WEBVTT - IBM and HBCUs: Fueling a New Generation of Cybersecurity Experts 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:00.680 Thank you. 0:00:02.000 --> 0:00:05.040 Hey everyone, it's Robert and Joe here. Today we've got 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:07.000 something a little bit different to share with you. It 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:10.719 is a new edition of the Smart Talks podcast series, 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:13.200 which is produced in partnership with IBM. 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:16.360 This season of Smart Talks with IBM is all about 0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:21.880 new creators, the developers, data scientists, CTOs, and other visionaries 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:26.960 creatively applying technology and business to drive change. They use 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:30.160 their knowledge and creativity to develop better ways of working, 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:31.840 no matter the industry. 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:35.800 Join hosts from your favorite Pushkin Industries podcast as they 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:40.239 use their expertise to deepen these conversations. Malcolm Gladwell will 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.720 guide you through this season as your host to provide 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:44.920 his thoughts and analysis along the way. 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:48.559 Look out for new episodes of Smart Talks with IBM 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:52.800 every month on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:56.240 you get your podcasts. And learn more at IBM dot 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:58.240 com slash smart Talks. 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:05.680 Hello, Hello, Welcome to Smart Talks with IBM, a podcast 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:11.000 from Pushkin Industries, iHeartRadio and IBM. I'm Malcolm Gladwell. This 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:16.320 season we're talking to the new creators, the developers, data scientists, CTOs, 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:20.440 and other visionaries who are creatively applying technology in business 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:25.200 to drive change. Channeling their knowledge and expertise, they're developing 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:29.640 more creative and effective solutions, no matter the industry. Our 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:34.040 guest today is doctor Derek Warren, Associate Dean and Director 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.640 of Graduate Programs at the Southern University College of Business. 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:41.520 After a thirty two year career at IBM, Derek chose 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.600 to become a professor, and as a professor in the 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:48.520 business school of a historically black university, it's his job 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:52.320 to make sure Southern University students acquire the skills they 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:56.840 need to remain competitive in the modern job market. For Derek, 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:01.200 that's where cyber security comes. In nearly half a million 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.720 unfilled jobs in the US alone, the industry's demand for 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:10.160 professionals with technical expertise is staggerant. In an effort to 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.320 bridge the gap, in twenty twenty two, IBM announced a 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:19.239 collaboration with twenty HBCUs to establish a Cybersecurity the Leadership 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:23.560 Center at each of them. Through this partnership, hbcu' students 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:27.760 have gained access to IBM training, software and credentials at 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.440 no cost to them, with the aim of building the 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:35.919 vibrant and diverse workforce cybersecurity urgently needs. In today's episode, 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.360 you'll hear how Derek is using IBM skills build a 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.720 suite of courses focusing on business and tech to arm 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:46.600 his students with the knowledge necessary to stand out to employers, 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:51.359 and his approach to inspiring creativity and himself and his students. 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:55.240 Derek spoke with doctor Lori Santos, host of the Pushkin 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:59.400 podcast The Happiness. Lablauri is a professor of psychology at 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:03.519 Yale Universe In an expert on human cognition and mental 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:12.399 well being. Okay, let's get to the interview. 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.280 Derek, tell us a little bit about your role at 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:17.640 Southern University System. 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.760 I am the Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Programs 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.720 for the Southern University College of Business. I'm also an 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.320 Associate Professor of Management as well as the single point 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:31.960 of contact our SPOCK as we like to call it, 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:36.200 for our relationship with IBM Global University Programs. 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.080 And so, then walk me through your role at IBM, Like, 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.240 how does that connect to your role at SUS today. 