ARA-46 Program
TENTATIVE AGENDA
46th American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences Congress
Celebrating 50 Years of ARA
📍 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
📅 April 28-29, 2025
Day 1 – Monday, April 28, 2025 – Abdalla Hall, 635 Cajundome Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70506
9:00 AM – 9:40 AM
Registration & Check-in + Light Breakfast
Attendees collect materials & badges.
9:40 AM – 10:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Welcome by Dr. Savoie, UL Lafayette President; Dr. Ruxandra Vidu, ARA President, Dr. Gabriela Mustata Wilson, Congress Chair.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Opening Keynotes
🎤 Speaker 1: Mihnea Costoiu, Rector, National University of Science and Technology, POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
🎤 Speaker 2: Biomaterials: Addressing Medicine's Future Needs,
Iulian Antoniac, Professor, National University of Science and Technology, POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Oral Presentations (20-minute each)
1. Conversational AI in Medicine: From Prompt Engineering to Informed Decision-Making
Gheorghe Ioan Mihalas
2. Exploring Artificial Intelligence-based Optimizations for Designs Involving Active and Passive Components
Kouhalvandi, Aygun, Masum, Matekovits
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch Break + Group photo + Free networking time.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Oral Presentations (20-minute each)
1. Copper Complexes in the Fight Against Cancer,
Salah S. Massoud, Febee R. Louka
2. Lupulone Delivered in Nanoparticles and the Promise to Defy Ageing,
Mihaela D. Leonida, Ish Kumar3.
3. Framing Disaster: Heroism, Science, and the Western Lens in HBO’s Chernobyl,
Ani Kokobobo
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Coffee Break & Poster Session
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Oral Presentations (30-minute each)
1. Exploring the Importance of Nano- and Micro- Biosensors in the Medical Field,
Febee R. Y. Louka, Tadeusz Malinski
2. Social Vulnerability and Cancer Risk: A Statistical Analysis of Cancer Incidence and Environmental Risk Factors,
Sahithya Sakhamuri et al.
3. The Theme of Suffering in St. Gregory of Nazianzus’s Poetry
Theodor Damian
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Closing Keynotes
🎤 Speaker 1: Augustin Semenescu, National University of Science & Technology Politehnica of Bucharest (20 min)
🎤 Speaker 2: Dave Domingue, Director, International Trade and Development, Lafayette International Center (30 min)
🎤 Speaker 3: President ARA, Ruxandra Vidu - Letters of Appreciation for ARA’s 50th Anniversary (10 min)
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Closing remarks Day 1
Speaker: Dr. Jamie Hebert, UL Lafayette Provost
5:15 PM – 7:00 PM
Congress Reception
Remarks by Dr. Lisa Broussard, Dean, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Networking event with refreshments
Day 2 – Tuesday, April 29, 2025 – Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE), 537 Cajundome Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70506
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Registration & Check-in + Light Breakfast
Attendees collect materials & badges.
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Opening Remarks
🎤 Speaker: Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development, University of Louisiana Lafayette,
Recap of Day 1 & overview of the day.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Opening Keynote:
🎤 Speaker 1: Prof. Paul Sanberg, President, National Academy of Inventors
🎤 Speaker 2: Gabriela Gabor, Romanian National Commission for UNESCO - Activity and Future Projects.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Oral Presentations (20-minute each)
1. Carboxymethyl-starch:iodine complexes
Pompilia Ispas-Szabo et al.
2. Carboxymethyl-starch:iodine complexes as virucidal agents
Mircea A. Mateescu et al.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch Break
Free networking time.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Oral Presentations (20-minute each)
1. The Theme of Suffering in St. Gregory of Nazianzus’s Poetry
Theodor Damian
2. Some Approaches to the Constitution of Integrated Informatics Systems
Tudor Stefan Leahu
3. AI for Clinical Decision Support and Population Health
Steve Miff
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Coffee Break &
Poster Session
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Closing Keynote and City of Lafayette Recognition
🎤 Speaker: Monique Boulet, Lafayette Mayor-President
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
MOU Signing Ceremony
Dr. Savoie, UL Lafayette President, Monique Boulet, Lafayette Mayor, Dr. Ruxandra Vidu, ARA President, Mihnea Costoiu, Rector, National University of Science and Technology, POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ARA General Assembly & Awards Ceremony
(ARA Members ONLY)
- General Assembly Meeting: Updates, future initiatives.
- Awards Presentation: Recognizing outstanding contributions in arts & sciences.
7:00 pm
Dinner (OPTIONAL – separate registration required – see website)
Bon Temps Grill, Lafayette, LA 1211 W. Pinhook Rd.
Lafayette, LA 70503
We look forward to welcoming you to Lafayette, Louisiana! 🚀