Speakers & Presenters

Opening Remarks

About the Speaker

Natasha M. Dartigue is the Maryland State Public Defender and a nationally recognized architect of justice reform. Appointed in 2022, she is the first person of color to lead the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, building on a career that began with a clerkship for the late Judge Roger W. Brown and rose through the ranks as a trial attorney, felony trial supervisor, and Deputy District Public Defender for Baltimore City. A 1995 graduate of Howard University School of Law, she added to that record of civic leadership as a member of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2025. That depth of frontline experience now anchors her role as a national voice for the defense bar: Ms. Dartigue was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in 2024, and in 2026 she assumed the presidency of the Maryland State Bar Association, after serving a term as president-elect.

Ms. Dartigue's leadership extends well beyond her office, reshaping how Maryland approaches systemic injustice. In 2023, she co-founded and co-chaired the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC) alongside Attorney General Anthony Brown, an unprecedented alliance between prosecution and defense that produced 18 landmark recommendations to dismantle mass incarceration and reduce racial disparities in Maryland's justice system. She then translated that research into action, launching the Maryland Justice Partnership (MJP) in January 2026, a statewide implementation framework, not a study group, designed to turn MEJC's recommendations into enacted law and measurable reform. She also expanded the state's capacity to correct wrongful convictions by establishing the second Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, giving Maryland public defenders innocence-work partnerships with both of the state's law schools for the first time.

A daughter of Haitian immigrants, Ms. Dartigue describes her historic appointment as one that “redefines what leadership looks like” and offers hope to children of immigrants too often overlooked. Her record of sustained excellence has been repeatedly recognized: she was named to The Daily Record's Top 100 Women in both 2018 and 2024, earning induction into its Circle of Excellence, reserved for honorees recognized multiple times for sustained achievement, and was placed on the 2024 Criminal Law Power List for driving change and impact across the field. From the courtroom to the halls of the General Assembly, Natasha Dartigue stands as a model of how a career centered on principled leadership can drive systemic change.

Equitable AI in the post SFFA SCOTUS decision in Admissions

About the Speaker

Dr. Juan E. Gilbert is the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and a Distinguished Professor at the University of Florida where he leads the Computing for Social Good Lab. He is a Fellow of the ACM, IEEE, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors. In 2012, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama. In 2023, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Joe Biden.

Must AI Mean What We Say?

About the Speaker

Bio coming soon.

Human-AI Collaboration in Federal Performance Management: Integrating Relational Competencies into AI-Supported Appraisal Systems

About the Presenter

Omololu Adeyemi is a Doctoral Student in Public Administration at the University of Baltimore and a U.S. Army Veteran. His research focuses on performance management, organizational effectiveness, culturally competent leadership, and the implications of artificial intelligence for public-sector workforce management. His current work examines how federal performance appraisal systems can be redesigned to better capture relational competencies, human judgment, and accountability in AI-enabled government workplaces.

The Augmented Scientist: Human-AI Collaboration in Scientific Discovery

About the Presenter

Dr. Jere Boudell is Associate Dean of the College of STEM, Director of the Applied AI Institute, and Professor of Biology. As a plant ecologist and technologist, she works at the intersection of environment, artificial intelligence, and human learning. Her research and leadership focus on using AI to augment scientific discovery, strengthen education, and support ecological stewardship. Through faculty and student workshops, student innovation programs, and interdisciplinary collaborations, she helps build more inclusive and human-centered futures for science and technology.

Measuring the Local and Global Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Using Artificial Intelligence

About the Presenter

Dina El Mahdy is a Professor of Accounting at Morgan State University. Her research spans accounting education and technology, corporate social responsibility, and corporate governance. Her work has been cited by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, Forbes, The New York Post, and Bloomberg. Her publications have appeared in top journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Accounting and Finance, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Risk and Financial Management, International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, and Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting.

Mediated Recognition: Perceived AI Appreciation and Evaluative Preference

About the Presenter

Bio coming soon.

AI Governance for Human-AI Collaboration in Higher Education

About the Presenter

Dr. Muddassir Siddiqi is President of the College of DuPage, one of the nation’s largest community colleges. A higher education leader, scholar, and practitioner, he brings more than two decades of executive experience advancing institutional transformation, workforce development, student success, and organizational effectiveness. He has held senior leadership positions at Houston Community College, City Colleges of Chicago, and Morton College, leading initiatives in innovation, digital learning, and applied education. Dr. Siddiqi holds doctoral and graduate degrees in education, business, and technology. He is a prolific scholar, graduate faculty member, and frequent national and international presenter whose work focuses on leadership, governance, strategy, and continuous improvement in higher education.

