This series is hosted by the NC State Data Science and AI Academy as part of Data Science and AI Week. The Series brings leading experts from academia, industry and government to campus for in-depth talks on the latest challenges and innovations in data science and artificial intelligence. Each session highlights real-world applications, research breakthroughs and professional pathways, giving students, faculty and partners the opportunity to learn directly from distinguished practitioners.

Google’s national campus tour is stopping at NC State for one day only! In collaboration with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Data Science and AI Academy (DSA), Google product experts will showcase how Gemini and NotebookLM—already available with your NC State email—can boost creativity, productivity and teaching.

• Event details
  • Monday, October 6, 2025
  • Talley Student Union
• Faculty Lunch & Learn (Room 4280) Hands-on guidance for teaching with Gemini and NotebookLM, plus discussion of responsible AI use.
• Student Session (Room 3285) Practical product tips, networking with Googlers, free merch and pizza.

Speaker: Jeanne McClure, Postdoctoral Fellow, NC State Data Science and AI Academy

Location: D.H. Hill Jr. Library, Room 2304.

Hands-on session introduction to Large Language Models (LLMs). Designed for both non-technical and technical participants, you’ll experiment with LLMs in web-based playgrounds and the art of prompting to get what you want. Gain initial experience in prompt engineering methods, and introduction to the capabilities and limitations of LLMs. 

Speaker: Kelsey Dufresne, Postdoctoral Fellow, NC State Data Science and AI Academy

Location: D.H. Hill Jr. Library, East Learning Lab B, Room 2113

Dufresne’s session will play off her current research and showcase her passion for data visceralization and communication. The talk will focus on data science, humanities-informed work and personal data.

Speaker: Carlos Pinheiro, SAS Network Sciences

Location: D.H. Hill Jr. Library, Multimedia Seminar Center East Wing, Room 2131

Students will use the SAS Viya platform to explore network science techniques and methodologies. They will learn about network analysis and network optimization algorithms and how to use them to solve real-world problems. This hands-on workshop focuses on step-by-step activities, including reading network data, running multiple algorithms and analyzing graphical outcomes. 

Registered Students will need this information:
https://www.sas.com/en_us/software/viya-for-learners.html

Attendees, familiarize yourself with how to access the SAS Viya for Learners: watch this introductory video.

Speaker: Terri Mitchell, Successful Technology Executive Now Enabling College Women in STEM

Location: D.H. Hill Jr. Library, Multimedia Seminar Center East Wing, Room 2131

Do today’s processes, products, and systems serve the world effectively? The upcoming generation of technologists and innovators has the potential to use data science and AI to address past shortcomings, or risk allowing technology to reinforce and even amplify existing challenges. Participants will gain valuable insights into the current landscape and explore how their involvement today and in their future careers can contribute to meaningful, lasting change.

Location: D.H. Hill Jr. Library, Room 2304

Join the Wake Young Women and Data Science Club for presentations on their recent data explorations. The mission of the Data Science Club is to inspire young women to become data literate and cultivate their skills in data science and analytics, fostering an interest in STEM fields. The club seeks to develop leadership qualities, build positive relationships and promote a collaborative learning atmosphere. Additionally, it will focus on gaining experience and confidence among participants.

TriWiSTEM A Day in the Life of the Bio-Med/Tech Professional

Attention College Women and Early Career Professional Women:

Are you interested in or currently employed in the BioMed or the Information Technology industries?

Join us for the Day in the Life of the BioMed and IT Professional Connections Night on Thursday, March 20 from 6:30–8:30 PM at BTEC on NCSU’s Centennial Campus.

You’ll have the chance to network with other women in these industries over hors d’oeuvres and mocktails. We will then have an incredible panel for you to engage with and hear about the day in the life of women in BioMed and IT.

AI for Business Analytics Workshops

Join Poole College of Management for their beginner-friendly workshops series that kicks off on March 25, 2025. Gain hands-on experience using AI tools for business case analytics.

Come to one event or all three – attend what fits your schedule!

*FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED*

AI at NC State Hot Topics Series: AI and Academic Integrity

Explore the balance between AI innovation and academic integrity in our Hot Topics Series. Featuring experts from Friday Institute, IAA and NCSSM.

Tuesday, March 25th, 8:45 AM-9:45 AM, Raleigh Founded.

Interested in participating as a conversant? Contact Chanel Carrell at ccarrel@ncsu.edu for more information.

AI Forward: Leading Innovation, Research and Learning at NC State University

Join the William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, with support from the NC State College of Education, Office of Instructional Programs and the NC State Data Science and AI Academy, for a campus-wide event dedicated to exploring the transformative power of artificial intelligence in innovation, research and learning at NC State University. This full-day experience is designed to ignite visionary thinking, foster strategic collaborations and propel our university to the forefront of AI integration in higher education.

