AI Symposium 2024

Bharath serves as the Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at the University of Cincinnati, reporting to the President. He is responsible for driving the Digital Transformation at UC and the drive towards Excellence in IT Operations.  Prior to UC, Bharath served as Deputy Chief Information Officer and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enterprise Applications for the University of North Texas System where he established the vision, strategic leadership, and direction for all enterprise applications across the UNT System. Bharath has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology in driving Transformations. He has worked at start-ups and large companies in the private sector with almost 18+ years at Oracle where he led product teams in Middleware and Cloud Applications and drove Digital Transformation. He also has significant experience working in non-profits and serving on boards. Bharath has a MS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.

Dr. Krista Sigler is the unit head for the Department of History, Philosophy, and Political Science at UC Blue Ash, where she teaches courses in World and Russian history. Originally trained as a scholar of Russian cultural history, Sigler continues to develop work in the scholarship of teaching and learning, especially focusing on online learning.

Emma Farrow is the instructional designer at UC Blue Ash College. She earned her Masters of Education in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Cincinnati and also has a graduate certificate in Assessment and Evaluation. Prior to working at UCBA, Emma worked for 8 years in K-12 education as an instructional designer, teacher, and technology coach. As part of the Learning and Teaching Center team at UC Blue Ash College, Emma provides technology training, course design consultations, and leads workshops on a variety of topics, including educational technology, technology integration, and artificial intelligence (AI). She is particularly interested in the impact of AI and machine-generated content on education.

Dr. Ruth Benander is a Professor in the UCBA English and Communication Department. She designs and teaches intensive writing courses for Basic Writers, First Year Composition, and Second Year Composition. Dr. Benander designs and teaches these courses in-person, hyflex, and asynchronous online. Her research in classroom writing practice includes how best to incorporate large language models, Wikipedia, and eportfolios into the undergraduate writing experience. It is important to note she enjoys reading what her students come up with.

Noelle serves as the Program Director for Accessibility in the department of Digital Technology Solutions, University of Cincinnati's central IT group. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the accessibility review process for all of UC's third-party applications, websites, web applications, and faculty/staff facing documentation. Noelle manages a team of full-time and student testers and, in addition to accessibility testing and review, works with them on process improvement and continuous education. As a co-chair of the Accessibility Network at UC, a cross-functional team of accessibility specialists across different roles, Noelle works to collaborate on accessibility initiatives across campus and to create and communicate best practices for achieving accessibility in an ever-changing technical landscape.

Heidi Pettyjohn is the Executive Director for Accessibility at the University of Cincinnati and serves as the university's ADA and 504 Coordinator, as well as the chief digital and electronic access compliance officer for the university. Heidi supervises four offices that provide direct accessibility and disability support to students, faculty, staff and visitors across all of UC's campuses. She also co-chairs the Accessibility Network, a cross-functional team that supports the university's capacity to ensure full and equal access to individuals with disabilities in our digital and electronic environment.  Heidi’s first job at UC was as a graduate student in the then-named Disability Services office, and since receiving her graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling from CECH in 2007, has worked in various roles in Enrollment Management and Students Affairs, and she currently serves as the Past-Chair of the UC Staff Senate.

Roderick serves as UC’s Director of Digital Accessibility, and has worked in the accessibility, compliance, and technology fields for over twenty-five years. He has led and participated in accessibility projects for government, nonprofit, and corporate organizations including AT&T, Microsoft, Marriott, ADP, and Wells Fargo Bank.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Roderick is an amateur musician, father of young twins, and is enjoying the opportunity to explore all the interesting and historic places in his new home here in Cincinnati.

Halee is the CECH Student Success Program Coordinator, an Adjunct Instructor, and a current CECH graduate student in the Higher Education Administration Program. She is a proud Bearcat and 2021 Graduate of the UC College of Arts & Sciences. Halee is a Cincinnati native that enjoys all things food, animals, and crafting. She has little to no background in technology (outside of growing up with social media) and claims that we can all figure out AI if we just take a little bit of time to learn about it.

