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Friday, September 27
 

8:00am EDT

Registration & Continental Breakfast
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
TECHWORKS at CCA | Commonwealth Charter Academy 162 East Bridge St, Homestead, PA 15120

8:00am EDT

Sponsor Lounge
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 4:00pm EDT
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 4:00pm EDT
Commons

9:00am EDT

Opening Keynote
Friday September 27, 2024 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Speakers
avatar for Rachael Afoloabi

Rachael Afoloabi

Founder, Paradigm Global Innovations
Rachael Afolabi is a specialist in education technology, user experience, web applications, and immersive technologies. Her experiences have included positions as the lead instructional designer at Apple on the Vision Pro project, senior instructional designer and curriculum lead... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Multipurpose Room

9:45am EDT

Flash Talks
Friday September 27, 2024 9:45am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers
avatar for Lise Bilhaut

Lise Bilhaut

Software Engineer
avatar for Christopher Slee

Christopher Slee

Principal Technologist, Transform Labs
Hi I’m Chris, the Principal Technologist at Transform Labs (formerly AWH) and the CTO of IncludeHealth, a healthcare start-up changing the face of Virtual Physical Therapy. When I speak about technology, I like to keep it accurate and relatable. I share stories and insights that... Read More →
avatar for Keith Saniga

Keith Saniga

Power Platform Consultant, Aspirant
I'm a tech consultant and enthusiast nestled in Pittsburgh with a penchant for turning challenges into streamlined solutions.📍 As a Power Platform Consultant, not only have I evolved from an IT analyst background to master the Microsoft Power Platform, but I've also honed essential... Read More →
avatar for Sean McPherson

Sean McPherson

Software Engineer, Khan Academy
Sean McPherson is a software engineer at Khan Academy building AI-powered experiences for learners. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and two kids.
avatar for Justin Fischgrund

Justin Fischgrund

Founder & CEO, Fischgrund Consulting
Hi, I’m Justin Fischgrund, and I am the Founder & CEO of Fischgrund Consulting. In building my business, I’ve blended my background in technology and engineering, along with the perspective of being a patent inventor and professor.Throughout my career, I’ve delivered over $100M... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 9:45am - 10:00am EDT
Multipurpose Room

10:15am EDT

Reimagining AI: A Human-Centric Approach to Model Interactions
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
The explosion of large-language models in the past few years has turned everyone's attention to AI. OpenAI's ChatGPT has pioneered a new pattern for human-model interactions that other companies have been eager to follow. But is the chat-bot pattern the future of AI-powered products? In this talk, we'll analyze and critique current patterns of human-model interactions and consider a more human-centric future for AI.
Speakers
avatar for Sean McPherson

Sean McPherson

Software Engineer, Khan Academy
Sean McPherson is a software engineer at Khan Academy building AI-powered experiences for learners. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and two kids.
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Multipurpose Room

10:15am EDT

Taking Cultural Differences into Account in Agile Practices
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Written in 2001, the Agile Manifesto has become a successful framework in software development, quickly spreading from the US to the rest of the world. The manifesto was authored by 17 individuals, 14 of whom are American, and all of whom are male from Western countries.

However, most software development teams today are far more diverse than the original authors, both in terms of gender and culture. Additionally, many companies operate globally, with teams collaborating across borders, cultures, and languages.

This talk aims to provide tools for Agile practitioners to adapt their implementation to a broader cultural context. Using Erin Meyer’s “Culture Map” framework, we will explore how cultural differences related to feedback, persuasion, and hierarchy impact team dynamics and suggest tools to make Agile practices more inclusive.
Speakers
avatar for Lise Bilhaut

Lise Bilhaut

Software Engineer
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Classroom 103

10:15am EDT

AI Confidential: Preventing Data Leaks in GenAI
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
 In this talk, we will explore the critical security and privacy concerns surrounding the use of Generative AI (GenAI) tools, such as ChatGPT, in business environments. With the increasing adoption of AI technologies, ensuring data security and protecting privacy have become paramount. A recent LinkedIn survey that we conducted indicated that the leading concern among technology professional with respect to AI is the risk of confidential data leakage (source). This session will provide tech professionals with a comprehensive understanding of potential risks, best practices for mitigating those risks, and strategies for responsible AI adoption. Attendees will gain valuable insights into safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining compliance with industry standards, making this session indispensable for any organization leveraging AI technologies.
Speakers
avatar for Keith Saniga

