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).
- Feb 3 – All about Edge Computing.
- Feb 24 – Income tax software and policy changes.
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.
- Feb 10 – The topic will be Pets: We Love Them but at Some Point, They May Become Too Much of a Challenge for Us to Continue to Care for. While we love them, sometimes caring for them becomes too much, whether it is their natural aging or declining health or our own limitations. Have you had to deal with this situation? Do you have suggestions that might help others?
Trips Scheduled (For Old Guard members and their guests)
This group needs a chair. Any volunteers?
Walkers Group walks or hikes are once again feasible – but this group also needs a chair or coordinator. Volunteers welcome.
February Program Chair - Alberto Paredes-Diaz
- Feb 3 - How to Make a Better Hip Implant – Prof. Matthew Libera Biomedical implants such as hip and knee prostheses have had a huge impact on human health and have improved the quality of life for millions of patients. However, in addition to their wonderful healing properties, these and other tissue-contacting biomedical devices can also catalyze infection. Infection rates vary from about 1- 5% but can be as high as 50%, which can be a life-changing complication. Matthew Libera, professor of materials science at Stevens Institute of Technology, will give an overview using hips as a prime example, and will focus on soft matter, including hydrogels and microgels, with a particular interest in infection-resisting biomaterials, i.e., how to create surfaces that resist infection while promoting healing. Prof. Libera has a doctorate in materials science from MIT. He has held visiting scientist and research positions and has received several awards and recognition for exemplary research and outstanding teaching. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Feb 10 - Nature as Inspiration for Art – Nancy J. Ori has been respected internationally for over 35 years as a photographer and video producer for Ciba-Geigy and Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, NJ and is owner of New Jersey Media Center, LLC in Berkeley Heights, NJ. She enjoys teaching photography and mixed media workshops each year internationally. Nancy studied with Ansel Adams and was a teaching assistant for many years with the Ansel Adams Workshop in California. Since then, she has taught at numerous art centers and museums throughout New Jersey. In 1994 she established the NJ Photography Forum, a group of professional and serious amateur photographers that meet regularly to discuss their work as well as exhibit within the state. Under Nancy’s direction, the Forum has grown to be the largest group of exhibiting fine art photographers in the state. A spin-off group has now evolved called the Digital Arts Group at the Visual Art Center of NJ in Summit. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Feb 17 - The Environmental Defense Fund and Its People – Steve Nisberg is associate vice president, Environmental Defense Fund. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from the University at Buffalo School of Management. He also completed the Executive Business Finance Program at Harvard Business School. Steve will pull back the curtain of this global non-governmental organization (NGO) and share its history, the work that it does around the world to stabilize the climate, strengthen the ability of people and nature to thrive, and support people's health through eight key areas of focus. He’ll also share how it gets results, and the people that make it all happen. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Feb 24 - Embracing Artificial Intelligence: Today and Tomorrow – Ken Cavanagh has a 30-plus year career as a global executive in Fortune 500 IT leadership, working for many companies, including Cisco, Dell, Verizon, and the NBA, and 20 years in cybersecurity. He earned his MS in information technology from Stevens Institute of Technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now a part of everyone’s lives. Ken will review the various elements of AI and how they affect our daily experiences, including debunking common misconceptions and highlighting ways AI is used today, such as virtual assistants, healthcare, recommendation, systems, safety and security, transportation, communication, and daily assistance. [in-person and on Zoom]
March Birthday emcee: Steve Waddell
March Program Chair - David Bondy
- Mar 3 - Perspectives on the Middle East from a Former U.S. Ambassador – Steven Bondy is a recently retired U.S. ambassador to Bahrain. Steve will speak about the role of the Foreign Service in advancing U.S. policies internationally, describe his 34-year career with the State Department, and, as a career Middle East specialist, will discuss topics, conflicts, and trends that are strategic to interests of the United States in the region. Among other achievements, he led 6,000 employees and contractors as COO at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, worked to reconcile armed militias fighting U.S. and local forces in Iraq, assisted Jordan and Israel to negotiate their 1994 peace agreement, created the 2023 U.S. – Bahrain Comprehensive Security Integration andProsperity Agreement, and confronted Iranian interference and aggression throughout the region. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Mar 10 - Bridge: A Fun Card Game for Players of All Ages – Rick Hartley, local bridge teacher and author, will talk about the many facets of bridge. He’ll describe his own journey into the land of bridge, highlight celebrities who play bridge with some interesting quotes, discuss the many personal benefits to playing bridge, describe a scandal in an otherwise honorable game, provide an overview of how to play the game, explain why it might be the only “perfect” card game, and where you can learn to play it. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Mar 17 - Life in the Soviet Union - Author Anat Shmulovich will be interviewed about her book Where the Night Train Ends: How I survived Russia, Ukraine and the loss of the Man I Loved. The Book is a personal memoire of her youth in the Soviet Union describing her passion for advancing her education in music, as well as the personal challenges and sacrifices she and her family made along the way. It also describes the experience of life in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and the repression and anti semitism experienced by Anat and her family. She will discuss issues raised in the book and read passages that highlight important milestones in her life. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Mar 24 - Investment Strategies for the Retired Investor – Matthew Wunder and Samantha (Sam) Keane will speak on several investment, tax, and estate planning topics for the retired investor. Matthew is a partner at Park Avenue Capital, an investment advisory firm associated with Northwestern Mutual, and Sam is an account manager and certified financial planner. They will discuss investment strategies deployed by Park Avenue Capital that are designed to produceattractive after-tax returns with reduced risk for their clients, as well as providing insightful tax, retirement, and estate management strategies. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Mar 31 - The Intersection of Art and Science: Art by Humans and Machines – Larry O’Gorman will describe how technology has contributed to the creation of visual art from the time of Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) in the 1960s to today’s era of generative AI (artificial intelligence). Over this period, the artist’s role has evolved from solitary creator to orchestrator of immersive viewer experiences to one where the “brushwork” has been ceded to artificial intelligence. Larry, a Fellow at Nokia Bell Labs who has personally collaborated with artists in this type of art, will show a sampling of the interactive artworks starting with the Experiments in Art and Technology that involved New York artists working with Bell Labs engineers in the 1960s and up to the present day.With this increasing use of AI technologies, we will ask the question: whose creation is this—human or machine? [in-person and on Zoom]
April Birthday emcee: John Tomaszewski
