UB alumni reconnect at global reunion conference

More than 100 UB alumni joined President Satish K. Tripathi in Singapore on July 13 for the UB Alumni Global Reunion Conference, an inaugural event that reunited alumni from around the world and featured several university guest speakers visiting from Buffalo.

The event, sponsored by the Division of University Advancement, Office of International Education and supported by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), School of Management (SOM) and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), was open to UB graduates from all schools, programs and graduating years and provided a unique opportunity for alumni to reconnect with each other and faculty and leadership from the university.

“Our inaugural Global Alumni Reunion Conference was a showcase for the expansive scope and diversity of UB’s research, education and global engagement,” said Nojin Kwak, vice provost for international education. “The wide-ranging conference program is a credit to our excellent planning committee — Thomas McArthur and Wei Loon Leong of Alumni Engagement and Sherene Milizia and Yuke Tjandra of International Education. We look forward to organizing future editions of the Alumni Global Reunion Conference to further expand and strengthen our alumni network worldwide.”

Among the 118 attendees were global alumni network leaders from Singapore, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. The daylong conference offered sessions featuring leading UB professors and the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, SEAS and the School of Management, as well as alumni experts discussing such topics as navigating deception, health and well-being, and artificial intelligence.

SEAS Dean Kemper Lewis provided an update on Agrusa Hall, the new engineering building soon to break ground on the North Campus. He also spoke about UB being named the home for Empire AI, a statewide consortium of public and private higher education institutions that aims to accelerate research and innovation in AI while driving sustained economic impact across the state.

“Engaging with our Global Alumni Network, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, strengthens the bond we share,” said Thomas McArthur, EdM ’08, associate vice president for alumni engagement and annual giving. “Being able to meet, learn and celebrate in person removes the physical distance and reminds us of our similarities.”

Other notable highlights of the conference included sessions with David Frankenfield, BS ’06, who spoke about how data analytics expertise brought him to Singapore after a successful career with United Healthcare in the U.S., and Wanjin Hong, PhD ’90, executive director of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Hong, recipient of the Singapore President’s Science and Technology Medal, shared how AI could transform how research in biology is conducted. Kevin Lim, PhD ’09, MA ’03, BA ’02, director of innovation and technology at the National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum, presented a keynote session on the work at the gallery and how art has always represented the human endeavor to think and act beyond the canvas.

After the conference, Tripathi spoke at the gala dinner, where he provided university updates and shared his vision for UB’s future.