Keith Saniga

Power Platform Consultant, Aspirant
I'm a tech consultant and enthusiast nestled in Pittsburgh with a penchant for turning challenges into streamlined solutions.📍 As a Power Platform Consultant, not only have I evolved from an IT analyst background to master the Microsoft Power Platform, but I've also honed essential... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Techworks Lab

10:15am EDT

Harnessing AI: Ensuring Safety & Efficacy in Modern Applications
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Curious about the real impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) beyond the hype? Join me for a revealing and informative session about the impact & value of AI. Discover practical AI applications across industries such as Retail, Manufacturing, and Financial Services, and gain insights into how AI is transforming business operations, technology roadmaps and career trajectories.
Uncover practical strategies to navigate AI's ethical considerations and harness its potential for innovation and growth. Whether you're a business leader, technologist, or industry professional, this session offers essential perspectives to navigate the AI landscape with confidence, while addressing critical considerations and risks.
Prepare to go beyond the buzz and uncover the tangible benefits of AI for your industry and professional journey.
Session Objectives:
  • Ensure that all participants have a clear and comprehensive understanding of what AI is, including its various types and real-world use cases
  • Detail the essential factors and critical considerations that organizations need to assess to determine their readiness for AI implementation
  • Provide a thorough overview of effective mitigation strategies to address potential risks and challenges, ensuring the safe and effective use of AI for achieving business success
  • Showcase how AI can augment job roles, enhance productivity, and drive innovation, emphasizing the collaborative potential of AI and human workers
Speakers
avatar for Justin Fischgrund

Justin Fischgrund

Founder & CEO, Fischgrund Consulting
Hi, I’m Justin Fischgrund, and I am the Founder & CEO of Fischgrund Consulting. In building my business, I’ve blended my background in technology and engineering, along with the perspective of being a patent inventor and professor.Throughout my career, I’ve delivered over $100M... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Classroom 134

10:15am EDT

Unleashing the Power of Generative AI: Navigating the Future of Work
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Unleashing the Power of Generative AI: Navigating the Future of Work is a concise yet insightful talk that demystifies generative AI for a diverse audience.  

Come and explore the transformation of AI from simple tools to systems capable of learning and creating like humans.

Discover the importance of “prompt engineering” and “workflow engineering” as essential skills for harnessing AI’s potential. Envision a future where multiple AI models collaborate to enhance decision-making and problem-solving.
Speakers
avatar for Christopher Slee

Christopher Slee

Principal Technologist, Transform Labs
Hi I’m Chris, the Principal Technologist at Transform Labs (formerly AWH) and the CTO of IncludeHealth, a healthcare start-up changing the face of Virtual Physical Therapy. When I speak about technology, I like to keep it accurate and relatable. I share stories and insights that... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Classroom 111

11:15am EDT

Build your own AI assistant with enterprise data using Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Search
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
In this session, we'll provide an overview of Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Search services to demonstrate how to build your own ChatGPT-like experience using your own data leveraging the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) pattern. This session will include some hands-on coding and a live demo of this solution.
Speakers
avatar for Jorge Balderas

Jorge Balderas

Senior Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft
Jorge Balderas is a Cloud Solution Architect focused in Cloud-Native and Application Innovation projects. Jorge has extensive experience breaking monolith applications and helping customers migrate their application workloads into the cloud. Jorge is skilled in Azure, Java, .NET... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Classroom 103

11:15am EDT

Only You Know Your Use Cases
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
This submission is for the Building Modern Backends topic with an intended audience of developers and solutions architects. I will present a case study from the Food Bank about design and technical considerations when building custom backends with low code platforms. Specific technologies discussed include Microsoft Logic Apps, Salesforce, and NetSuite. An abstract of the talk is included as an attachment.
Speakers
avatar for Dominika Blach

Dominika Blach

Director of Applications, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
I am the Director of Applications at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, overseeing our applications tech stack. Things I'm currently working on include  building a low-code integration platform between Salesforce, our CRM, and NetSuite, our ERP, and beginning to design a data... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Techworks Lab

11:15am EDT

SchemaR: How to cram a database into a repository
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
I would present a SDLC tool that we developed in-house. It's a CLI toolset that can reset a database schema and data in order to have a known set of data in a SQL Server database.

It uses a tool to generate data from SQL Server into "INSERT" scripts. It then uses them, along with the schema scripts from SQL Server, to build a database from scratch.

