Penn State New Kensington to host conference on artificial intelligence
Penn State New Kensington will be hosting a conference focused on how faculty at higher-education institutions can adapt to the fast-changing technology of artificial intelligence and implement it in their classrooms.
The campus in Upper Burrell will host the “Future Readiness Conference” for higher-education faculty Jan. 26.
People interested in attending must register on Penn State New Kensington’s website by Monday, according to Shirley Campbell, event organizer. Registration is free.
The project is part of the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, funded by a federal Build Back Better grant.
“The purpose of the one-day workshop will be for faculty members in higher-education institutions to learn about artificial intelligence and how it’s changing landscapes of nearly all fields, including education,” said Corinne Coulson, Penn State New Kensington spokeswoman.
The event is a follow-up to the Education Vanguard conference the campus coordinated in the fall.
Campbell said the Jan. 26 conference will feature keynote speaker Jeffrey Cole, a professor and director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Cole will speak about the broader implications of artificial intelligence across academic disciplines.
“(Cole) is a leading speaker on future uses of technology, where it’s going, and future uses in business and industry,” Campbell said.
There also will be two workshop sessions, Campbell said.
PennWest professor Camille Dempsey will lead a session on the evolution of artificial intelligence in higher education and will share ideas, tools and strategies for leveraging artificial intelligence.
Seton Hill University professor Jay Burns will lead a session on the impact of artificial intelligence in STEM- related disciplines.
Additional events as part of the Build Back Better grant include a faculty workshop in May, another event in August and a conference in November, Campbell said.
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
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