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:48.080 Well, I am a thirty two year IBM alumnus. I 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.280 started with IBM right out of college. I graduated from 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:55.960 Southern University in computer science, and after getting those job 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:59.360 ovels with IBM, I started in Tampa, Florida there and 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:05.600 had a very vibrant, exciting and fulfilling career with IBM, 0:04:05.760 --> 0:04:09.080 and after returning to Southern after retiring, got a call 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.560 from a colleague at IBM vice president said, you need 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:16.559 to speak to someone in IBM Global University Programs because 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:20.960 we have these spectacular programs and HBCUs don't seem to 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:24.920 be taking advantage of them enough. So I said, hey, 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:29.400 I'm happy to listen. We did that first conversation, I said, 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:35.080 these would be fantastic for Southern University, primarily I'm At 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:38.000 that time, I was director of Alumni for Southern University, 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:43.160 and my thinking was these programs could help not only 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.600 level the playing field, but further differentiate us and our 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:51.359 students by providing access to these in demand technologies that 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:55.719 were offered through IBM Global University Programs. So the technologies 0:04:55.760 --> 0:05:02.760 focused around artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data science, 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:07.080 design thinking, the Internet of Things, and quantum computing. So 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:12.360 providing that access was something that I definitely wanted Southern 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:15.920 University faculty, staff and students to be involved in. 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.760 So today's episode is all about the need for diversity 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:23.200 in cybersecurity. So talk about the role that diversity should 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:24.880 be playing in cybersecurity today. 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:32.279 Diversity Internet itself offers the opportunity to introduce and to 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:37.719 include broader perspectives, different trains of thought, and when you 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.919 think about cybersecurity and the dangers of it and the 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:45.560 number of bad actors that are at play there, you 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:51.159 need as much diverse thinking to help solve these problems 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:56.080 as possible. And cybersecurity is one of the hottest fields available. 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.719 There are hundreds of thousands of jobs. I believe the 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.520 forecast is somewhere around between three and five hundred thousand 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:09.479 current cybersecurity job openings, and that is anticipated to grow 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.200 certainly by the year twenty twenty five. So we're going 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:19.240 to need a workforce that is inclusive, that has the 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:22.640 opportunity for veried thoughts so that we can avoid blind 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:28.560 spots and pitfalls, that allows all of us to work 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.000 together to solve these problems. And the other thing about 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:35.440 cybersecurity is that it is adaptive, so it is changing 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.520 every day. As soon as we get a fix for 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:42.040 one particular exposure area, the hackers figure out a way 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:44.840 to introduce a new one around it. So it's going 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:49.520 to take us constantly working together, the good actors working 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:53.680 together to help combat the forces of evil that are 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:54.760 out there in the world today. 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.080 And I think this is where education can be so 0:06:57.160 --> 0:06:59.880 pivotal to make sure that we have that diverse work 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.560 who has the right training. And so you've said before, 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.359 the education is the great equalizer in a world that 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:07.720 is not always fair. Tell me a little bit more 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:08.919 what you mean by that statement. 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:13.000 Oh wow, I live by that statement. I do feel 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:18.360 that education can help one overcome poverty. Education can help 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:27.720 expose individuals to new opportunities. As part of our college specifically, 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:33.160 we have a goal of poverty elimination, and I firmly 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:40.240 believe that using education will help individuals who may not 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:49.600 have been afforded access to economic benefits growing up, Learning 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:53.840 new items, new areas, especially in these hot demand areas, 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:58.320 can certainly help one secure jobs. Education has also been 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:02.920 proven to help with discipline problems. It's been proven to 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:10.040 help to mitigate crime. It's been proven to help individuals 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:14.800 think differently about and to appreciate the world that we 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:18.480 live in. And that's why I believe education clearly is 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:22.720 something that can help cure many of the eels that 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:24.280 currently exist in the world today. 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:27.120 I agree with you completely about this philosophy, but I'm 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:30.040 curious how that philosophy applies to your work with IBM 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.880 and Southern University System. 