Third Thursday at CEIE | Get Smart About Water

Join key water issue thought leaders Alexandra Dunn, Assistant Dean at Pace University Law School, Sharon Nunes, Ph.D., Vice President of Smarter Cities Strategy & Solutions  for IBM, and John Cronin, Director and CEO of Beacon Institute, for a lively and engaging discussion about the role science and technology innovation can play in water management, the implications for public policy, and the vital need for partnerships to save our fresh water.

Alexandra Dapolito Dunn is Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Programs and Adjunct Professor of Law (Environmental Justice, Human Rights and the Environment) at Pace University School of Law.  Dean Dunn oversees the Law School’s environmental law programs and curriculum, consistently ranked among the top in the nation.  She focuses her research and policy work at Pace’s  Center for Environmental Legal Studies on climate change, water infrastructure and water quality, poverty alleviation, and urban sustainability. With Assistant Dean Mark Shulman, Dunn developed and implemented Pace Law’s new track in climate change law within the LLM in Environmental Law.  The track was cited by the New York Times in December 2009 as the first of its kind at a U.S. University. Dunn is the Curriculum Advisor to the Theodore W. Kheel Center on the Resolution of Environmental Interest Disputes, represents Pace Law School on the Steering Committee of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities and serves on the Executive Committee of the interdisciplinary Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies.

Sharon Nunes, Ph.D., is currently Vice President, Smarter Cities Strategy & Solutions, IBM Corporation, building smarter cities in collaboration with clients and partners. Recognizing that smarter cities will be economic growth engines of the 21^st century, IBM is applying the company’s unique capabilities to create, manage and run intelligent and interconnected infrastructures and systems for cities in every major geography.  Prior to this role, Sharon was Vice President  Big Green Innovations, creating new businesses for IBM using its information technology expertise, and materials & processing expertise to solve critical problems around environmental issues.
Sharon received her PhD in Materials Science in 1983 from the University of Connecticut. She has held numerous academic advisory board positions, and is currently a member of the Engineering Advisory Committee at the University of Connecticut, a member of the Board of Directors for the University of Connecticut Foundation, and the Advisory Board for the Polytechnic Institute of New York University's Cleantech Executive Development program. Sharon is a strong advocate for women in technology, and is a recipient of several awards, recognizing her leadership in this area. In 2004 Sharon was awarded IBM’s Fran Allen Mentoring Award and in 2006, Sharon was named a NAFE “Women of Excellence” national award winner for her impact in mentoring technical women. In 2009, she was recognized as a Women’s History Month Honoree as one of the “Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet” and was also inducted into the WITI (Women in Technology International) Hall of Fame.  Sharon is a leader in IBM Global Women’s Council and co-chair of the global “Women in Technology” committee at IBM. 

John Cronin is Director and Chief Executive Officer for Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries and Senior Fellow for Environmental Affairs at Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies, Pace University.
For 35 years, John Cronin has dedicated his career to environment and innovation. For his accomplishments, Time magazine named him a “Hero for the Planet” and People magazine described him as “equal parts detective, scientist and public advocate.”

As Director and CEO of Beacon Institute, Cronin has adopted technological innovation as the non-profit research center’s central mission.  The Institute’s River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON), created in collaboration with Clarkson University and IBM, is a network of sensors and robotics providing real-time data to researchers, policy makers and educators that will be emulated on rivers and estuaries worldwide.

As Senior Fellow in Environmental Affairs at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University, Cronin is heading the formation of a center for water policy reformation, and creating a program of undergraduate and graduate studies for the next generation of environmental leaders.

 Cronin lectures nationally on our environmental future.  “If the 20th century was the era of environmental brawn, the 21st century has to be the era of environmental brains,” he tells his audiences. “One billion people are without safe water. We have the know-how and compassion to correct that tragedy, and harmonize forever the human and natural worlds. This is the greatest challenge of the 21st century.”