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.
2023 Annual Symposium Schedule
Please read each event carefully to ensure that you are included in the invited audience(s).
Friday
| Time | Event | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| 11 - 11:50 a.m. | Advisory Board Meet and Greet and Check-In | Advisory Board, Blackburn Society |
| 12 - 1:15 p.m. | Advisory Board Lunch | Advisory Board, Blackburn Society |
| 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Advisory Board Meeting | Advisory Board, Blackburn Society |
| 2 - 3:00 p.m. | Fellows Feature Webinar (Online) Demystifying AI: Applications, Approaches, and Responsibility Presenter: Mr. Darren Mowry, Managing Director, North America, Google Cloud | Full Blackburn Community |
| 4:30 - 5 p.m. | Fellows and Students Check-In | Fellows and students |
| 5 - 6:15 p.m. | Opening Session: Frank A. Nix Memorial Lecture on Ethical Leadership Data Fluency – Preparing for an AI-Driven Future Keynote Speaker: Mr. Joshua Jones, CEO of QuantHub | UA Community, Free and open to the public |
| 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. | Blackburn Community Dinner | Full Blackburn Community |
| 9 - 11:59 p.m. | Late Night Fellows Reunion Activities | Fellows, Advisory Board, Blackburn Society |
Saturday
| Time | Event | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| 8 - 8:45 a.m. | Breakfast with Mimosas | Full Blackburn Community |
| 9 - 10:15 a.m. | Breakout Sessions 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 | Full Blackburn Community |
| 10:15 - 10:35 a.m. | Coffee Break | Full Blackburn Community |
| 10:40 - 11:55 a.m. | Breakout Sessions 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 | Full Blackburn Community |
| 12 - 1:15 p.m. | Blackburn Community Lunch | Full Blackburn Community |
| 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. | Breakout Sessions 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 | Full Blackburn Community |
| 3 - 3:30 p.m. | Closing Coffee & Dessert Break | Full Blackburn Community |
| 3:30 - 5 p.m. | New Student Reflections or Pre-Trip Meeting for Huntsville Travel Experience | Blackburn students |