Media Advisory: Tech leaders to discuss next-gen wireless Friday at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. — What’s the future of wireless tech in Buffalo?

That topic and more will be discussed Friday during a gathering of tech leaders at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus. The event will include officials from Verizon, Samsung, General Electric and other companies, as well as students, professors, startups and municipal leaders.

What: 1^st Buffalo Day for 5G and Wireless Internet of Things.

When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22.

Where: The Student Union on UB’s North Campus.

Best time for visuals: 12:30-2 p.m. on the second floor (flag room) of the Student Union. Students will demonstrate the technology they’re developing, including drone platforms, parking spot finders, crop monitoring tools, security systems and more.

Additional presentations and lectures are scheduled from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and from 2:30-5 p.m. They will center on Buffalo’s future as a smart city, how fifth generation (5G) wireless technology is leading to new industries, wireless security advancements and the “internet of things,” which is shorthand for the connection of everyday devices to the internet.

Filippo Malandra, assistant professor of research in the Department of Electrical Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is one of the event’s organizers.

While the event is an opportunity to showcase the excellent work of UB engineering students, he says, it’s also is an opportunity for broader discussions about the positive role that technology can play in building smarter, more resilient communities.

“Developing smart cities that leverage technology to make communities safer, healthier and more equitable, is a complex objective. This can only happen if three key actors — industry, municipalities and academia — work together. Meeting like this will help ensure Buffalo and other cities are working toward this realization,” he says.

Additional organizers of the event from the Department of Electrical Engineering are Zhangyu Guan,​ Nicholas Mastronarde, Zhi Sun and Shaofeng Zou. Former UB faculty member Josep M. Jornet, now of Northeastern University, is also an organizer.