CUIP Social Sciences Webinar
November 30th, 1 pm EST
Join our speakers as they highlight their work and research — efforts that rely heavily on the social sciences to make everyday lives better.
Time and Date: 11/30/20, 1 pm EST
Registration: https://forms.gle/QVBsQsZNCdKqVXnh6
Speakers
Lillian Bruce
Lilian pursued a career in energy while living in Houston, TX — specifically in natural gas operations as a Natural Gas Portfolio Manager and Analyst at Occidental’s MidCon companies during the deregulation of the natural gas industry.
Lilian relocated to Chattanooga, TN by the Tennessee Valley Authority to support the G&T’s entrance into the gas-fired generation and gas distribution services within the Bulk Power Operations organization. In later years, Lilian went on to trade gas financials, support power trading transmission, and RTO market needs.
Currently serving as EPB’s Sr Director of Strategic Planning, Lilian is instrumental in securing over $150 million dollars in funding for next-generation technologies and research, facilitating US National Labs and community relationships. The research demonstrations inform and help produce future investment feasibility for both energy and communications businesses and operations.
Lilian has been married for 20 years to her husband, Christian. She enjoys music, home renovation, and gardening.
Geoff Millener
Geoff Millener serves as senior program and operations officer for The Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He works with a dynamic team and community partners leveraging the city’s unique gigabit infrastructure to develop, test, deploy and scale solutions for the 21st century, with a focus on inclusion, economic mobility and Smart City innovation, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 response. A graduate of Amherst College, Geoff’s career continues to evolve at the nexus of emerging technologies and economic development. He was named as one of “50 People Who Made the Internet a Better Place” by Mozilla in 2017, and he speaks and writes on technology’s role in alleviating systemic inequity, including recent pieces for Brookings and TechDirt. Together with his wife, three rescued dogs and a cat, the gradual descent into a plaid-clad, Chaco-wearing, running-cycling-hiking Chattanooga stereotype rounds out the rest of his day.
Chandra Ward
Dr. Chandra Ward is urban sociologist at the University of Tennessee and affiliated with UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP). Dr. Ward’s research background on marginalized populations in urban areas, urban development, and urban governance informs her current work on smart cities. As an urban sociologist who comes from underrepresented communities, Dr. Ward is interested in anticipating and addressing issues oftentimes overlooked by smart city initiatives. Within the context of smart cities, Dr. Ward’s research question begins with ‘How do we leverage technology to create smart and truly connected cities?’ The perspective she brings is grounded in social science and centers on inclusivity and equity from research design, to project deployment, providing a more holistic framework in which to realize truly smart, livable cities for all.
The Center for Urban Informatics and Progress is a smart city research center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. CUIP is committed to applied smart city research that betters the lives of citizens every day. For more on the work we’re doing and our mission, visit www.utc.edu/cuip.