 In my opinion, the most interesting part is how we were able to build the dependency tree. This tree allows us to reset data between E2E tests using the CLI. It deletes and re-inserts the specified tables and all ancestor tables (for better performance).
Speakers
avatar for David Mine

David Mine

Software Architect, eParts Services
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Classroom 111

11:15am EDT

Overlooked Dangers Associated with Training LLMs on Sensitive Information
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Traditional cybersecurity focuses primarily on protecting data during storage and use, but with the rapid expansion of large language models (LLMs), a new threat landscape has emerged. When LLMs are trained on private and confidential data, there is a significant risk of data breaches that many are unaware of. This presentation aims to highlight the often-overlooked dangers associated with training LLMs on sensitive information. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how these breaches can occur and the potential impact they can have. More importantly, the session will provide practical training on how to detect and defend against these specific threats. By promoting awareness and equipping cybersecurity professionals with the necessary tools and strategies, we can better safeguard our data in this evolving digital age. Join us to stay ahead of the curve and ensure robust protection against the unique challenges posed by LLMs.
Speakers
JY

Jenny Yu

Founder and CEO, Himalaya Quantitative Solutions
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Classroom 134

11:15am EDT

Deepfake Detection and Legislation
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
This presentation will delve into the profound effects of deepfake technology on contemporary society. We will explore the social ramifications, including the pervasive issue of deepfake pornography and the rising threat of political deepfakes. These topics will be examined through a legislative perspective, highlighting current laws and proposed regulations aimed at mitigating the associated risks. Join us to understand the challenges and potential solutions in navigating the deepfake landscape.
Speakers
RR

Reis Reis

Computer Information Technology Instructor, Community College of Allegheny County
Friday September 27, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Multipurpose Room

12:00pm EDT

Lunch
Friday September 27, 2024 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Friday September 27, 2024 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Commons

1:00pm EDT

Flash Talks
Friday September 27, 2024 1:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Speakers
JN

James Nippert

Principal Consultant, Sketch Development Services
avatar for Staceylyn Machi

Staceylyn Machi

Director, Consulting Services, CGI
I've been working for more than 20 years. I've switched careers but always managed to land in a job tied to my values where I can deliver value. I believe in helping people and often it's through strategic problem solving. Talk to me about leadership, development, coaching, agile... Read More →
JK

Jatin Kumar

Senior Vice President, BNY Mellon
avatar for Sunnie Fenk

Sunnie Fenk

Operations Supervisor, solutions4networks
I inspire and empower others by connecting people, opportunities, and ideas.By creating meaningful connections between people, I inspire others to foster valuable opportunities and empower them to cultivate innovative ideas. Through my actions and leadership, I aim to build bridges... Read More →
EL

Elliot Levenson

Senior Software Test Engineer, UPMC
Friday September 27, 2024 1:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Multipurpose Room

1:30pm EDT

The Social Fabric: Navigating the Network Realm - Strategies to Thrive in a Socially Connected World
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
This 35-minute interactive session will guide participants through the essentials of effective networking, tailored for those who find it challenging or uncomfortable. Here's what to expect:

Introduction and Personal Stories:
Sunnie Fenk will share personal stories illustrating how networking has significantly transformed her personal and professional lives. These anecdotes will highlight the power of networking and set the stage for the session.

Advice and Suggestions:
Practical advice and strategies will be provided to make networking easier for those who aren't natural extroverts. Sunnie will offer actionable tips on how to approach networking events, initiate conversations, and build connections.

Interactive Networking Activity:
Participants will engage in a small group activity designed to practice networking skills in a supportive and low-pressure environment. This hands-on exercise will help build confidence and reinforce the techniques discussed.

Benefits of Networking:
A discussion on the numerous benefits that can arise from effective networking, including career opportunities, personal growth, and expanded social circles. Sunnie will emphasize the importance of persistence and resilience, encouraging participants to keep attending events despite any initial setbacks.

Q&A Session:
The session will conclude with an open Q&A, allowing participants to ask questions and seek further advice on specific networking challenges they may face.

 Participants will leave the session equipped with practical tools and newfound confidence to thrive in a socially connected world.
Speakers
avatar for Sunnie Fenk

Sunnie Fenk

Operations Supervisor, solutions4networks
I inspire and empower others by connecting people, opportunities, and ideas.By creating meaningful connections between people, I inspire others to foster valuable opportunities and empower them to cultivate innovative ideas. Through my actions and leadership, I aim to build bridges... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Classroom 103

1:30pm EDT

Transforming Operations: Stories from Two Decades of Executive Experience
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
This would be a PowerPoint led presentation consisting of storytelling, backed behind two decades of executive operations experience, data and applicable process improvement models.
Speakers
avatar for Tori Manko

Tori Manko

Senior Manager, Learning Programs & Events, Comcast
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Classroom 111

1:30pm EDT

Use AI to Make Better Presentations...within Minutes
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Generative AI has been one of the biggest positive disruptors within the past 2 years. There are claims that it is the “new electricity”, electricity having radically transformed society 100 years ago, moving us to an increasingly automatable world no longer significantly dependent on human labor.