Stepping Outside the Stack

About the Speaker

Reva Schwartz is a research scientist, linguist, and co-founder of Civitaas Insights, pioneering real-world AI evaluation. She also directs the Forum for Real-World AI Measurement and Evaluation at Virginia State University. With over 20 years in federal service, Reva's career includes roles as a forensic scientist and advisor to the intelligence community and other federal agencies. At NIST, she founded the ARIA program and served as core author of the AI Risk Management Framework and lead architect of the AI RMF Playbook. Her work integrates machine learning, measurement science, and social science to improve AI evaluation in practical, real-world applications.

Empowering Health Equity: Training HBCU Students in Data Literacy and Community-Engaged Research

About the Presenter

As an Assistant Professor at Morgan State University, School of Community Health & Policy, Health Education program, Dr. Robin Butler presents over 20 years of experience working with distressed communities. Dr. Butler’s interdisciplinary research focus supports health informatics, STI prevention, health education, college student career pathways, and culturally tailored health literacy interventions messaging through barbershop dialogue and engagement. Her research also focuses on built community environments and data sovereignty to address inequitable health outcomes using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

More recently, Dr. Butler actively serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for an HPV uptake study in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her efforts have been recognized with grants from the NIH, Bristol Myers Squibb, JP Morgan, the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, and the Morgan State University Office of Academic Affairs. She also serves as a co-advisor for the Morgan Chapter's My Sisters Keeper and as a practicum coordinator for the Department of Public and Allied Health’s Health Education senior students.

A Trust Map for AI: Conceptualizing Trustworthy AI as a Socio-Technical Research Practice

About the Presenter

Laura Fichtner is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Maryland and the Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS). Her research focuses on the intersections of information technology, ethics and politics. In her current project, Laura explores how different research practices seek to make AI technologies more trustworthy and if and how participatory methods are engaged in this effort.

Autonomous AI Accountability: Building Predictive Governance Before Harm Materializes

About the Presenter

Erica L. Miller is a Senior Lead, Enterprise AI Architect and AI Governance Lead at Under Armour, with 20+ years building the infrastructure enterprises need to operationalize AI. She is the founder of Emethia, an AI Governance Operations platform, and creator of the ADOPT Framework™, a five-gate system for AI product validation. Her work sits at the intersection of AI adoption, enablement, and governance. She speaks, consults, and builds at the point where AI ambition meets operational reality.

From Sycophancy to Socratic Dialogue: Using Interactional Architecture as an Agency-shield in AI-assisted Inquiry

About the Presenter

Dr. Jiang Pu has been a dedicated advocate and practitioner of whole-child, competency-based learning for over 15 years. She bridges educational research and systemic reform by architecting human-centered, future-ready, and nature-positive learning environments rooted in empathy for the learner and the planet. Her expertise spans consulting for the World Bank's Renovation of General Education Project with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, designing innovative K-16 curricula, and researching responsible AI in education. Using qualitative and mixed-method insights, she ensures digital transformations remain ethical, inclusive, equitable, and profoundly human.

Who Can Stop the Machine? Building Institutions That Can Govern AI

About the Presenter

Arthur D. Sidney is an attorney, AI governance strategist, and Founder & Principal of The Sidney Group PLLC. A former Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives, he has also served as Vice President of Government Affairs at CCIA and Senior Vice President at Forbes Tate Partners. He has taught law and policy as an adjunct professor, presented on panels in the U.S. and abroad, and written extensively on AI governance, institutional accountability, and technology policy. His work focuses on helping organizations build governance frameworks that keep AI systems accountable, transparent, and subject to meaningful human authority.

Intersectionality in AI - Examining Trust and Safety Systems in Social Media

About the Presenter

Dhanaraj Thakur leads the Fair Technology Initiative which is part of the Multiracial Democracy Project at the George Washington University Law School. The Initiative aims to center racial justice in technical, governance, and policy questions about AI and democracy. Over the last 20 years he worked to advance equity and human rights in tech policy primarily through academic publications and research for policy audiences and advocates. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is a graduate of the London School of Economics, and the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Latent Structures in Human Motor Control and Perception: Implications for Robotic Coaches

About the Presenter

Dr. Michael West Jr. is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Haptics and Medical Robotics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and will join the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech as an Assistant Professor in August 2027. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT under Professor Neville Hogan and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University. His research integrates human motor control, perception, learning, and robotics to improve applications in rehabilitation robotics, surgical robotics, human–robot interaction, and dexterous manipulation. He is currently recruiting motivated and curious Ph.D. students to join his lab at Georgia Tech next fall.

