The College of Business (CoB) and College of Engineering (CoE) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln collaborated to present the Emerging Tech Conference on Friday, March 7, 8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Howard L. Hawks Hall, 730 N. 14th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. The conference will feature the latest technological advancements and their impact on business, engineering and society.

Sponsored in part by the Harris Family and GlaxoSmithKline, the conference is open to business professionals, engineers, university alumni and college students who can register at https://go.unl.edu/emergingtech. Multiple registration options allow for attendee flexibility. Students may also sign up to attend a special afternoon bootcamp from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. to work through the first module in an IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate in Machine Learning with Python. 

"At the Emerging Tech Conference, attendees will gain cutting-edge insights from leaders in artificial intelligence and next-generation digital systems," said Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum and associate professor of practice in economics. "Attendees can connect with industry leaders, academic pioneers and forward-thinking peers to spark ideas and foster collaboration. This conference is your gateway to advance your career, expand your network and stay ahead in the fast-paced tech landscape."

Noelle Russell, founder and chief AI officer of AI Leadership Institute, is the featured keynote speaker at 12 p.m. A celebrated technologist and expert in cloud, data and artificial intelligence transformation, Russell held leadership roles at Accenture, Amazon Alexa, AWS, IBM, Microsoft and NPR. She built more than 100 conversational AI applications and amassed more than 2 million users and 30,000 high ratings on Amazon Alexa. A four-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award winner for Responsible AI, Russell was recently named one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in Generative AI.

Brian Ardinger, director of innovation at Nelnet, will kick off the day with the opening session, The Current State of Emerging Technology. Helping entrepreneurs and enterprises navigate and compete in a world of change and disruption for 25 years, Ardinger authored Accelerated: A Guide to Innovating at the Speed of Change and founded InsideOutside.io, discussing innovation with leading experts in a weekly podcast, newsletter and summit.

Other sessions include:

• “Navigating Risk in Emerging Technology—A Business Case,” featuring Lauren Goodell, '14, founder and CEO of Zinnia, and Jack O'Holleran, '05, CEO and co-founder of Skale Labs
• “The AI Alignment Problem: Technical Challenges and Societal Implications,” presented by Mohammad Hasan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the College of Engineering, and Julia McQuillan, professor of sociology at the College of Arts and Sciences
• “A Proactive Approach to What is Coming Next in Emerging Technology,” featuring moderator Clay Farris Naff, a freelance journalist and science writer and editor, and a panel of experts who include Chafik Barbar, founder and CEO of Marble Technologies; Jesús Rosario, senior partnerships manager at Coursera; and Mailani Veney, '06 MBA and CEO of Kana.Systems.

"For those seeking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of technology, the Emerging Tech Conference will provide innovative insights and the opportunity to network with others interested in advancing the future of technology," said Carl Nelson, associate dean for undergraduate programs at CoE. "After the conference concludes, we hope many students have registered to participate in the Student Bootcamp Session where they can earn an IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate in Machine Learning with Python. The session is taught by two of our Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering — Mirza Athar Baig and Muhammad Usama."