AI symposium brings universities together at Tennessee Tech
The AI Across Tennessee panel of experts discuss AI initiatives and future directions
on their campuses and across the state. From left, Dan Harder (University of Tennessee
Knoxville), Doug Talbert (Tennessee Tech), Joshua Phillips (Middle Tennessee State
University), and Vinhthuy Phan (University of Memphis). Photo credit: Amy Davis.
Tennessee Tech University’s Machine Intelligence and Data Science (MInDS) Center brought
universities from across the state together at its recent Artificial Intelligence
Across Tennessee Symposium, an event aimed at establishing a collaborative network
among Tennessee public universities.
The hybrid event convened experts, researchers and educators to discuss the future
of artificial intelligence (AI) in academia and beyond. It kicked off with a joint
welcome address by John Liu, vice president for research at Tech, and Victor Hazlewood,
director of high performance and scientific computing at UT Knoxville.
Emphasizing the importance of statewide collaboration to advance AI research and application,
Liu said, “By working together, we can leverage our collective expertise and resources
to drive innovation and economic growth in Tennessee.”
Nearly 70 representatives from 10 public universities attended, with 30 present on
campus and another 40 joining virtually.
The event featured a comprehensive agenda, including panel discussions, presentations,
and roundtable sessions, all focused on various aspects of AI research and implementation.
During an "institutional presentations" segment, participating universities each shared
about their ongoing AI projects and research endeavors.
“This initial symposium allowed representatives from each campus to share ideas about
educational and research AI opportunities for students and faculty across Tennessee,
especially as it relates to large-scale AI projects,” said Doug Talbert, co-director
of the MInDS Center at Tech.
In addition to presenting interdisciplinary research programs using AI on each campus,
participants discussed the infrastructure characteristics that would best enhance
collaborative efforts across campuses.
“Obviously, a hallmark of our success is to have more collaborative projects, but
what other ways are we going to measure our success?” Talbert questioned. "The metrics
used to measure success may vary depending on the specific goals of each collaborative
project."
A significant outcome of the symposium was the discussion around creating a secure
statewide data repository for all universities participating in the collaboration.
Such a repository would facilitate data sharing and support AI research and education
initiatives across the state. Participants also explored potential funding opportunities
to support these collaborative efforts, underscoring the importance of a unified approach
to AI research and development.
The 2024 AI Across Tennessee Symposium marks the beginning of what is expected to
become an annual event, fostering a collaborative environment for AI research and
application in Tennessee.
By bringing together experts and stakeholders from various institutions, the symposium
aims to drive innovation, enhance educational opportunities and contribute to the
economic development of the state.
Learn more about the MInDS Center at Tennessee Tech by visiting https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/research/minds/index.php.
