Technology User Group (TUG) Discussions for all users at all levels via hybrid meetings (in-person and Zoom) after the plenary meeting, at about 11:45 a.m. (first and fourth Tuesdays of the month).
- Sept 1 – TBD -- possibly a comparison of the different technology approaches of Waymo and Tesla on robotaxis.
Timely Topics Discussion in-person and via Zoom, with participation encouraged from all in attendance. Around 11:45 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.
- Sept 8 – The topic is "Supply/Demand Imbalance in the U.S. Electricity Grid.” With the explosion in AI-related data center construction, we increasingly hear concerns that the U.S. power grid will be unable to keep up with the growing demand for electricity. We will explore what factors are behind a potential imbalance between demand and supply growth, how the country could achieve balance and over what period of time, which regions of the country are most likely to be impacted, what types of infrastructure investments are required, and how the utility regulators could get involved to protect ratepayers. While data center expansion and the electrification of transportation and home heating have real potential economic and societal benefits, there is also a risk that power supplies could become more expensive or less reliable as a result.
Trips Scheduled (For Old Guard members and their guests)
Chair - Pete Bolton.
Walkers Group walks or hikes are once again feasible. Chair - Tom Leane. Meeting time is 10:15 A.M. and walks are about one hour. Directions to follow:
- September -- A walk around Governors Island in NYC is planned.
September Program Chair – Mike Katz
- Sept 1 - Ensuring a Legacy Defined by Your Intentions…Not by Default – Elizabeth McKenna and Crystal West Edwards --Elizabeth is a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Crystal West is a CELA (Certified Elder Law Attorney) and principal in the Wealth Preservation Group at Porzio Bromberg and Newman, PC. Together, they will be discussing strategies that include how to grow and protect your assets from unnecessary taxes, how to efficiently deal with the cost of long-term care, and how to navigate your way through the complications of probate. They will discuss how appropriate investment management, and utilization of life insurance structures and legal frameworks can preserve what you have built for the people you love and causes you cherish. They will also show you where gaps may exist in plans you have and how they can be closed. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Sept 8 - Enhanced Clinical Excellence at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center; Upcoming Projects – Megan “Meg” Rosenstein -- Megan is the interim chief medical officer and director of obstetric anesthesia at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center in Summit. She will outline The impact of rebuilding 90% of patient care spaces in the hospital, discuss innovation, leading technologies available at the hospital, and the hospital’s next major project: the expansion of the John E. Reeves Center for Advanced Surgery. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Sept 15 - Louis Armstrong: The Early Years –Ricky Riccardi --Ricky is a two-time Grammy-winning author and director of research collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, NY. Not many fans are aware of the circumstances Louis Armstrong had to overcome in his early days. Growing up in the toughest part of New Orleans, Armstrong was lucky to make it out alive, but music found him at an early age and he never looked back. Ricky will tell the tale of Armstrong's early days, as well as his triumphs in Chicago and New York, before he went on to change the world. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Sept 22 - Insights into Vietnam and Other Southeast Asian Countries – William Rapp -- Bill is a retired infantry lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army and member of the Special Forces (Green Berets) who served two tours in Vietnam. Several years ago, he gave a presentation to the Summit Old Guard about his experiences during the war. In this presentation, In this presentation he will talk about impressions gained from his recent trip to Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia. Bill is also a former commander of the Summit American Legion Post. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Sept 29 - The Seeing Eye – Tricia Souder -- Tricia is a donor relationship specialist at The Seeing Eye in Morristown, the oldest guide dog school in the world. The Seeing Eye is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of people who are blind through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs. In pursuit of this mission, The Seeing Eye trains Seeing Eye dogs to guide people who are blind and instructs them in the proper use, handling, and care of their dogs. To share how this life-changing work is accomplished, one of The Seeing Eye's guide dog mobility instructors will join Kyle Street, a Seeing Eye graduate. Together, they will provide an inside look at the training of a Seeing Eye dog, while Kyle shares his firsthand experience of partnering with a Seeing Eye dog and the profound impact it has had on his daily life.[in-person and on Zoom – for access: [email protected]]
October Birthday Emcee: Larry Cunningham
October Program Chair – George Celler
- Oct. 6 - The History of Money – Marty Green -- Marty is a retired materials scientist who spent 29 years at Bell Labs in Murray Hill and 19 years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. His research focused on semiconductor microelectronics and the discovery of new solid-state materials. He now serves as editor-in-chief of a journal dedicated to the sustainable development of materials. Marty has also been an avid numismatist for more than 65 years. Money is the medium of exchange that makes buying, selling, and trade possible. Before money, people relied on barter, exchanging goods and services directly — a system with significant limitations. The development of money transformed both domestic and international commerce, laying the foundation for modern economies. This presentation focuses on coins, the world’s most enduring form of money for nearly 2,700 years. Beyond their economic role, coins are historical artifacts and works of art that reflect the cultures and civilizations that produced them. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct. 13 - Submarine Fiberoptic Cable: What Really Moves the Internet – Jerry Soloway -- Jerry was a consultant on submarine fiberoptic systems and technology for the past dozen years. Prior to this, he spent 29 years at Bell Labs working on the development of several different types of communications systems and devices and subsequently was the executive vice president of engineering for a NASDAQ listed company that also built communications systems. Submarine fiberoptic systems are the unsung heroes of the Internet, carrying as much as 99% of transoceanic data, dwarfing the traffic carried by satellite systems. They share much technology with their terrestrial counterparts, but there are many unique challenges to developing, installing, and maintaining these systems. In addition, there are threats to these systems that the world must recognize and combat. Fiberoptic systems can also be used as acoustic/seismic sensors, offering new applications for the millions of kilometers of existing fiber. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct. 20 - Current Immigration Polices Under the Second Trump Administration, Including Major Supreme Court Immigration Decisions from the Court’s 2025-2026 Term – Mark Scher -- Mark is a retired attorney with decades of experience in immigration law. Born in Warsaw, Poland,he earned his law degree from the University of Warsaw before arriving in the United States as a refugee in 1969. He later received a J.D., and an LL.M. in international legal studies from New York University. He served as an attorney with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, an administrative law judge, and later practiced immigration law in New York City. He will discuss the current immigration policies, including efforts to reduce unauthorized immigration, expand detention and deportation, restrict asylum and refugee protections, limit humanitarian immigration programs, and strengthen executive authority over immigration enforcement (ICE). He will also review the major immigration decisions of the Supreme Court's 2025–2026 term and explain several rulings which reinforce the administration's policies. [in-person and on Zoom]
November Birthday Emcee: Art Mason
