Crossroads 2020 - Understanding Uncertain Futures

Agenda 

For this year we transition Crossroads from an in-person event at MIT to a virtual event online. In order to offer the best participant experience, we are currently updating the agenda and program activities. Registration for the event is now closed. If you would like to receive follow-up information about Crossroads please let us know here.

The year 2020 was less than a month old when the coronavirus outbreak erupted in China. The crisis provides a stark reminder of the uncertainties that supply chains face today – and throughout the new decade. The Crossroads 2020 one-day conference will explore these uncertainties, as well as measures that companies can take to prepare for them.

A talk on the decoupling of China and the United States will look at the broad economic and supply chain ramifications of this seismic shift in global trade patterns. 

The arrival of 5G wireless connectivity could redefine the way data is communicated and analyzed, and a leading authority on the technology from MIT will map 5G’s evolution over the next few years.

Sensing technology is another potential game-changer, and an MIT scientist who is developing innovative sensing devices will provide an overview of advances in the field. 

Sustainability is a powerful force for change in supply chains. Findings from a ground-breaking study on the impact of sustainability efforts on supply chains carried out by MIT CTL in collaboration with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals will be discussed publicly for the first time at the conference.

Agenda

  8:00    Conference check-in
  8:20    Welcome and Introduction
  8:30    China and the Global Economy: Professor Yasheng Huang, MIT Sloan School of Management
  9:45    Break
10:00    Sensor Innovations: Professor Tim Swager, MIT Department of Chemistry
11:00    Break
11:15    The Future of 5G: Professor Muriel Médard, MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
12:15    Lunch
  1:15    Sustainability Research Briefing: Dr. Alexis Bateman, MIT CTL; Dr. Donna Palumbo-Miele, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
  2:15    Break
  2:30    Advances in Additive Manufacturing: Professor Wojciech Matusik, MIT Computer Science and AI Laboratory (CSAIL)
  3:45    Break
  4:00    Uncertainty & Resilience: Responding to Coronavirus and Other Disruptions: Prof. Yossi Sheffi and CTL Research Team, MIT CTL
  4:45    Summary Discussion and Adjourn
 

Download PDF agenda here.

Discover how emerging innovations intersect with supply chain management. Crossroads is a one-day annual event offering a unique learning opportunity for participants. The event connects experts from MIT, the world’s foremost center for technological innovation with the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), the global leader in supply chain education and research, for a day of discovery and learning. 

No other event provides this blend of expertise in one day. This is one reason why the Crossroads conference series has become the SCM community's most important venue for new ideas since its inception more than 15 years ago.

“Crossroads has become the industry’s most compelling forum for the ideas that will shape tomorrow's supply chains,” says Yossi Sheffi, Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT, and Director of MIT CTL. "Crossroads 2020 will showcase the technologies and strategies that industry professionals need to have in their toolkit.”

Registration has closed for this event. To receive follow up information, please let us know here.