Fostering Higher Education and Student Affairs Professionals’ Critical AI Literacy and Self-Efficacy

About the Presenter

Virginia L. Byrne, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Morgan State University in the School of Education and Urban Studies, where she also serves as Director of the Higher Education and Student Affairs M.A. program. Dr. Byrne earned her M.S. from Florida State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Dr. Byrne is focused on how technology is changing how we teach, learn, and connect. Her interests include trauma-informed online teaching, AI in education, and the role of social media in student life. She is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Early Career Award for her project, The Learning and Engaging at a Distance Initiative. She is also the Morgan State lead for the NSF- and NIST-funded Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society (TRAILS).

Impact of Driving Style and Head Pose Dynamics on Crashes and Near Misses in Naturalistic Driving under Traffic Flow Disruption using Hybrid Transformer-BiLSTM

About the Presenter

Muhammad Waseem is a Graduate Research Assistant at Morgan State University, where he is pursuing a master's degree. His research focuses on transportation safety, driver behavior analysis, machine learning applications in transportation, crash prediction, and electric vehicle infrastructure planning. He is particularly interested in applying artificial intelligence and data-driven methods to improve road safety, transportation system performance, and sustainable mobility.

Diagnosing and Mitigating Modality Dominance in Multi-Omic Antidepressant Response Prediction

About the Presenter

Ricky Gole is a machine learning systems engineer and graduate researcher specializing in the empirical evaluation, optimization, and scaling of core artificial intelligence infrastructure. Currently completing his Master of Science in Advanced Computing at Morgan State University with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Ricky has established a prolific academic record with first author publications and submissions at premier venues including NeurIPS, EMNLP, IEEE ICDM, and IEEE BIBM. His technical expertise is heavily anchored in the PyTorch ecosystem, where he develops custom reinforcement learning environments, manages distributed GPU cluster sweeps, and architects parameter efficient transformers using LoRA adapters and Direct Preference Optimization. Holding a prior Bachelor of Science from Caldwell University, Ricky seamlessly bridges the gap between complex statistical diagnostics and high throughput backend pipeline engineering to build reliable foundation model infrastructure.

Passive Monitoring and Support System

About the Presenter

I am a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University and a Research Assistant specializing in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and intelligent monitoring systems. I work on projects involving smart infrastructure monitoring, parking management systems, cybersecurity for connected medical devices, and AI-assisted healthcare technologies. My research interests include machine learning, image processing, computer vision, structural health monitoring, and intelligent autonomous systems, with the goal of developing innovative technologies that address real-world engineering challenges.

Thinking with AI: Understanding Employee Cognition in AI-Supported Organizational Environments

About the Presenter

Lolita E. Walker is a doctoral candidate with a concentration in Entrepreneurship at the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan State University. Her research explores intrapreneurial cognition, organizational behavior, and the ways managerial support and artificial intelligence shape employees' innovation-oriented thinking and decision-making within organizations.

Professionally, Walker brings extensive executive leadership experience across public, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. She has served in elected leadership roles, including as Chair and Vice Chair of a large public Board of Education, where she helped oversee strategic planning, governance, policy, and multimillion-dollar budgets. Her work bridges scholarship and practice by translating research into actionable strategies that strengthen organizational leadership, governance, and innovation.

Walker is committed to advancing research that helps organizations cultivate environments where employees are empowered to recognize opportunities, think entrepreneurially, and drive meaningful organizational change.

AI-Driven Multi-Target Prioritization of Candidate Compounds for Alzheimer’s Disease

About the Presenter

Ramisa Farha is an AI researcher specializing in machine learning, deep learning, and healthcare artificial intelligence, with a focus on neuroimaging and medical imaging for neurodegenerative diseases. She earned her M.S. in Advanced Computing from Morgan State University, where her research focused on artificial intelligence for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis using medical imaging data.

Her work spans neuroimaging, medical image analysis, explainable AI, and large language models for healthcare applications. She has contributed to research on AI-driven clinical decision support systems and MRI-based disease diagnosis, particularly in the context of Alzheimer's disease. Her current research focuses on developing robust and interpretable machine learning models for analyzing neuroimaging data to improve early detection and diagnosis of neurological disorders.

Ramisa is passionate about developing trustworthy and interpretable AI systems that address real-world healthcare challenges. She plans to continue her research in biomedical artificial intelligence and neuroimaging as a Ph.D. student, with the goal of advancing precision medicine through innovative computational methods.

Post-Disaster Building Damage Assessment AI

About the Presenter

John Tanimola is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, specializing in structural engineering, construction materials, and artificial intelligence applications in cementitious materials. Originally from Oyo State, Nigeria, he is committed to advancing innovative construction materials through interdisciplinary research that integrates materials science, computer vision, and machine learning.

His research focuses on the nano-modification of cementitious materials and the application of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and explainable AI to characterize microstructural evolution. He is also developing AI-assisted graphical user interface (GUI) tools for the quantitative analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (µCT) images, enabling automated characterization of phase composition, pore networks, and hydration processes. He recently co-authored the article "Recent Advances in Nano-Modified Concrete: Enhancing Durability, Strength, and Sustainability through Nano Silica (NS) and Nano Titanium (nT) Incorporation," which has already received more than 50 citations.

