Expertise

Topics:  Leadership, Semiconductors, Emerging Technologies, Smart Cities, Strategic Planning, Materials Science

Industries: Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, Construction - Commercial, Health Care - Facilities, Military, Manufacturing, Automotive

Karen is an internationally recognized leader in building and supporting communities based on emerging technologies. She is well-regarded in the MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) industry, having helped start and then lead MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), the largest industry consortium solely focused on MEMS and sensors. Under her leadership, MSIG covered every sector of the MEMS value chain and successfully orchestrated numerous annual international conferences, workshops and tradeshows. Karen led the successful acquisition of MSIG by SEMI, the world’s largest semiconductor association. Karen has expertise with commercializing academic research, building industry-based consortiums and strategically leading teams to explore market-based opportunities. Her diverse background spans the consumer, military, healthcare, manufacturing, and automotive sectors. Karen is ranked by EETimes as one of the top 25 “Women in Tech.” She is a passionate advocate and spokesperson for technology solutions to real-world problems and has held several board positions and is currently treasurer on the board of the MetroLab Network.

Karen has a BA from the University of Vermont (UVM) and a MS in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. She and her family reside in Pittsburgh, PA.

Media Experience

How Carnegie Mellon helped transform Pittsburgh into a smart city playground  — Fast Company
“We show the realm of the possible,” says executive director Karen Lightman. When late local billionaire philanthropist Henry Hillman asked Metro21 to tackle the inefficiencies of timed traffic lights, for example, the institute developed interactive smart lights that react to traffic volume in real time. With funding from Hillman’s foundation, the city has installed 50 of these traffic lights since 2012, and plans to roll out an additional 120 next year. Next, researchers will teach the system to prioritize emergency vehicles and public transport. The collaboration goes both ways: Although the city pioneered the smart trash can initiative itself, Lightman plans to study the data to learn more about the city’s sanitation and recycling needs. “What’s exciting is that we keep iterating,” she says. “We’ve got all the right ingredients here in Pittsburgh.”

‘RAMP’ing up transportation in Greene  — Observer-Reporter
“It’s not just the cost of transportation, but reliable transportation is often a hindrance to people getting jobs, getting training, health care; it’s a hindrance to economic development in this county,” said Karen Lightman, executive director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. “What if a plant comes here or a manufacturer comes here but no one can get there?”

Mount Washington landslide mitigation begins as climate challenges increase  — 90.5 WESA
There could be more efficient and cheaper ways to catch a landslide before it takes down a hill, according to Karen Lightman, the executive director of Metro21 — a civic research institute at Carnegie Mellon University. One of Metro21’s projects used cameras on buses to track changes on roads. Lightman said equipping every public works truck or city bus on regular routes could be a first step in helping to monitor local slides. “It's capturing images and it's showing the change over time,” Lightman said.

Pilot Transportation Program Improves Rural Access and Mobility  — My Science
"We are thrilled to be collaborating with our partners and using our research to address rural citizens’ mobility needs for enhanced quality of life, while taking into account energy efficiency and sustainability," said Karen Lightman , executive director of Safety21 , the U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center for Safety. "We’ve taken the lessons and learnings from the RAMP project to spin out a more ambitious multimodal project throughout Appalachia. With funding we received from the Appalachian Regional Commission, we will further define how to scale this across other rural communities struggling with similar mobility issues to Greene County."

An unprecedented gathering of safety leaders reveal 7 core principles of safe organizations  — Pittsburgh Business Times
“Data can play a really important role, where using AI to move the data that without bias can shine a light where it’s been dark,” said Karen Lightman, interim executive director of Safety21, executive director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. “That transparency is really critical because that will hold people accountable.”