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:41.800 Well, the IBM initiative clearly introduces just a whole array 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:48.080 of technology assets to our university community. So I'm a 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.920 firm believer. Another mantra that I have is that there 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:56.320 is no business without technology and no technology without business. 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.560 So as such, these assets and the trend that is 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:04.240 provided helps, especially here in the College of Business, which 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:07.440 is where I sit. I am firmly of the belief 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:13.640 that all of our business majors need technology as a foundation. 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:18.720 So my business majors learn about artificial intelligence. They are 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:22.120 learning about chat, GPT and the other GPTs that out 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.640 there even as we speak. They need to understand cloud 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:29.760 computing because everything that we do today touches the cloud 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:33.880 in some way. They need to understand the role cybersecurity 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:38.520 plays and why having a strong zero trust posture is 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:42.640 important regardless of what industry that they're working in. Understanding 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.280 data science and how to get insights out of data 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.880 so that you can make better decisions and you can 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:53.440 solve bigger problems is extremely important. Design think, which touch 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:57.920 is on creative problem solving. Critical thinking, specifically from a 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:02.160 customer perspective, is very important if you're going to help 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:06.360 and my view, create a better customer experience for the 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.800 clients that you serve out there. And again, everything we do, 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:15.000 including our podcast today, is touching the Internet of things. 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:17.920 And I won't even get into quantum computing. That's not 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:20.840 I'm not expert in that space, but I will tell 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:25.000 you a lot's happening there as well. So introducing our 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:29.439 university family to these in demand technologies, to me, is 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.920 a priority and it's part of my purpose being here. 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:35.800 I mean, it's clear you're bringing the work that you 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:39.000 did with IBM into your role as a professor and 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:42.040 kind of training the students. But I'm curious how your 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:45.160 work with IBM shaped your initial desire to go into 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:46.679 academia in the first place. 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:53.280 Well, that's an interesting question, Laurd. My parents were educators, 0:10:54.080 --> 0:11:00.079 so learning has always been at the forefront of my 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.319 life when it comes down to it. I still remember 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:08.160 my dad, who was a football coach in a small 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.800 town in North Louisiana Colle Bastrip, Louisiana would take me 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:14.440 to games or would have me sit in this class. 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:19.200 Same with my mom, primarily taught at the elementary school 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:23.040 level and still does a lot of work in our 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:27.760 hometown in North Louisiana. They really, truth be told help 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:33.959 shape my desire to always continually learn and the importance 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.600 of education. In fact, I tell people to this day 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:40.000 that I didn't realize I had a choice of going 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:42.319 to college or not going to college. I always thought, 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:46.280 you know, it was part of that progression that I 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:48.960 didn't realize until after I graduated from college that really 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:50.760 I could have chosen not to go to college. I'm 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:53.760 glad that I did not make that choice, but I 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:57.200 never realized I had a choice in about it. So 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:01.200 that and then jumping into IBM. From the first day 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.720 that I joined IBM in Tampa, Florida, with the IBM 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:10.240 Information Network, at that time, we were immersed in education. 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:17.000 We were always being encouraged to learn. Learning equals growth, 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:27.000 Learning equals promotional opportunities. Learning equals just in a sense, happiness. 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:31.959 So I get joyed when I'm learning, and that's helped 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:36.960 with my desire to share what I've gained from my 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:42.520 experiences with IBM, with my students, with my peers and colleagues, 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:47.000 with my bosses here at Southern University and other HBC 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:47.760 us as well. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:50.440 And so while we through an example of how this 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:52.079 partnership really comes to life in. 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:57.120 The classroom, well, I'll give you a pretty recent example. 