DataFest at NC State

Data Fest offers undergraduates a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with real-world data. Teams collaborate with a secret “data donor,” analyze complex datasets, and present their insights in a fast-paced five-minute presentation.

Students will compete for awards in Data Communication, Interdisciplinary Work, Innovative Insights and Outstanding Visualization.

Graduate students: share your expertise and register as a Mentor!

Webinar: Cisco Jabber: Your all-in-one Collaboration Tool!

12:00 PM- 1:00 PM

This Lunch & Learn event will provide an overview of how Cisco Jabber streamlines communications and enhances productivity by unifying presence, instant messaging, voice, video, voice messaging, screen sharing and conferencing capabilities securely into one client on your desktop and mobile device.

Demonstration: Using and Applying VR in the Classroom

12:00 PM- 1:00 PM in the Jordan Hall Lobby.

Join Drs. Nathan Williams and Kyle Bunds to learn more about VR use in the classroom

No registration is required!

Introduction to AI at NC State

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM

Are you still trying to understand the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it may benefit you at work? This one-hour workshop will provide insight into AI at NC State. Staff from the Office of Information Technology’s Security and Training departments will lead you through an introduction to AI, available tools, data security concerns, use cases and more.  The following items will be included along with time for Q&A at the end:

• What is AI
• Why use AI
• What tools are available/approved for campus use
• License levels & feature access
• Data Sensitivity Concerns
• Best Practices/Prompt Guidance
• Demo

Leveraging Geospatial Tools for Effective Environmental Planning: A Hurricane Helene Case Study

This webinar, taking place April 2, 2025, 3:00-4:30 PM via Zoom will include topics that incorporate geospatial tools in their research to investigate distinct environmental aspects linked to extreme climate events such as Hurricane Helene. The speakers will demonstrate how these tools can be applied to achieve shared environmental stewardship.

Webinar: What’s New in Google Workspace

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM

Have you been keeping up with all of Google’s new features this year?  Join us for this online event, where trainers from the Office of Information Technology will walk you through several exciting new features in Google Apps that you can start using!

WolfWebs: Social Network Analysis and UK Grime Music

Tom R. Leppard (postdoctoral fellow at the Data Science and AI Academy) will present his research on network reciprocity in UK Grime music collaboration.

Symposium on Data Science and AI in Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State

Time: 8:30 AM- 2:30 PM

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Seminar

 9:30AM, Jordan Hall 1220

Join Dr. Jeff Doser to learn more about “Advances in Spatial Modeling for Quantifying Forest Attributes.”

No registration is required!

Statistics Department Seminar: Design Thinking for Policy Evaluation: The Policy Trial Emulation Framework

Withers 232A, 11:00 AM- 12:00 PM

Speaker: Professor Nicholas J. Seewald, Assistant Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

In-person talk: no Zoom option

Walk in; no registration is required!

Policy evaluation is complex, requiring deep knowledge regarding the policies themselves, the contexts in which they are enacted, the degree to which they are implemented, as well as appropriate data and statistical methods for making causal inferences about policy effects on outcomes. High-quality study design is critical in this research, both for investigators to improve validity of causal inference, and for readers and policymakers to understand, trust and act on the results. Target trial emulation is an approach to designing rigorous non-experimental studies by “emulating” key features of a clinical trial. Most used outside policy contexts, this approach is also valuable for policy evaluation and can address challenges unique to that context. We discuss how using the policy trial emulation framework to conduct and report on research design and methods supports transparent assessment of threats to causal inference in non-experimental studies intended to assess the effect of a health policy on clinical or population health outcomes. We show how careful design thinking lays a foundation for cutting-edge statistical tools to enable rigorous, high-quality policy evaluation studies, with application to a study of the effects of state medical cannabis laws on opioid prescribing for chronic noncancer pain.

PSI Extension Agent Network AI in Agriculture Training

April 8-9, 2025

Objectives: A deeper dive into the topic of AI, understanding the fundamentals of AI, identifying current use of AI in agriculture, meeting and learning about PSI partners on the AI frontier.

AI & Research Integrity: Virtual Workshop

Join the NC State Libraries for a virtual workshop with guest presenter Julia McDonnell, Director of Journals Product at Oxford University Press.

Attendees will learn about the benefits and challenges of using AI in journals publishing and gain insights into how we can adapt to new developments while preserving the principles of trust and integrity.

Register for the Global One Health Academy One Health Research Symposium

Join the Global One Health Academy for its second annual One Health Research Symposium on Tuesday, April 15, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM, Talley Student Union, Room 3285. This half-day event will spark excitement and spur conversation and new collaborations around One Health, a framework that recognizes the interconnected nature of plant, animal, human and environmental health. Faculty, staff, students and members of the public can attend this celebration of One Health research and leadership at NC State.