Sai Bonthu is a PhD student and Research Assistant in Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Cincinnati with focus on applied ITS technology impact on active transportation. Mr. Bonthu's research group was recently awarded a grant to educate and engage young learners in smart mobility developments. Mr. Bonthu also works as a Lead Control Systems Engineer to develop Robotics and AI based automation technology at a silicon valley startup. Mr. Bonthu is a well published author in several prominent IEEE and ASCE journals. He has contributed to several innovations including industrial products such as data-driven solutions for connected communities, automated storage/retrieval systems, autonomous mobile robots, real-time computer vision, data analytics, and high power fiber lasers applied across industries including transportation, industrial automation, eCommerce, manufacturing, and metal fabrication. Mr. Bonthu is an IEEE Senior Member, Full Member of SigmaXi, and has served at various levels in professional association chapters.

The focus of my research and teaching have been in the core area of electro-mechanical systems and controls, with specialization in the development and application of nondestructive evaluation, system identification and parameter estimation, condition assessment, health monitoring, remote monitoring/sensing, and associated electronic systems and information technologies. This includes the development of all necessary hardware, software, and algorithms for instrumentation, signal processing, data analytics, AI, machine learning, and data interpretation. I have worked on extensive application of these techniques across a broad range of multi/interdisciplinary electro-mechanical systems, including: transportation and civil infrastructure systems, biomedicine, and aerospace/unmanned aerial systems.

I'm a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati working to solve data driven problems at the UC Infrastructure Institute. Through my M.S in Computer Science and ongoing research work I have gained practical experience in the application and evaluation of data science and machine learning techniques in a broad range of problem areas such as multi modal mobility and computer vision based vulnerable road user detection. In addition, I have over 3 years of work experience building and managing large scale networks and software systems at Cisco, with proficiency in full stack development with Python and JavaScript.

I'm currently pursuing my master's in Computer Engineering, throughout my studies, I have engaged in several research projects, both independently and collaboratively, allowing me to develop valuable research skills and gain practical insights into data and network analysis. I am proficient in utilizing research methodologies and technologies to collect, analyze, and interpret data effectively. In addition to the research interests, I have industry experience being a fullstack developer prototyping and developing applications involving, but not limited to, data visualizations which is utilized across the projects to effectively to communicate the insights derived.

The focus of Dr. Victor Hunt's research has been in the core area of Systems/Controls, with an emphasis on damage identification, system identification and parameter estimation, condition assessment, health monitoring, remote monitoring/sensing, and related information and other technologies. Dr. Hunt's history of multi-disciplinary projects demonstrates his ability and interest in the development and application of practical ideas and techniques to important and timely problems that cross several fields of expertise and draw from many sciences. Dr. Hunt has developed hardware, software, and algorithms for signal processing, data interpretation, insitu control, and automated reporting. Dr. Hunt has worked on extensive application of these techniques, specifically in the areas of civil infrastructure systems, materials science, and aerospace.

Casandra Cain loves being a tutor because she loves helping people. Watching students grow during their time together, and all the times they have an "ah I get it now!" moment are the best parts. She has met some really great people and learns something new every day on the subjects she tutors. Tutoring is a very rewarding and humbling experience!

Dr. Valentine Johns is a higher education leader with 16 years of diverse experiences focusing on developing programs to increase student success and practicing pedagogical techniques that increase student engagement and learning. He leads STEM Academic Support Services at UC Clermont College. In this role, he partners with faculty and staff on tutoring initiatives that promote student success.

Dr. Wangia-Anderson is a professor in the College of Allied Health Sciences.  She also serves as the program director for the Master of Health Informatics graduate program and the Health Information Security certificate program.  She has a background in health informatics, public health, and data science. Dr. Wangia-Anderson has strong interest in advancing online teaching and learning through innovative tools and approaches. 

Dr. Andala Khan is an instructor at the University of Cincinnati for the Master of Health Informatics program. She has taught graduate courses in health informatics since 2015 and has extensive experience teaching. Dr. Khan possesses a diverse academic and professional background in leadership, project management, information technology, public health, public health informatics, and clinical medicine. She has extensive experience of over 20 years in public health, information technology, and public health informatics in federal and private sectors. Previously, she was a Health Scientist (Informatics) at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Khan has a medical degree, and she completed the CDC’s Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of several industry organizations, including the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), PHIFP Alumni and KEMU Alumni. On a personal note, she loves life, loves family, friends, cats, reading books and travel.