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:02.880 We recently sponsored here on the campus a symposium and 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:09.319 we called that symposium cyber TIP, so cyberh TIP, and 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:15.280 the TIP stands for Talent Initiative Program, and we used 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:22.679 our partnership with IBM to introduce cybersecurity concepts to virtually 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:27.400 every college on campus and every discipline, and we brought 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:33.079 together students. We advertised it, brought students together and challenged 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:38.480 them to come up with different cybersecurity topics in a 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:42.720 variety of areas. So we had ad majors, we had 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:49.240 nursing majors, we had engineers, our civil engineers, mechanical engineers, 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:55.880 we had finance accounting. All disciplines basically were challenged to 0:13:56.000 --> 0:14:00.880 come up with a cyber security related topic that they 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:05.160 could relate to and we awarded the top ten presentation. 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:10.920 So there were fifty presentations. The top ten received additional recognition, 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.839 and believe it or not, Laurie, I was blown away. 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:21.640 A student that I mentored with, a freshman female, received 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.720 the top price and she did the cyber security and 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.160 supply chain and she was a business major. So you 0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:29.440 would almost think cybersecurity, that's going to be somebody in 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.320 sciences and engineering and so on and on. But a 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:36.000 freshman student did a topic on cybersecurity and supply chain 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:39.960 her minor in supply chain management, and she actually was 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:44.040 awarded the top presentation, So I was extremely excited. Another 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:48.480 one that got high ratings was cybersecurity in the fashion industry. 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:53.160 And then you had cybersecurity with regard to plant sciences 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:54.360 and agriculture. 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:55.520 And then to. 0:14:55.440 --> 0:15:00.640 See the creativity with the students and how they research 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:06.120 the topics and their skill in presenting their skill and 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:10.280 responding to questions their skill and saying, hey, here's the problem, 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:15.160 here are some recommended solutions. Just to see that growth 0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:18.560 made me extremely happy. 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:21.640 I love hearing about the breath with which they're using 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.080 cybersecurity in the classroom, that you can apply it in 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:26.480 egg or in fashion, in all these domains. It also 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.000 means that students who leave who maybe not going into 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:33.640 cybersecurity themselves understand the problems that come up in whatever 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:37.520 industry they're in exactly. But you've also been using IBM 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.800 Skills Build for coursework and certification. Can you tell us 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.280 a little more about what skills Build is and how 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:44.920 you've leveraged all these resources. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:50.440 We use skills Bills specifically to augment our existing courses. 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:56.520 For example, I taught a business analytics course this past semester. 0:15:57.160 --> 0:16:02.720 That business analytics course uses IBM skills Build Data Science 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:07.120 course as its course content. I use all of the modules. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.680 There are eight to nine modules that touch on landscape, 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:18.280 data science, case studies, the future trends, touches on all 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:21.000 of those things. I use it as both an eight 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.320 week course and a sixteen week course, depending on the 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.640 modality that is delivered. When they exit that course, they 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:30.880 not only exit with three credit hours. If they exit 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.880 the course successfully completing the course content, I should say 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.320 they not only exit with three credit hours in data 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:42.520 science data analytics, they also receive a stackable credential and 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:46.400 data analytics which they can of course take with them. 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:49.560 They can share it on LinkedIn, they can share it 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:56.320 on Facebook or Twitter. Basically use it to showcase the 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.160 skills that they've required in that space, and the same 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:03.240 occurs with cybersecurity, with cloud and with the other Skills 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:08.680 Build offerings. Skills Build also touches in other areas such 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:13.600 as mindfulness. Skills Bill has courses on entrepreneurship, which is 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:16.240 extremely important to our College of Business as we try 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:20.000 to push and promote an entrepreneurial mindset, as we try 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:25.040 to push and promote financial literacy, as we work to 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:31.400 encourage digital literacy, and we actually use Skills Build as 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.359 part of many of our community initiatives. So our surrounding 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:38.600 community and the world, we've introduced Skills Build to them also, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:42.720 And now that I think about it, Laurie, we've actually 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.760 we did a trip to Ghana last June. We'll be 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:50.280 going back this June. The most popular session of the 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:55.960 trip was when I introduce our Ghanian colleagues to Skills Bill. 