The Blackburn Institute’s 2023 Annual Symposium will take place on Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26, 2023 at the Bryant Conference Center. Please see the schedule below for event times, dates, and audiences.

Please read each event carefully to ensure that you are included in the invited audience(s).

Friday

Check-In/Advisory Board Meet and Greet

11 – 11:50 a.m., Advisory Board and Blackburn Society only

Advisory Board/Fellows Lunch

12 – 1:15 p.m., Advisory Board and Blackburn Society only

Advisory Board Meeting

1:30 – 4:30 p.m., Advisory Board and Blackburn Society only

Fellows Feature Webinar: Demystifying AI: Applications, Approaches, and Responsibility

2 – 3 p.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Check-In

4:30 – 5 p.m. Blackburn Students and Fellows

Keynote Speaker: Frank A. Nix Memorial Lecture on Ethical Leadership

5 – 6:15 p.m., Open to all UA community

Keynote Speaker: Joshua Jones, CEO of QuantHub

Blackburn Community Dinner

6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Late Night Fellows Reunion Activities

9 – 11:59 p.m., Fellows, Advisory Board, and Blackburn Society Only

Saturday

Breakfast with Mimosas

8 – 8:45 a.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Breakout Sessions

9 – 10:15 a.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Session I: Balancing Progress and Responsibility: Perspectives on Federal AI Policy

Moderator: Ms. Meghan Dorn, Manager of Federal Policy at TechNet
Panelists: Ms. Sophia Warner, Legislative Aide, U.S. House of Representatives; Ms. Yardena Wolf, Chief of
Staff, U.S. House of Representatives

Session II: The Future of Rural Health: AI-Powered, Smart, and Connected

Presenter: Dr. Jiaqi Gong, Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Alabama and the Director of the Sensor-Accelerated Intelligent Learning Laboratory (SAIL Lab)

Session III: Bevill State’s Carl Elliott Institute: Inspired by the Blackburn Model

Presenter: Mr. Patrick Dutton, Associate PATHWAYS Supply Chain Planning Specialist, Northrop Grumman

Coffee Break

10:15 – 10:35 a.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Breakout Sessions

10:40 – 11:55 a.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Session IV: Utilizing AI to Support City Processes and Citizen Engagement

Moderator: Dr. Stephen Dawe, Chief Technology Officer, City of Opelika
Panelists: Dr. Kenny Brock, President & Chair, Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence; Dr. David Paradice, Harbert Eminent Scholar in Information Systems and Analytics, Harber College of Business; Mr. Andrew Albrecht, Co-founder & CEO, AUBix

Session V: Fairness and Representation in Automated Speech Recognition

Presenter: Mr. Jay Cunningham, Doctoral Candidate in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington

Session VI: Utilizing Psychedelic Medicine to Alleviate Alabama’s Mental Health Crisis

Panelists: Ms. Fanicy Sears, Owner of eMotion Therapy, LLC, Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; Mr. Kenton Bartlett, Owner of Kenton Bartlett Counseling, Licensed Professional Counselor; Dr. Dave Barnhart, Pastor of Saint Junia United Methodist Church and Author; Mr. David Carn, Attorney at McLaughlin, PC

Blackburn Community Lunch

12 – 1:15 p.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Breakout Sessions

1:30 – 2:45 p.m., Full Blackburn Community 

Session VII: Afterward: Hearing the Voices of Alabama Victims, Survivors, and Communities Impacted by Violence

Presenters: Ms. Leah Nelson, Research Director, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice; and Mr. Ronald McKeithen, Re-entry Coordinator and Advocate, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Session VIII: Responsible AI Technology: A Tool for Political Campaigns and Civic Engagements

Presenter: Mr. Suhail Kahn, Director of State and Local Government Affairs, Microsoft

Session IX: Navigating the Autonomous Future of Traffic Safety

Presenter: Dr. Jeremy Pate, Director, The University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety

Closing Coffee and Dessert Break

3 – 3:30 p.m., Full Blackburn Community 

New Student Reflections or Pre-Trip Meeting for Huntsville Travel Experience

3:30 – 5 p.m., Blackburn Students Only