SIE Seminar: Ricardo Valerdi
Sep 23, 2021 2:00 PM in Arizona
Ricardo Valerdi
Professor of Systems and Industrial Engineering at the University of Arizona
"Social Entrepreneurship: How Engineers Can Have a Broad Impact Description"
ENGR 301
Zoom Registration
Abstract: This talk provides examples of social entrepreneurship (solutions that have a social impact) and explores ways in which engineering research can be positioned to have a broad impact. We will provide a history of UA-spinoff company, Science of Sport which focuses on STEM education for elementary and middle school students by using sports examples. We will also provide a summary of projects funded by NIH and NSF to advance Science of Sport’s mission to bring math and science to life through sports. The audience will be challenged to think of ways in which their own work can have an impact on broad communities.
Bio: Ricardo Valerdi is a Distinguished Outreach Professor in the SIE Department. He arrived in 2011 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a Research Associate in the Engineering Systems Division. His research is in the areas of cost estimation, decision analysis, and sports analytics. He obtained his Ph.D. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California (where Profs. Sen and Higle now teach). Dr. Valerdi is UA’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the Pac-12 and NCAA and Founder of the Science of Sport, a non-profit dedicated to STEM education. His research has been funded by the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Sandia National Labs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Dr. Valerdi is the recipient of the Frank Freiman Award, the USC Center for Software Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a Foreign Member of the Mexican Academy of Engineering. See the profile of Dr. Valerdi’s 2020 Distinguished Outreach Professor Award.