The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Business and College of Engineering are collaborating to present the Emerging Tech Conference from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 7 in Howard L. Hawks Hall, 730 N. 14th St. The conference will focus on the latest technological advancements and their impact on business, engineering and society.
Sponsored in part by the Harris Family and GlaxoSmithKline, the conference is open to business professionals; engineers; university alumni, faculty and staff; and college students. Multiple registration options are available here. Students can also sign up to attend a bootcamp from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. to work through the first module in an IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate in Machine Learning with Python. The session will be led by engineering doctoral students Mirza Athar Baig and Muhammad Usama.
“At the Emerging Tech Conference, attendees will gain cutting-edge insights from leaders in artificial intelligence and next-generation digital systems,” said Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum and associate professor of practice in economics in the College of Business. “Attendees can connect with industry leaders, academic pioneers and forward-thinking peers to spark ideas and foster collaboration. This conference is your gateway to advance your career, expand your network and stay ahead in the fast-paced tech landscape."
Noelle Russell, founder and chief artificial intelligence officer of the AI Leadership Institute, will deliver the keynote speech at noon. A celebrated technologist and expert in cloud, data and artificial intelligence transformation, Russell has held leadership roles at Accenture, Amazon Alexa, AWS, IBM, Microsoft and NPR. She has built more than 100 conversational AI applications and amassed more than 2 million users and 30,000 high ratings on Amazon Alexa. A four-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award winner for Responsible AI, Russell was recently named a Top 50 Global Thought Leader in Generative AI by Thinkers360.
Brian Ardinger, director of innovation at Nelnet, will kick off the conference with “The Current State of Emerging Technology.” Ardinger has helped entrepreneurs and enterprises navigate and compete in a world of change and disruption for 25 years. He is the author of “Accelerated: A Guide to Innovating at the Speed of Change” and founder of Inside Outside Innovation, where he discusses innovation with leading experts through a weekly podcast, newsletter and summit.
Other sessions include:
• “Navigating Risk in Emerging Technology — A Business Case,” featuring Lauren Goodell, founder and CEO of Zinnia, and Jack O’Holleran, CEO and co-founder of Skale Labs;
• “The AI Alignment Problem: Technical Challenges and Societal Implications,”presented by Mohammad Hasan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, and Julia McQuillan, professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences;
• “A Proactive Approach to What is Coming Next in Emerging Technology,” featuring moderator Clay Farris Naff, a freelance journalist, science writer and editor, and a panel of experts who include Chafik Barbar, founder and CEO of Marble Technologies; Jesús Rosario, senior partnerships manager at Coursera; and Mailani Veney, CEO of Kana Systems.
“For those seeking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of technology, the Emerging Tech Conference will provide innovative insights and the opportunity to network with others interested in advancing the future of technology,” said Carl Nelson, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Engineering. “After the conference concludes, we hope many students have registered to participate in the student bootcamp session.”
For more information, including a complete schedule, click here.
More details at: https://news.unl.edu/article/emerging-tech-conference-to-feature-ai-expert