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UC students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the Digital Technology Solutions (DTS) AI & Emerging Technology Symposium in Tangeman University Center, Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The symposium is free to attend and open to all UC students, faculty, and staff.
UC Digital Technology Solutions invites current University of Cincinnati students, faculty, and staff to attend its AI & Emerging Technology Symposium in Tangeman University Center on Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Bearcats AI Ready! Powering the Future of Work, Research, and Learning.” The symposium aims to highlight the incredible ideas emerging across UC campuses and reinforce the university's commitment to preparing every Bearcat to thrive in an AI-driven world. The day-long event will include keynote presentations from industry leaders and Bearcat-led breakout sessions exploring how UC students, faculty, and staff are supporting responsible, innovative AI adoption across the university.
The symposium features prominent keynote presentations and concurrent breakout sessions. The morning keynote at 10:45 a.m. in TUC Great Hall will be delivered by Joe Mulford, Principal Business Development Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), on 'From Cloud to Cognition – How AI Is Reshaping the Future of Higher Education and Athletics.' The afternoon keynote at 3:15 p.m., also in TUC Great Hall, will be a panel discussion moderated by distinguished UC professor Dr. Kelly Cohen, focusing on AI, ethics, transparency, and human-centered design. Additionally, breakout sessions led by UC students, faculty, and staff will run concurrently from 9:30-10:30 a.m., 12:45-1:45 p.m., and 2-3 p.m. in TUC meeting rooms. The entire event is free to attend and open to all UC students, faculty, and staff.
For a comprehensive agenda, detailed presentation descriptions, and speaker biographies, attendees are encouraged to visit the AI & Emerging Technology Symposium app. The mobile app is also available for download on both iOS and Android devices, providing convenient access to all event information. Registration to attend the symposium is required and can be completed through the symposium app. Upon successful registration, participants will receive an automated email from uc-events@services-customers.modolabs.net containing a confirmation code. It is advised to check spam folders if the confirmation email is not found in the inbox.
Joe Mulford, a Principal Business Development Manager at AWS, will be the morning keynote speaker at 10:45 a.m. in TUC Great Hall. He specializes in assisting college athletics and advancement leaders across the United States in driving digital transformation through cloud technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. In his role, Mulford collaborates with institutional leaders and AWS teams to illustrate how AI-powered analytics, automation, and machine learning can enhance decision-making, personalize engagement, streamline operations, and uncover new revenue opportunities within higher education. He focuses on translating AI from concept to practical impact, showing how services like machine learning platforms and generative AI can be integrated into existing workflows. Before joining AWS, Joe served over five years as the Chief Revenue Officer for University of California, Berkeley Athletics, where he spearheaded innovative revenue and marketing strategies.
The afternoon keynote, a panel discussion, will commence at 3:15 p.m. in TUC Great Hall and will be moderated by Dr. Kelly Cohen, a distinguished University of Cincinnati professor and the Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair in Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Cohen has been a faculty member since 2007 in the College of Engineering & Applied Science's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering, and directs the AI Bio Lab within UC’s Digital Futures initiative. With an academic career spanning over three decades, Dr. Cohen possesses deep expertise in aerospace engineering combined with pioneering work in artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). His research interests encompass responsible and explainable AI, fuzzy logic, genetic fuzzy systems, assured autonomy, multi-agent decision-making, collaborative robotics, and advanced aerospace control technologies. He has secured significant research funding from federal agencies and industry partners for projects involving safety-critical AI and AI-enabled biomedical applications, and holds leadership roles including President of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society (NAFIPS).
For any questions or further information regarding the Digital Technology Solutions AI & Emerging Technology Symposium, please direct your inquiries via email to dts-symposium-2026@ucmail.uc.edu.
The DTS AI & Emerging Technology Symposium is planned to be held in-person at the Tangeman University Center from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. However, in the unforeseen event of inclement weather conditions, the symposium, including all keynote addresses and breakout presentations, will seamlessly transition to an entirely online format to ensure continuity and accessibility for all registered attendees.