February 21, 2017
Career Lab Executive Series 2/07/17
With Anne Melissa Dowling, director of Illinois Dept. of Insurance and former CT Deputy Commissioner for Insurance
Most folks think of insurance as a stagnant industry, slow to move and change. Anne Melissa Dowling opened the session with a different view of the industry, expressing that, right now, it’s changing at a fast pace. Continue Reading
OPIM Innovate is the new initiative adopted by the Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department in the Fall 2016. The initiative was developed to market the Management Information Systems (MIS) major and to bring new emerging technology to students.
Department Head Ram Gopal and Instructor in-Residence Jonathan Moore developed and implemented the initiative by expanding the department’s research lab space, bringing in new emerging technology. The lab is equipped with Virtual Reality (VR), 3D Printing, Internet of Things (IoT), Microcontrollers and data analytics.
Initially, the OPIM Department came up with the initiative because they were finding that MIS students with internships in the field were working in innovation centers with technologies, such as IoT, drones, and VR.
“We realized that many interests lie in technology outside the provided curriculum,” Moore said of the expansion.
Moore said that this idea lead to building a more dedicated space for students and faculty in the department to work on projects and learn about different types of technology outside of the classroom. As a whole, the initiative is meant to help students work through the process of completing a project, while learning new technology in the process.
Beginning in the Fall, Moore organized multiple workshops for students featuring different topics relating to new technology. So far there have been workshops about Linux, 3D Printing, Splunk Analytics, IoT, Tableau, and VR. What started as exclusive to MIS students, workshops are now open to all students.
This spring, with the initiative more developed, OPIM Innovate hired a team of students, trained in the design thinking process to operate the Innovation Space and Research lab. Having these students involved helps guide users of the space and to provide technology demonstrations and follow ups to the formal workshops.
An advisory group, made up of students and faculty, has been formed for the initiative to brainstorm different ideas, provide feedback on the current processes and to build buy-in from different areas. Moore said that they are always looking for students or faculty interested in joining the advisory group to share their ideas for the innovation space, future workshops, and to give him any feedback they may have. Any individuals interested in joining the advisory group should contact Jonathan Moore at jonathan.a.moore@uconn.edu.
In the future, Moore hopes to team up with other groups at UConn and potentially outside companies to advance the space and better the experience for students.
February 15, 2017
February 14, 2017
Knowridge Science Report– A new ‘Right to Disconnect’ law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017 gives French employees a qualified legal right to ignore work emails outside of normal business hours.
For Brad Goodman ’17, a second-year student in the Full-time MBA program, the recent victory in a prominent case competition was more than just exciting; it was a dress rehearsal for his career. Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
The Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department kicked off the first in a series of technology workshops on Friday, February 10th as part of the department’s newly implemented initiative called OPIM Innovate.
OPIM faculty member, Ryan O’Connor instructed the workshop, introducing the Linux operating system. The workshop focused on giving attendees a background on Linux and how to use it.
O’Connor went on to explain the different systems that operate on Linux, such as – research systems, gaming systems, Androids, supercomputers and point-of-sale machines. As for what makes Linux a superior operating system, O’Connor said it is more secure than Windows or Mac.
“Every Facebook post you make, every YouTube video you watch, every Google search you run, is done on Linux,” O’Connor said, quoting an article from ZDNet.
Because of this fact, Linux is important beyond just the information technology field, but in every day life, O’Connor said. The Internet would not run without the Linux system, he said.
When O’Connor asked the group if they had any experience using Linux in the past, many students responded to having some exposure to the software. One student admitted to using Linux for his every day needs for a year, giving up Windows and Mac programs. He said that through this experiment he found that the only thing he missed from other operating systems were the Microsoft Office programs. Other than that, he said Linux was very efficient.
Another student said that prior to the workshop he was aware of Linux. Alex, an engineering student, said he came to the workshop to gain more exposure and experience with the technology because he knows just how widely it is used.
To conclude the workshop, O’Connor gave students information on how to get up and running with Linux, using VirtualBox software.
Despite the snow from the day before, there were 22 students in attendance for the workshop, which took place in the OPIM Department’s Gladstein Lab. The majority of attendees registered in advance with a few students walking in.
The next workshop, an Introduction to SQL, will take place on Friday, February 24th in the Gladstein Lab. Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up ahead of time to secure a spot.
UConn’s risk management programs team would like to congratulate Adegbenro Awojulu, for receiving a 2017 CFA Program Access Scholarship from the CFA Institute.
The CFA Access Scholarship significantly reduces the enrollment and exam registration fees for the CFA Program (originally $930 for Standard Registration), as well as provide the CFA program eBook.
The UConn MS in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM) program is one of less than 275 universities in the world whose curriculum has been distinguished by the CFA Institute as being closely tied to professional practice and can help students prepare for the CFA exams.
Extra research, attention to detail, and a lively presentation boosted an MSBAPM team from Hartford to a championship in a hard-fought, three-month, four-round Travelers Analytics Case Competition. Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
Westfair Online– Family-owned businesses form the foundation of the U.S. economy. They typically create up to 64 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product and 36 percent of all employment and ring up 40 to 46 percent of all sales annually, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the nonprofit Conway Center for Family Business. Those impressive numbers create the background for a Feb. 28 event in White Plains.