher Education for the Adoption of New IT Technologies in Society
Bio:
Michal GREGUŠ is an Associate Professor at the Department of Information Systems, the Faculty of Management, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia. Professor GREGUŠ is an author and co-author of numerous publications at the international conferences, journals, and book chapters. He has also participated as a committee member, reviewer, or program chair on several international conferences. His research areas and interests include Information Systems, Data Science and Agile Management. In the past, he participated in the e-learning development project at the faculty. And he is currently involved in several development projects focused mainly on IT and digitalization. He also worked in a private company as Software Engineer for several years on different positions started from Developer up to Project Manager. Recently, he worked at the position of Vice-rector for IT at the Comenius University Bratislava.
Abstract:
The use of new Information Technology (IT) in education has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn and interact with academic material. Which can later affect the whole society and improve life quality. However, the adoption of new IT technologies in universities also presents significant challenges. One of the majors is the cost associated with implementing new technologies, including hardware, software, and IT support personnel which especially in Slovakia are not sufficient from different reasons. Universities may need to make significant investments in IT infrastructure and staff training to successfully adopt new technologies. And question is how…
Another challenge is the resistance to change from faculty and staff who are not familiar with new technologies or who prefer traditional teaching methods. The adoption of new technologies requires a shift in teaching methods and pedagogy, which can be difficult for some instructors to embrace. Additionally, some faculty may feel that new technologies threaten their job security or their ability to maintain academic standards.
Furthermore, the integration of new IT technologies into the curriculum requires significant planning and coordination. This includes identifying appropriate technologies for specific courses, developing appropriate training materials for faculty and staff, and ensuring that the technology is properly integrated into the curriculum.
Finally, there are concerns about the impact of new IT technologies on students. For example, there are concerns about the potential for increased screen time and decreased social interaction, as well as concerns about the reliability of technology and its potential to distract from learning objectives.
Overall, the adoption of new IT technologies in universities presents significant challenges, but also significant opportunities. By addressing these challenges and carefully integrating new technologies into the curriculum, universities can enhance the quality of education and provide students with new and exciting ways to learn.
Prof. Miko Ching-Ying YU
Title: Associate Vice President for Global Affairs
Bio:
Prof. Miko Ching-Ying YU received her Ph.D. in Economics from Kyoto University and Ph.D. in Management from Yuan Ze University. During her career, she has held several significant positions. In 2013,
she worked as a Technical Researcher at CREST, the Strategic Innovation Program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Additionally, she served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Economics Department of Kyoto University, focusing her research on smart grids. In 2011, she held a position as a Special Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore.
With her prior experience of founding a company in Australia and Japan in 2011, she seamlessly blends her practical expertise with academic pursuits. Currently, she holds a professorship at Yuan Ze University in Taiwan, where she passionately engages in teaching and research endeavors.
Abstract:
She will share Taiwan’s experiences in the field of circular economy, with a special focus on waste and garbage management in the technology industry, showcasing the breadth and depth of this topic to the audience. In this context, Taiwan’s technology industry is built upon a foundation of zero-carbon thinking, prioritizing environmental sustainability and resource recycling, and actively promoting the implementation of circular economy practices.
Furthermore, she will delve into how the technology industry in Taiwan utilizes the concept of SCOPE 3 to ensure coordination and integration among upstream, midstream, and downstream industries. SCOPE 3 is a comprehensive concept aimed at assessing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout an entire value chain. Through the application of SCOPE 3, Taiwan’s technology industry can take tangible actions within the framework of circular economy, enhancing resource efficiency, reducing emissions, and fostering collaboration and sharing among industries.
These talk will provide the audience with an engaging and challenging opportunity for learning and discussion. She will share success stories, best practices, and concrete strategies to inspire interest and awareness in the circular economy. Additionally, she will address existing challenges and the potential for future development, fostering broader discussions and deeper contemplation.
Alberto di Taranto
Title: GIS and IoT: new technologies for forest fire prevention
Bio:
Founder and CEO of Tyto, a Software Engineering Company based in Italy.
Electronic Engineer and member of the Innovation Commission of the Trento Register of Engineers.
For about ten years I have been a consultant as Java Architect for the JRC, Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s in-house science service. I have consulted for large national companies, the World Bank and some Governments. As a speaker, I attended conferences held by a dozen European universities.
I really like getting lost in the mountain woods behind my house, on foot or by bike.