4th School of Design and Engineering Graduate Forum, Fall 2025
Event Details:
Date: Monday, November 3, 2025
Time: 4:30-8pm
Location: Kanbar Performance Space in the Kanbar Campus Center, 4201 Henry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (Get Directions)
REGISTRATION REQUIRED | INCLUDES DINNER & RAFFLE!
Join colleagues across all School of Design and Engineering disciplines to share in a collective passion for the future of design and engineering! Learn about topics that bring us together and make new connections.
The event kicks off with a keynote presentation, "From Ideas to Impact: Turning Tradition Into Transformation" by Christina Rapa, alum and Textile Engineer at W.L. Gore & Associates in Elkton, MD, and is the AATCC President for 2025-26. Christina is a key member of Gore's digital transformation team and led the initiative to develop 3D GORE-TEX files, transforming the way textiles are experienced and interacted with in the virtual space. Christina's keynote invites attendees to consider the following: You're stepping into the corporate world with energy, ambition, and ideas that can spark real change. But how do you get companies set in their ways to sit up, listen, and say yes? At Gore, it's about driving the transformation you believe in with some standard project practices and a culture of innovation.
Attendees will then have the opportunity to observe faculty project posters, engage the creators in conversation, and network during the dinner hour.
Following dinner, get to know your faculty better by hearing short presentations about their projects followed by an interactive Q/A period.
Lastly, the event will wrap up with a fun raffle with delightful prizes!
AGENDA:
| 4:30-5pm | REGISTRATION PERIOD Come early and enjoy faculty posters on display. Arrive at 4:30pm to ensure you are through the registration process in time for the event to begin promptly. |
|---|---|
| 5-6pm | KEYNOTE: Christina Rapa, alum and textile engineer at W.L. Gore & Associates "From Ideas to Impact: Turning Tradition Into Transformation" |
| 6-7pm | DINNER, faculty posters on display and networking time |
| 7-8pm | FACULTY PROJECT PRESENTATIONS |
| 8pm | RAFFLE |
Questions may be directed to Maribeth Kradel Weitzel: maribeth.kradel-weitzel@jefferson.edu