By
Iain Oldman - Copywriter - Content Marketing, Internet2
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Generative AI is taking the world by storm, and that reality is no different for the research and education (R&E) community. This emerging technology has the potential to stand as a disruptor within our space. The 2024 Internet2 Community Exchange features several speakers and sessions that cover generative AI in R&E so you can stay ahead of it.
Here is our helpful guide to all of the sessions at the 2024 Internet2 Community Exchange where you can learn about generative AI and other emerging technologies, why your organization might benefit from their use, and how to incorporate them into your tech stacks.
- Generative AI Tools and the Student Journey
Have you ever wondered what college campuses will look like with AI integration? Look into the future with the session A Student-Centered GenAI Strategyon Tuesday, March 5.
Ed Wozencroft, VP for digital strategy and CIO at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), speaks about how the university uses generative AI to help students along their educational journey.
From automated processes to enhanced student support, learn how AI is helping NJIT modernize its campus with buy-in from campus stakeholders. Leave this session with new tools, applicable resources, and best practices that you can take home to your campus.
- Incorporate AI Strategies at Scale
Oregon State University (OSU) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) have both made commitments to incorporate AI technology into their networks at scale. The two universities are working to establish new AI centers of excellence, and you have the opportunity to learn about their experiences on Wednesday, March 6, during the session So, You Want to Do AI Today? How to Do It at Scale in a Hurry!
Speakers Andrea Ballinger, CIO at OSU, and Michael Hites, CIO at SMU, have hands-on experience implementing AI across their campuses. Hear about their successes (and stumbles) and learn to build your institution’s own roadmap for AI implementation.
Leave this session with a clearer picture of the hardware, personnel, and goals you’ll need to successfully develop an AI strategy at scale.
- Maintain Research Libraries With AI, Machine Learning, and Cloud Solutions
Speakers Lance DuPre, digital technologies development librarian at the University of South Carolina, and James Duran, director of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, seek to answer this question: how can AI and machine learning help libraries protect, preserve, and curate content? Drop in on the session Enable Research and Discovery at Scale with AI, Machine Learning, and Cloud Services on Tuesday, March 5, for DuPre’s and Duran’s insights.
This session provides valuable insight into how to balance long-term storage requirements and researcher access needs, along with tips to improve data management and content accessibility through AI tools. Explore a variety of automations and workflows available to help libraries everywhere manage assets and increase accessibility across the board. Discover how AI and machine learning were used in real-life examples of two wildly different library collections — an archive of 19th-century hand-written documents, and a growing 200TB Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
- Industry Perspectives on Generative AI
On Wednesday, March 6, come to Industry Perspectives on Generative AI and join an engaging panel discussion on generative AI models in the R&E space. Panelists from Google, Instructure, and ServiceNow explore the impacts of AI from different industry perspectives, including service development, policy, privacy, and practice.
How can you take advantage of the power of AI while mitigating risks and without crossing ethical boundaries? What new opportunities are available for learning and teaching? Get these questions answered and more at what will likely be one of our most popular panel discussions at the 2024 Community Exchange.
- Sustainability in Your Cloud Solutions
Does cloud computing inherently come with environmental sustainability? The discussion on Wednesday, March 6, at GreenEx: Put the Planet into Your Total Cost of Ownership focuses on public cloud solutions as speakers dive into questions surrounding energy efficiency, cost savings, and sustainable network building.
Alan Walsh, an IT programmer and analyst from Indiana University, joins Bob Flynn, program manager for cloud infrastructure and platform services at Internet2, for an in-depth conversation about how to track and implement meaningful sustainability goals for your public cloud. Topics include calculating the actual energy cost of computing, incentivizing sustainable efforts, implementing sustainable practices for on-premise computing, and much more.
BONUS AI SESSION: What Does AI Look Like in Higher Ed?
As generative AI becomes a more broadly utilized tool across a wide range of disciplines, how should it be deployed in a university setting? At AI in the Cloud on Wednesday, March 7, a panel of faculty members share what they have learned and talk about where the technology is heading for higher education organizations. Take in this bonus session with an in-depth look at how AI can be incorporated on different levels on campus.
Listen in as the panelists discuss how generative AI can be inserted into curricula to benefit teaching practices. The discussion even includes recommendations for information technology professionals and vendors on how to support faculty along their path to adopt AI tools in the classroom.
Questions?
Are you eager to learn more about the speakers, subjects, and sessions at the Internet2 2024 Community Exchange? Visit the CommEx24 website for a full rundown of the program or email us at meetings@internet2.edu for answers to your specific questions.
Once we’re together in Chicago, find our helpful staff at the event registration desk and be on the lookout for the red “staff” ribbons on all Internet2 staff badges. We look forward to meeting or reconnecting with you!
ICYMI
About the Author(s)
Iain writes for the Internet2 Community Engagement team with a focus on digital content and strategic communications. He has a background in digital marketing and journalism, with his byline appearing in newswires, regional publications, and nonprofit news organizations.