Emily Lopez is the Academic Services Administrator for Supplemental Instruction in UC’s Learning Commons, where she trains, supports, and challenges student staff to facilitate collaborative group study sessions based on lecture content. Emily – also a student in UC’s Instructional Design and Technology Master of Education program – prioritizes learning and implementing current pedagogy and technology to create caring, respectful, motivating, and meaningful professional experiences for her student staff and knowledge-expanding sessions for the students the SI program serves.

Jeffrey Shaffer is a Joseph S. Stern Professor of Practice and Assistant Professor-Educator at the Lindner College of Business in Operations, Business Analytics and Information Systems (OBAIS). He is also the Vice President of I.T. and Analytics at Unifund and Recovery Decision Science. He is one of sixteen people in the world inducted into the Tableau Visionary Hall of Fame, hosts the award-winning podcast Chart Chat, and is the Co-Author of The Big Book of Dashboards. He is an active speaker at conferences, symposiums, universities, and corporate training programs on the topic of data visualization, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and Tableau.

Kelly Cohen, the Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair in aerospace engineering, has been a faculty member since 2007 in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science. His career is marked by achievement in the field of aerospace engineering and education, including the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education Excellence (SOCHE) Award, UC George Barbour Award for Good Faculty-Student Relations, UC Faculty Core Values Award, UC Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Outstanding Technical Contribution Application Award, the CEAS Distinguished Researcher Award and the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award, among many others. Presented by Greg Simpson, retired Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and AI leader at Synchrony Financial

As a fully online Information Technology program we have been cognizant of the power of AI in teaching and learning and the challenges it poses to traditional methods of teaching, learning and assessment. We are experimenting with various ways of including AI in the classroom, integrating AI into our teaching framework, creating a model that is AI-aware, and presenting our work at the Consortium of Computing in Colleges in October 2023. In this round table, we will discuss our experiences with using an AI-aware pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.

Kristi Hall is an Assistant Professor of Information Technology at UC Clermont. She has taught computer science and information technology for more than twenty-five years. Her interests are in the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning, the impact of online communication on student learning, and best practices in teaching programming online. She has taught for Southern State Community College, Capital University, Chatfield College, and Johns Hopkins University before coming to UC.

Mehmet Sağlam is the Johnson Associate Professor of Finance at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at University of Cincinnati. He received a B.Sc. from Cornell University and Ph.D. from Columbia Business School. His research focuses on high-frequency trading and portfolio choice with trading costs. Prior to joining University of Cincinnati, he spent one year at Bendheim Center for Finance at Princeton University as a postdoctoral research associate.

His research has appeared in top journals such as Journal of Financial Economics, Management Science, Journal of Econometrics, Operations Research, and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. He has presented his research at the annual meeting of American Finance Association (AFA) and Western Finance Association (WFA). In addition to his academic experience, he worked in the quantitative trading groups at BlackRock, JP Morgan Asset Management and Bank of America Merrill Lynch and worked as a management consultant at FMCG. He has provided consulting services to high-frequency trading and investment management companies.

Sid Thatham is an Energy Engineer in the Department of Utilities and an Assistant Professor (Adj.) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) by the day and a Meme-lord by the night. He is originally from India and moved to Cincinnati to go to grad school at UC. He graduated in 2017 with a Master's in ChemE and an MBA. AI, photography, technology, international affairs, the outer space are among his various interests. He co-hosts podcasts on grad life and loves talking about movies and tv shows from all over the world.

Emma is a program manager and former academic advisor in CECH. In her current role, she manages undergraduate retention initiatives and supports advising infrastructure (i.e., communications, student tracking, and case management). Her professional areas of interest are maximizing technology to support advising processes and supporting students’ development of digital literacy skills. Emma’s educational background includes a master’s degree from Ohio University.

Kelly Rawe earned a Master's in Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina and has been part of the CECH Student Services Center for over 11 years. Before joining UC, she gained experience in diverse areas of higher education that shaped her perspective and passion in the field. Currently serving as the Associate Director of Advising, Kelly oversees the Information Technology and Campus-based Education advising teams while managing a caseload of students. Committed to supporting student success, Kelly is eager to contribute to the discussion on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence technology and advising practices.