In many ways, this is true. Instead of laboriously designing slides for our technical work that may fall short of visualization and storytelling best practices, generative AI will empower us to design everything at a high standard within minutes. Instead of wondering whether the presentations we’ve created are “good”, AI can help us immediately gather feedback and make iterative improvements.

Generative AI is therefore more than the new electricity. It is the new “fire” of our age, empowering us to realize our most archaic and deep-seated human impulse of all: to share knowledge and tell great stories. In this session you will learn how to:
- Reliably prompt AI to efficiently create your slides and enable better data-driven decision making
- Avoid the most common mistakes made when presenting technical information
 - Personalize your presentation to your audience’s needs for maximum organizational impact
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Classroom 134

1:30pm EDT

AI for Test and Quality Assurance
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
This will be a brief survey of how to leverage AI to support Software Test and QA Activities. I will discuss some tools and techniques. This is for Testers and anyone in the Software QA Profession but may be of interest to everyone in Software or PLC.
Speakers
EL

Elliot Levenson

Senior Software Test Engineer, UPMC
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Multipurpose Room

1:30pm EDT

Micro-frontends in Action with State Management Solution
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Introduction
Our team will be presenting the implementation of a micro-frontend architecture using the NX framework. This presentation will cover our experience in leveraging micro-frontends within a mono-repo to efficiently deploy small applications in an enterprise portal setting.

Key Points
Micro-Frontends with NX Framework

Architecture Overview: We will discuss the fundamentals of micro-frontend architecture and why we chose the NX framework for our project.
Implementation: Detailed insights into how micro-frontends are integrated within a mono-repo, facilitating modular development and deployment.
Enterprise Portal Application

Use Case: An overview of the enterprise portal application and how micro-frontends have been used to enhance its functionality and user experience.
Deployment: Steps and processes involved in rolling out small, independent applications within the larger enterprise portal.
Best Practices

State Management: We will share best practices for managing state across different micro-frontends, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Code Management: Techniques and strategies for maintaining clean, efficient, and scalable front-end code within a mono-repo setup.

Conclusion
By the end of this presentation, attendees will have a clear understanding of how to implement micro-frontends using the NX framework, along with valuable insights and best practices drawn from our practical experience.
Speakers
JK

Jatin Kumar

Senior Vice President, BNY Mellon
Friday September 27, 2024 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Techworks Lab

2:30pm EDT

CGI Envision Your Future – Hands On Vision Board Session
Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
This presentation will be a hands-on experience giving each participant the ability to create their own vision board. The session will kick off with an overview of the power of vision boards, some examples, and then give time and space to create a vision board. The session will end with sharing the vision boards and what to do next with your vision board. 

Hope to see you there!
Speakers
avatar for Staceylyn Machi

Staceylyn Machi

Director, Consulting Services, CGI
I've been working for more than 20 years. I've switched careers but always managed to land in a job tied to my values where I can deliver value. I believe in helping people and often it's through strategic problem solving. Talk to me about leadership, development, coaching, agile... Read More →
MM

Melissa Myers

Senior Consultant, CGI
Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Multipurpose Room

2:30pm EDT

Optimize your Team through Continuous Improvement
Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Few teams ever start out great. They have skill imbalances, power dynamics, lack resources or time, and different personalities. Growing outstanding teams takes time but, more importantly, regular continuous improvement activities. One of the most useful and powerful of these activities is the Retrospective. It doesn't matter what industry you're in or what your team makeup looks like; if you've got a group of humans working together towards a shared outcome - you should be running retrospectives with them. Taking teams from Bad to Good, or Good to Great, can happen but it will not happen accidentally. In this session you will learn the skills necessary avoid the classic Retro Rut. Instead, you can craft the right retro for you team and avoid any of the pitfalls that damage the team's improvement.
Speakers
JN

James Nippert

Principal Consultant, Sketch Development Services
Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Classroom 103

3:30pm EDT

Closing Session
Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Multipurpose Room

4:30pm EDT

Happy Hour
Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
TBA
Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
TBA
 
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