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:00.760 Because it is international, I introduced them the Skills Build. 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:03.119 They allowed me to teach one of the classes. This 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.960 is an extremely large university. It's Kai nus Kwama and 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:10.879 Kruma University of Science and Technology. I introduced it to 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:16.320 a class and within a week, within a week, we 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:20.399 had over three hundred students that had taken the Design 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.359 Thinking Course, which is a two hour self paced course 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:26.840 of fourteen lessons. Over three hundred students had taken the course. 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:29.760 By the time I returned to the US a couple 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:34.320 of weeks later, over eight hundred students had taken the course. 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:40.480 So the impact of Skills Build and the exposure to 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:45.720 these technologies and these stack credentials, to me has not 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.800 just a US impact, but it has a global impact. 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:53.520 I love how excited Derek Getz when he talks about teaching. 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:57.000 He's a genuine passion for exposing others to new knowledge 0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:02.240 they otherwise wouldn't encounter. Remarkable that he's using IBM Skills 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:06.119 Build to do that work internationally, be it the cybersecurity 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:10.640 of fashion in Louisiana or design Thinking in Ghana. As 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:13.720 Derek will explain to Laurie in a moment, that exposure, 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:18.199 those first time experiences can spark a newfound creativity in 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.280 a person. Let's listen on as Derek gets into the 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:23.960 creative aspect of his work as an educator. 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.960 So this season of Smart Talks with IBM is focused 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:31.240 on the new creators, these visionaries who are creatively applying 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.480 technology and business to drive change. Do you see your 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:35.360 work as creative? 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:40.000 Oh, without a doubt, without And I'm not trying. I'm 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:42.119 not bragging when I say that I will about a 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:46.960 sound like I'm bragging. But I really do believe that 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:51.359 this has allowed me to level up, to say the least, 0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:56.439 So I think I am a creator of innovative and 0:19:56.640 --> 0:20:04.199 enhanced educational experiences for our students, for my peer faculty, 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:08.960 for our deans and provosts, and even our university president, 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.200 chancellor and the other chancellors on our other four campuses. 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.280 And so when you speak to your students, how does 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:19.480 diversity help cultivate creativity within this field of cybersecurity in particular. 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:29.280 Well, it cultivates creativity clearly because it helps us understand 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:33.960 each other. I believe one of my greatest experiences, and 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:39.000 this occurred when I was with IBM. iBIM afforded me 0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:44.679 the opportunity of living abroad for over seven years. I 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:48.159 lived in Tokyo for over a year. I lived in 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:52.800 Shanghai for two plus years. I lived in Johannesburg, South 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:56.480 Africa for a little of a year, helping a large 0:20:56.560 --> 0:21:00.639 multinational corporation prepare for the World Cup, and then I 0:21:00.720 --> 0:21:05.600 returned to the US and did additional two years working 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:10.639 with various clients of IBMS, and then went back to Shinjin, China, 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:17.920 and so that exposure to different cultures, to diverse cultures, 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:21.200 to individuals. Because some people think of diversity as black 0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:27.760 and white, it's not. Diversity includes thinking ways of thinking. 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:32.880 Diversity is much more than just skin color and human beings. 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:38.480 Diversity is in learning, it's in education. It's like you 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:42.879 said just now, it's in cyber security because right now 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.520 the things that we are being hit with from a 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:51.440 cyber standpoint, I was just reading that chat GBT got 0:21:51.480 --> 0:21:54.679 hit with a cyber attag it it was hacked that 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:57.520 they had to be taken down for a minute. So 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:05.600 it's going to really us continuously being creative in order 0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:11.760 to proactively address problems of the day as well as 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:16.480 reactively address those that we can't anticipate that are certainly 0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:19.040 going to happen as we move forward. As educators. 