DeKALB – NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology will host its Innovation Showcase on Friday, where AI and machine learning’s increasing role in our technology ecosystem will be in the spotlight.
The showcase, which is co-sponsored by the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), will be held at NIU’s Engineering Building, located at 590 Garden Road.
The showcase, which is free and open to the public, will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m. At 10 a.m., Dave Grewell, dean of CEET, will open the event with remarks, followed by a brief presentation from the electrical, mechanical, industrial and systems, biomedical and mechatronics engineering and engineering technology program leaders from CEET.
From 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., there will be a panel discussion titled “Harnessing AI and Machine Learning,” which will feature four professionals who work in AI: Scott Meyer, co-founder of Chipp, Greg McFalls, founder of McFalls Technical Solutions, Brian Freeman, senior data scientist at Trane Technologies and Kristy Schomaker, North American Digital Services Commercialization Leader at Trane Commercial.
Grewell, the panel’s moderator, said the panel topic is important to gain insights into the latest advancements and ethical considerations regarding AI’s impact on the future of technology.
“It provides a unique opportunity to engage with experts, ask questions and understand the implications of AI on various industries,” Grewell said. “There’s a lot of fear out there, partly due to misunderstanding. We want to shed light on AI’s potential and the role each of us can play in fulfilling that potential.”
Mansour Tahernezhadi, NIU’s CEET senior associate dean, said AI is here to stay.
“How can we have AI become an empowerment, a support mechanism for humanity and job creation and things of that sort, as opposed to AI being a threat?” Tahernezhadi said. “AI can be a great support and accelerator of innovation, but a machine cannot innovate itself.”
IMEC President Dave Boulay said his organization is proud to collaborate with NIU’s CEET on the showcase.
“As AI reshapes industries, events like this are key to driving innovation and preparing the workforce to keep manufacturers competitive,” Boulay said.
