Informatics Cafe - A Taste of Informatics

Mickey Mentzer of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds shares how the Reds use data analysis, AI, and a host of IoT sensors and equipment to analyze player performance to provide intelligence to players, coaches, and trainers on and off the field.

NKU students and faculty advisor chat with Mike about their new Internet of Things club. They discuss learning and inventing in this peer-led maker group where all disciplines partner in creative problem-solving tech projects.

Einstein found it creepy, referring to it as "spooky action," and while his reasons are likely different than yours, there's no doubt that the upcoming quantum computing revolution is likely to unsettle most.In the span of a few short years, the tech that protects trade secrets, government files, your online banking, the stock market, shopping, and even Bitcoin will likely be rendered obsolete. This is a race where anything but first place is last.Join Dr. James Walden and Dr. Kevin Kirby as they share a few qubits from across the galaxy, their thoughts, and a cup of coffee with host Mike Nitardy, as they untangle the topic of quantum computing.Learn more about the College of Informatics at https://coi.nku.edu.

How death is discussed before the proverbial final course is served is an area Dr. Andrea Lambert South researches. As a  family communication scholar, her research focuses on learning and telling the stories of families and family dynamics, and how communication plays a role in who we are and how we interact with each other. So what has she, and her students in the College of Informatics Department of Communication, uncovered by observing families as they discuss death over dinner? Join host Mike Nitardy and Dr. South for this fascinating dive into what for many is the ultimate taboo topic.Learn more about the Communication Studies program at NKU.

Since the 2000 election, the United States has made the move to electronic balloting for elections. However, with this switch came concerns about cybersecurity and the safety of our votes. Dr. James Walden from NKU's Center for Information Security joins us to talk about election security in Kentucky, Ohio, and the rest of the United States.Learn more about NKU’s Cybersecurity B.S. or the Cybersecurity M.S.Visit BallotpediaVist Cyber Seek

Have you ever wondered if you could control the cursor on your screen with just the movement of your eye? Students in the Applied Software Engineering Program are doing just that. NKU Associate Professor Nicholas Caporusso and students Trung Cao and Brett Thaman join host Mike Nitardy to share about the Applied Software Engineering Program, and their new eye tracking technology.Learn more about the Applied Software Engineering Program. 

Welcome to Season 2 of the Taste of Informatics podcast. Digital transformation (DX) is more important than ever now that we're in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds are becoming ever more blurred. In this episode, author and digital transformation thought-leader Tony Saldanha chats with Mike Nitardy about the revolutionary forces that transform businesses, why digital transformation is fundamentally important, and how leaders should approach the undertaking to avoid the typical 70% failure rate across industries. Tony Saldanha will be the keynote speaker at the College of Informatics DX22 symposium, held May 17, 2022. For more information, visit https://dx22.informatics.plus.Tony Saldanha is a globally recognized expert and thought-leader in Global Business Services (GBS) and Digital Technology. He ran Procter & Gamble's famed multi-billion dollar GBS and IT operations in every region across the world during a 27 year career there.  Tony has over three decades of international business expertise in the US, Europe, and Asia. He was named on Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Professionals list in 2013. Tony's experiences include GBS design and operations, CIO positions, acquisitions and divestitures, outsourcing, disruptive innovation, and creation of new business models.  Tony is currently President of Transformant, a consulting organization that advises over 20 Fortune 100 companies around the world in digital transformation and global business services. He is also a founder of two blockchain and AI companies, and an adviser to venture capital companies. His book titled Why Digital Transformations Fail was released globally in July 2019 and ranked #1 on Amazon’s New Releases for Organizational Change, listed on publisher Berrett-Koehler’s best-sellers for July 2019, and recommended by various publishing forums like CEO-Reads, Book-Pal, CEO Library and others. Forbes contributor Michelle Greenwald called it the “best business book ever that you’re yet to read”.

The coffee you drink passes through 18 different sets of hands before it arrives in yours. It was likely planted, picked, and processed by women who account for the majority of coffee workers, in an industry controlled, managed and monetized by men.Join professor Sara Drabik as she recounts her work with the International Women's Coffee Alliance and her forthcoming documentary film that will help people understand how coffee impacts international communities, people, and the environment through the lens of women in coffee. In her lively conversation with host Mike Nitardy, she discusses the experiential learning opportunities that students in NKU's Electronic Media and Broadcasting program have, including working on the documentary on location in Guatemala.Discover your passion in the Electronic Media and Broadcasting program at NKU.

NKU professor Wei Hao discusses cloud computing, providing an overview of what it is, why its important, the reasons businesses continue to transition to it, and the kinds of career opportunities that exist in this rapidly expanding field.You can learn more about cloud computing with a Computer Information Technology degree from NKU. 

Students in the Electronic Media and Broadcasting program in the College of Informatics at NKU gain valuable field experience working on shows like Science Around Cincy, and independent production sharing the stories of the people who work in science in the Cincinnati area. Each episode features a different scientist, their work, and their passion.Our Mike Nitardy gets the scoop from the show's host Chris Anderson and NKU's John Gibson.Check out Science Around Cincy at https://sciencearoundcincy.comDiscover yourself in the Electronic Media and Broadcasting program at NKU.

How do you build knowledge and hone skills that can insure someone can gain the healthcare that they need, by navigating our complex and varied healthcare systems? How do you build community around different ideas related to heath care? And how do you determine what those ideas are at the community level.Dr. Whitney Darnell of the College of Informatics Communication Department discusses these questions, and provides insight into how Health Communication students learn these very important concepts and skills.Learn more about the Health Communication Program.

Find out how you can dip your toe into the world of IoT with $4 and a smidgen of curiosity, and then go further with formal instruction. Duke Energy's Director of Emerging Technology Steve Hinkel shares his experience outfitting his house with homemade IoT devices, and discusses how the spread of low-cost network connected computers is literally changing the world.

Sports rivalries are an important and fun part of being a fan. Whether it's the Bengals v. Steelers, Reds v. Cardinals, or FC Cincinnati v. Columbus Crew, the recipe for rivalry has consistent ingredients, but also some unique qualities.NKU Professors Joe Cobbs and Marius Truta discuss their work studying sports rivalries, and how NKU students are assisting them with data capture, cleaning and analysis in support of this important international study that focuses on the question: What makes a rival a rival?Share your opinions on your favorite team's rivals,  and learn more about their study at KnowRivalry.com.

The opportunities are not just restricted to those that build AI, but the future also belongs to those individuals that can employ it.Host Mike Nitardy and guest Todd James from Fidelity Investments have a wide-ranging conversation about the transformative nature of artificial intelligence, discussing what AI is and what it isn’t, and how AI is changing the world around us.Artificial intelligence, AI, deep learning, prediction, computer vision, machine learning

What's needed to launch a successful career in IT? Emily Taylor chats with host Mike Nitardy, providing insight into information technology as a career field. Emily is a lecturer at Northern Kentucky University's College of Informatics.

What is informatics, and how does it relate to modern life? Host Mike Nitardy chats with Kevin Kirby, Dean of the College of Informatics at Northern Kentucky University.