mwooten, Author at AI Leadership Council

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Researchers will gather Aug. 21 to shape how AI can help scientists analyze and share spectroscopy data The University of Georgia will host the Spectroscopy Data and AI Workshop on Friday, Aug. 21, at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel — believed to be the first U.S. workshop dedicated specifically to integrating spectroscopy, artificial intelligence and scientific data infrastructure. The event is supported by a National Science Foundation Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems project. Spectroscopy is a powerful tool used by scientists to identify and understand materials by studying how they interact with light. By analyzing those interactions, researchers can learn about the composition and properties of substances ranging from blood and plastics to air pollutants and distant stars. The workshop brings together researchers from universities, national laboratories and industry to explore how AI can help scientists analyze and share spectroscopy data more effectively, work that could speed discoveries from environmental monitoring to materials science. Sessions will cover FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices, trustworthy AI, and shared standards and tools for AI-enabled research. "Artificial intelligence is transforming the way scientists collect, manage and interpret research data," said Yiping Zhao, Distinguished Research Professor of Physics at UGA and workshop organizer. "By bringing together experts in spectroscopy, data science and artificial intelligence, we hope to build a national community that can accelerate scientific discovery and position researchers to tackle increasingly complex challenges." Organizers see the event as a first step toward a national network of researchers at the intersection of spectroscopy, AI and data management, creating new collaboration opportunities among universities, federal labs, and industry, and helping shape the field's research agenda going forward. The event will feature a keynote lecture by Naomi J. Halas, University Professor and Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University, as part of the Provost's Seminar Series, which features highly esteemed scholars and researchers. Halas, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters, will present "Machine Learning-Enhanced Surface-Enhanced Spectroscopies for the Detection of Toxic Environmental Contaminants" at 9:15 a.m. in Masters Hall. Her research demonstrates how physics-informed AI algorithms can identify unknown chemical compounds, advancing the development of compact environmental monitoring technologies. Additional invited speakers come from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the G eorgia Institute of Technology. The program includes invited talks, a poster session and networking event, and a closing discussion aimed at building a community roadmap for AI-enabled spectroscopy research and data infrastructure. Registration is free. For program details, registration, and lodging, visit the workshop website.

08.14.2026

UGA to host first-of-its-kind spectroscopy-AI workshop

Researchers will gather Aug. 21 to shape how AI can help scientists analyze and share spectroscopy data

A man working on a large drone in a farm field.

08.06.2026

AI helps UGA researchers transform Georgia agriculture

At UGA, precision agriculture technologies are increasingly complemented by artificial intelligence, which helps transform vast streams of data into actionable insights.

A student holding a laptop computer with computer code on a screen in the background.

07.16.2026

UGA launches two new AI certificates in fall 2026

Certificates in Language, Minds, and Machines and Pharmaceutical Sciences give students new opportunities to explore AI.

Two students examine data on an app while standing in a field of corn.

07.14.2026

Students use AI technology, community engagement to support Georgia farmers

New AI-powered digital platform helps farmers complete reports and record keeping.

A student working at a desktop computer station, looking at the screen.

06.02.2026

UGA to offer online AI literacy course for students, faculty, staff

“AI Literacy for All” will provide students, faculty, and staff with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence.

05.06.2026

SPIA and CPH professor receives 2026 UGA Innovation in AI Teaching Award

Bree Bang-Jensen received this year’s Innovation in AI Teaching Award for an assignment she designed for INTL 4210: International Law.

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05.06.2026

Doctoral candidate wins $30K in Google-sponsored contest

Jane Odum’s AI tool enables on-the-ground reporting to strengthen disease surveillance in West Africa.

Conceptual illustration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and global connectivity, showing a digital brain interface hovering over a user's hand.

03.18.2026

UGA master’s in AI ranked no. 17 nationally

The University of Georgia has been ranked No. 17 on a new list of the top Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence programs in the United States by TechGuide, an educational resource focused on data analytics and computer science.

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02.27.2026

Where Ideas Ignite: Innovation & Collaboration Shine at the 2026 IAI Spotlight

Faculty, students and research partners gathered on February 18 to learn how recipients of this year’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) seed grants are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence.

Conceptual technology illustration of artificial intelligence. Abstract futuristic background

11.18.2025

Submit entries for the Generative AI Student Competition 3.0 by March 6

The Generative AI Student Competition returns for a third year, asking students to use artificial intelligence tools to create something meaningful that enriches the UGA community or experience.

A person's hand on the keyboard of a laptop computer.

11.18.2025

UGA professor wins Google Research Award to develop AI safety

Ari Schlesinger, an assistant professor in the UGA School of Computing, will use the award to develop and examine the effects of a program focused on artificial intelligence safety literacy.

10.09.2025

Align & Engage: Spotlight on New IAI Fellows

On Oct. 10, faculty, students and guests will gather to learn about the work of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s new fellows and to brainstorm opportunities to collaborate around five convergence themes.

A photo illustration of a person using chat in a smartphone.

10.02.2025

UGA launches area of emphasis in AI

To prepare students for the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence, the University of Georgia School of Computer Science now offers an Area of Emphasis in Artificial Intelligence as part of its computer science degree.

09.26.2025

UGA AI faculty awarded grants from Amazon, Google, NSF

The University of Georgia’s AI research community continues to gain national recognition, with faculty earning prestigious awards from Amazon, Google, and the National Science Foundation.

Students posing with agricultural robots

09.26.2025

Building breakthroughs with robotics, solar innovation

UGA students in the VIPR program research robotics, agrivoltaics and ecological monitoring.

Two students working together with a computer in a study room.

08.13.2025

UGA Launches First AI Certificate Programs for Undergraduates

Beginning fall semester 2025, students can earn a certificate by taking 16 credit hours of AI-related course work.

08.13.2025

Professor discusses adoption, future of wearable tech

Patrick O’Connor, a professor of kinesiology, spoke with the Daily Mail about the adoption of smartwatches, rings and other wearable tech and what they might be able to tell wearers in the future.

Image of students working together in a meeting booth.

06.18.2025

UGA students, faculty, staff now have access to Google’s AI-powered assistants

UGA students, faculty and staff have access to two powerful AI tools from Google: Gemini and NotebookLM, both securely housed within UGA’s Google Workspace environment.

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05.29.2025

VR could help train employees working with robots

Researchers from the University of Georgia have created a new virtual reality space to help make training faster and easier.

A professor teaching a class using a large display board of data (Peter Frey/UGA)

05.06.2025

Learning from generated communications

Recent studies from UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication suggest some of the possible risks and rewards that go along with artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

Students work on computers in a lab at Boyd Research and Education Center. (Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

05.06.2025

Transforming education with technology

Cutting-edge artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies are transforming education at the University of Georgia and giving students hands-on experiences that prepare them for the real world.

Photo of a teaching grading a student's paper

05.06.2025

AI may speed up the grading process for teachers

A new UGA study suggests that AI could speed up the grading process for teachers, but it may sacrifice some accuracy in the process.

A graphic of a computer chip with a brain design

05.06.2025

$10 million grant to fund national GenAI center at UGA

The center will provide national leadership on best practices for using generative artificial intelligence in schools, strengthening competence in GenAI in middle school science classrooms.

An image of a professor and students in an AI class

05.06.2025

UGA joins NextGenAI consortium

The University of Georgia is joining the NextGenAI consortium, a partnership with 14 other leading research institutions and technology company OpenAI to accelerate AI research and education.

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