0:22:19.119 --> 0:22:21.800 We've been talking so much about how you've used creativity 0:22:21.880 --> 0:22:24.879 in the classroom, but you know, as a colleague professor myself, 0:22:24.920 --> 0:22:27.040 I know that one of the perks of being in 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:29.280 academia is that your students go off and they do 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:31.720 all these amazing things in the real world. And so 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:34.879 I'm curious if you've ever interacted with students after graduation. 0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:38.000 Have they taken this principle of creativity and apply it 0:22:38.040 --> 0:22:39.919 in their own work life? And if so, can you 0:22:39.960 --> 0:22:40.800 share some stories? 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:44.240 Oh, without a doubt, Without a doubt, And a couple 0:22:44.280 --> 0:22:47.680 of my students that I'm extremely proud of. This student 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:49.679 was out of our loss and one of our loss 0:22:50.400 --> 0:22:55.200 students who took the in fact, they took cybersecurity, and 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:59.200 I believe they took the data science courses. After taking 0:22:59.240 --> 0:23:05.160 those courses, she developed and has developed and it's now 0:23:05.160 --> 0:23:11.000 in its second year and a journal of IP law 0:23:11.080 --> 0:23:15.200 and technology. She created a journal. She created it as 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:19.439 a student, was the first editor, of course, of the journal, 0:23:19.520 --> 0:23:22.119 and now that journal is going into his second or 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:28.600 third year. To hear her say that our courses and 0:23:28.680 --> 0:23:33.760 this partnership with IBM inspired her to create that journal 0:23:34.080 --> 0:23:38.720 as a law student is probably one of my private accomplishments. 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:42.800 The other accomplishment I'd like to mention is I get 0:23:42.840 --> 0:23:48.479 emails from students regularly that say, hey, I completed the 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:52.919 IBM Skills Bill course and cyber are and data science 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.840 r INAI added it to my LinkedIn profile, and hey, 0:23:56.920 --> 0:24:01.000 I'm getting calls from a variety of companies Google and 0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:05.520 Microsoft and Adobe and and Meta, all these different companies 0:24:05.560 --> 0:24:08.960 now because as you know, companies are using AI to 0:24:09.560 --> 0:24:13.680 kind of peruse through LinkedIn for keywords. But because they've 0:24:13.720 --> 0:24:16.679 taken these and completed these digital credentials, these stack of 0:24:16.720 --> 0:24:21.199 the credentials, they're getting job opportunities and one in particularly 0:24:21.440 --> 0:24:25.800 because of the digital credential that they added, they were 0:24:25.800 --> 0:24:28.959 able to get promotional opportunities. So I've had several that 0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:31.879 have ridden me, you know, to thank me and say, listen, 0:24:31.880 --> 0:24:34.760 thanks for bringing this to us because I just received 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:39.600 a new promotion, I've gotten a new job. So hearing 0:24:39.640 --> 0:24:44.080 that from our graduates and seeing that they're using what 0:24:44.200 --> 0:24:48.400 they're gaining through this partnership for their growth and success 0:24:49.119 --> 0:24:51.199 has been extremely fulfilling for me. 0:24:51.720 --> 0:24:54.480 That's great. And so you've said before that if you're 0:24:54.520 --> 0:24:57.720 not uncomfortable, you're not learning. How do you apply this 0:24:57.720 --> 0:25:00.639 philosophy to your own life and how do you encoura others, 0:25:00.760 --> 0:25:04.720 especially your students, to go outside their comfort zone. 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:10.919 Well, that quote actually was derived from a quote that 0:25:11.480 --> 0:25:15.760 I heard Jenny Amedi, who was Ibum's first female CEO, 0:25:16.000 --> 0:25:20.600 who I admnd greatly. She said, growth and comfort cannot coexist, 0:25:22.600 --> 0:25:25.160 and when you think about it, it can't. I mean 0:25:25.840 --> 0:25:28.800 you got to get uncomfortable, you know. I tell my 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:31.399 students all the time, you're going to suffer pain. You 0:25:31.440 --> 0:25:34.640 can suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:39.679 And I certainly would prefer to go through discipline then 0:25:40.240 --> 0:25:44.280 regretting something that I did. So I really well, I'll 0:25:44.320 --> 0:25:48.320 give you a story when I was first offered the 0:25:48.359 --> 0:25:52.520 assignment in Tokyo and my family and I were in Tokyo. 0:25:53.000 --> 0:25:55.040 We arrived in Tokyo. Of course, Tokyo is one of 0:25:55.080 --> 0:25:58.159 the largest, if not the largest city metropolitan area in 0:25:58.240 --> 0:26:01.840 the world, with thirty plus million people. We got there, 0:26:02.000 --> 0:26:06.720 it was intimidating, extremely intimidating. Well, during that week, while 0:26:06.720 --> 0:26:10.840 we were kind of huddled at our apartment, I remember 0:26:11.200 --> 0:26:16.840 hearing a presentation around the question when was the last 0:26:16.880 --> 0:26:21.600 time you did something for the first time? So I 0:26:21.760 --> 0:26:26.760 took that question and I created a challenge with my family. 0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:30.520 It was a family challenge, and that family challenge was listen, 0:26:30.960 --> 0:26:34.480 every week we're going to have first time experiences. We're 0:26:34.520 --> 0:26:36.879 here in Tokyo, it's a brand new place. We're going 0:26:36.960 --> 0:26:38.680 to have first time experiences, and then we're going to 0:26:38.760 --> 0:26:42.400 do report outs of playbacks at the end of the week, 0:26:42.480 --> 0:26:45.159 doing family meetings. So my daughter and I were the 0:26:45.320 --> 0:26:48.960 two that really took on the challenge. She's pretty competitive now, 0:26:49.040 --> 0:26:52.200 she's a PR EXECU in New York to this decade. 0:26:52.800 --> 0:26:55.240 But she and I she was fifth grade at the time, 0:26:55.359 --> 0:26:59.760 but she and I took the challenge and so we 0:27:00.240 --> 0:27:02.760 to meet new people. We used it to explore and 0:27:02.800 --> 0:27:08.240 go different places. We used it just to have new experiences, 0:27:08.840 --> 0:27:15.560 and it peaked our curiosity. It encouraged our competitive spirits. 0:27:16.000 --> 0:27:20.160 But most importantly, we just grew. We learned so much 0:27:20.200 --> 0:27:24.360 through that challenge. Through that I climbed Mount Fuji in Tokyo, 0:27:25.520 --> 0:27:28.919 I walked two hours on the Great Wall of China. 0:27:29.160 --> 0:27:32.840 I was having so many first time experiences. I started 0:27:32.880 --> 0:27:38.399 losing count because they were occurring just on the hour, 0:27:38.920 --> 0:27:41.720