Dr. Krista Sigler is the unit head for the Department of History, Philosophy, and Political Science at UC Blue Ash, where she teaches courses in World and Russian history. Originally trained as a scholar of Russian cultural history, Sigler continues to develop work in the scholarship of teaching and learning, especially focusing on online learning.

Gregory R. Simpson was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and AI leader at Synchrony Financial, where he was instrumental in launching the foundational infrastructure to support the company's IPO. His role involved driving a digital transformation built on a strategic technology stack including cloud-based systems, a new data lake, application APIs, and AI. Prior to Synchrony, he was the CTO for all of GE and had previously held the position of CTO at numerous GE businesses. Additionally, he served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for a major GE Healthcare acquisition and as the Commercial Quality leader for GE Lighting. Beyond his technical and leadership roles in the corporate world, he has channeled his technology and global travel experiences into his writing, notably his techno-thriller novel, "The Quantum Contingent." Today, Greg serves as an executive advisor for Zscaler, is on the board of Girls Who Code, as well as the mutual fund board for Johnson Investment Fund, is an executive coach, and does talks on generative AI when not relaxing in retirement. He lives in Loveland, Ohio with his wife, Karen, and has two grown children.

Mazid Ul Hasan is a doctoral student in the Educational Studies Ph.D. program with a concentration in Instructional Design and Technology. He also works as a graduate assistant in the E-Learning Team at the School of Education, UC. His interests include the effective integration and ethical use of AI in education. He has published two articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented papers at several conferences.

Dr. Janet Zydney is a professor of Instructional Design and Technology and Director of E-Learning for the School of Education. Her research interests include the use of technology to provide support for students with learning difficulties with complex problem solving and critical thinking. She is author and presenter of numerous publications on teaching and learning with technology.

Arun is presently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate in Educational Studies with a specialized focus on Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research Methodologies (QMRM). Prior to commencing his doctoral studies in Education in the autumn of 2020, Arun earned two Master's Degrees from the University of Cincinnati, one in Biological Sciences and another in Educational Studies. Throughout his academic journey, Arun has actively engaged in leadership roles at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Noteworthy positions include serving as the President of the UC Quiz Club (UCQC), assuming the role of Creative Director for TEDxUCincinnati, and acting as the President of the Graduate Student Government (GSG). Arun is also an alumnus of the Accelerated Racial Justice Program (RAPP, 2015) and credits the formation of his voice and views as a student leader to this invaluable program.

A hobbyist in all things computer-related, Ethan Molnar is a fourth-year student at the University of Cincinnati pursuing a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration. In addition to studying full-time, he has completed multiple engineering internships across the United States with a focus on industrial chemical production and process control. Ethan serves as President of UC ChemCats, a service organization that facilitates learning activities for local elementary students. With a willingness to experiment and his self-taught knowledge of Python, Ethan is an active participant in the open-source AI landscape and hopes to grow a learning community around this cutting-edge technology

Dr. Turner is the Assistant Dean of Assessment and Evaluation in the Office of Medical Education and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. Her passion lies in advancing medical education through innovative research and evidence-based practices. Her research has been dedicated to improving medical education through artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing and learning analytics, and addressing disparities in training. Dr. Turner's research leverages AI and learning analytics to develop evidence-based interventions and assessments that cater to the diverse needs of learner populations. Recently, her focus has been on harnessing the power of generative AI to design precision education methodologies that adapt teaching and learning approaches to individual learning paces and needs. By leveraging AI technologies, she aims to create tools and systems that provide a comprehensive understanding of a learner's readiness for transition between different phases of medical training, while also illuminating blind spots and biases that may exist within faculty evaluations and assessments.

Bharath serves as the Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at the University of Cincinnati, reporting to the President. He is responsible for driving the Digital Transformation at UC and the drive towards Excellence in IT Operations.  Prior to UC, Bharath served as Deputy Chief Information Officer and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enterprise Applications for the University of North Texas System where he established the vision, strategic leadership, and direction for all enterprise applications across the UNT System. Bharath has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology in driving Transformations. He has worked at start-ups and large companies in the private sector with almost 18+ years at Oracle where he led product teams in Middleware and Cloud Applications and drove Digital Transformation. He also has significant experience working in non-profits and serving on boards. Bharath has a MS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.