Gotham Foundry Symposium: Regenerative Materials Across Industries

This annual symposium will convene thought leaders and showcase the four central pillars of Gotham Foundry, from leading-edge regenerative material innovation and translation, workforce training, industry engagement to democratizing access to the materials innovation ecosystem. The Gotham Foundry, established in 2025 and headquartered in West Harlem, is a unique partnership between the city (NYC-EDC), its leading community organizations and academic institutions (Genspace, CUNY-ASRC, FIT, and Columbia), working together with tremendous West Harlem and city-wide partners to turbocharge sustainable materials innovation and workforce training, for three leading New York industries: fashion, construction and health. 

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Agenda:
 

8:00-8:30 AM: Registration & Breakfast

8:30-8:45 AM: Opening Remarks

• Helen H. Lu, Director, Gotham Foundry; Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Dental and Craniofacial Engineering (in Dental Medicine); and Senior Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs and Advancement, FF-SEAS, Columbia University
• Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (FF-SEAS) and Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering; and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Columbia University
• Sam Jung, Senior Vice President, Green Economy, NYCEDC
• Joshua C. Brumberg, President, Graduate Center, CUNY
• Casey Lardner, Executive Director, Genspace

8:45-9:45 AM: Accelerating Regenerative Materials Innovation

Moderators:

• Rein Ulijn, Co-director, Gotham Foundry; Professor of Chemistry at Hunter College; and Director, Nanoscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY
• Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Lab; and Research Professor, School of Professional Studies, New York University

Speakers:

• Jonsara Ruth, Co-founder and Executive Design Director, Healthy Materials Lab; and Associate Professor of Interior Design, Parsons School of Design
• Shiho Kawashima, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University; Academic Co-founder, Carbon Infuse
• Diandian Zhao, Co-founder & CEO, Carbon Infuse
• Jin Kim Montclare, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon; Founder, ProViZiGen
• Jui Chaugule, Head of Research, ProViZiGen
• Jiye Son, Founder & CEO, Anew Material

 

9:45-10:00 AM: Break

 

10:00-10:45 AM: Training a Skilled Workforce for New York’s Green Economy

Moderator:

• Nicole Spina, Vice President, Climate Innovation & Industry Development, NYCEDC

Speakers:

• Casey Lardner, Executive Director, Genspace
• Jennifer Tausig, Consultant, NYC Employment and Training Coalition 
• Janet Rodriguez, Founder & CEO, SoHarlem

10:45-11:00 AM: Break

11:00-11:55 AM: Turbocharging the New York Innovation Pathway from City to State
Moderators:

• Maria Gotsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Partnership Fund for New York City
• Kelley Kizzier, Director, Materials and Manufacturing Innovation, Bezos Earth Fund

Speakers:

• Theanne Schiros, Co-director, Gotham Foundry; NYFIC consortium member; and Professor of Materials Science, Science and Mathematics, FIT
• Susan Easton, Product & Marketing Director, NYFIC
• Stephanie Downs, Co-founder & CEO, Uncaged Innovations
• Emily Laurilliard, Assistant Director, Innovation Workforce Initiatives, Empire State Development
• Aradhita Parasrampuria, CEO & Founder, Cellsense
• Sonia Park, Vice President, Industry & Innovation, NYCEDC
• Helen Zha, Associate Director, NYFIC; and Associate Professor and Dean's Faculty Fellow in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

11:55 AM-12:00 PM: Closing Remarks

• Gotham Foundry leadership

12:00-1:00 PM: Reception

This event is part of Climate Week at Columbia Engineering.

Media interested in attending or covering the event must RSVP to engmediarelations@columbia.edu

Campus Access:
In accordance with the University's current visitor guidelines, all non-Columbia guests will receive a QR code within a few hours of the event date. The code will be sent to you via email from CU Guest Access and must be presented for campus entry, along with a government-issued ID. All guests should enter campus at the main entrance located at W 116th St and Broadway.

Accessibility:
Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require disability accommodations to attend an event at Columbia University, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 212.854.2388 or access@columbia.edu.

Photography/Videography:
Columbia Engineering reserves the right to capture and use images (including video, photo, audio) of participants at this event in its current or future marketing materials. These materials include but are not limited to: social media, digital and/or print posters, email and web-based materials. By attending and participating in this event, you are consenting to having your image captured for these purposes. If you have concerns about your likeness being used, please reach out to engineeringcommunications@columbia.edu and we will accommodate your request.

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Co-hosted with: Gotham Foundry