Outside academia, John enjoys music and is proficient in several musical instruments, including the guitar, piano, and saxophone. Through his research, he aims to advance intelligent, sustainable construction materials and contribute innovative AI-driven solutions to complex challenges in structural engineering.

Machine Learning–Assisted Vector Magnetometry Using NV Diamond Quantum Sensors

About the Presenter

Hamdin Ozden is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, under the supervision of Dr. Birol Ozturk. His research focuses on solid-state quantum sensing using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, quantum magnetometry, semiconductor materials, and the application of machine learning to quantum sensing and data analysis. His current work aims to develop intelligent data-driven approaches for real-time magnetic field reconstruction and next-generation quantum sensing technologies.

DermaBridgeAI: A Fairness-First Deep Learning Pipeline for Equitable Skin Lesion Classification Across Fitzpatrick Skin Types

About the Presenter

Blessing Isoyiza Adeika is a PhD candidate (2024–2027) in Computer and Electrical Systems Engineering at Morgan State University and an NSF NRT Fellow. Her research centers on trustworthy multimodal AI for non-invasive brain-to-speech decoding, fusing EEG, fMRI, laryngeal motion, and audio signals to build subject-independent models that remove the individual calibration barrier limiting real-world brain-computer interface deployment. The long-term goal is to restore communication for people with ALS, stroke, and locked-in syndrome. This sits within a wider interest in AI's role across healthcare: she writes publicly on topics like algorithmic bias in clinical AI, medical imaging, and AI-driven drug discovery, and approaches each with the same question that anchors her dissertation work, namely, how these systems perform for the patients who are hardest to serve. She collaborates with NASA JPL, where her GAN-based modeling work cut RF circuit design iteration time by 35%, CEAMLS, and with the Beckman Institute at UIUC. She holds a Master's degree from Morgan State (4.0 GPA, 2023), won the ASEE Best Student Paper Award in 2024, and has five publications with additional manuscripts in preparation.

Optimization-Enhanced Machine Learning for Respiratory Health Risk Prediction Using Environmental Justice Index Data: A Baltimore Case Study

About the Presenter

Amara R. Eze is a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial and Computational Mathematics at Morgan State University, where she serves as a Graduate Research Assistant, Mathematics Instructor, and Graduate mentor. Her research focuses on non linear optimization, machine learning, and data science, with applications in biomedical sciences, image reconstruction, and medical diagnosis. She develops advanced numerical algorithms for solving non linear optimization problems and integrates them into machine learning frameworks for disease prediction.

Amara has published her papers in leading journals, including Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, Results in Mathematics, and Scientific Reports, and has presented her research at major national and international conferences under the supervision of her PhD advisor Dr. Olaniyi S. Iyiola. She has received numerous awards for her research excellence and scientific communication, including the 2026 Best Poster Presentation Style Award at the Conference for African-American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences (CAARMS) held at Princeton University and the 2024 Best Mathematical Modeling Poster Award at the same conference held at Tufts University, among several other presentation, travel, and academic awards. As a graduate mentor in the Center for Equitable AI & Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) Summer AI Research Institute, she mentors undergraduate researchers on optimization-driven machine learning for disease prediction. She is passionate about advancing mathematically grounded artificial intelligence and optimization methods that address real-world healthcare challenges.

"Fly on the wall”: Building tools to analyze autistic adults’ conversation to inform goal-setting in speech therapy

About the Presenter

Rida is a researcher at the University of Maryland's Language Science Department, working at the intersection of natural language processing, computational linguistics, and speech-language pathology. She holds an M.S. in Applied Machine Learning from the University of Maryland and has authored several peer-reviewed publications spanning NLP, computer vision, and applied AI, alongside prior industry experience at Microsoft Innovation Lab and GlaxoSmithKline. She and her research team are presenting a poster at NSEA 2026, "Fly on the Wall: Building Tools to Analyze Autistic Adults' Conversation to Inform Goal-Setting in Speech Therapy," which introduces an NLP pipeline combining transcription, speaker diarization, dialogue act classification, and LLM-based conversational analysis to give speech-language therapists and their autistic clients a detailed, non-evaluative picture of real-world conversations. Rather than using AI to distinguish autistic from non-autistic speakers, the team's work reframes the role of NLP in this space, focusing instead on identifying what makes a specific person's conversations work better for them and their communication partners, and supporting shared, client-centered goal-setting.

AI as Assistant Rather Than Interpreter in an Afro-Diasporic Text Corpus

About the Presenter

Bryan Fuller is Reference and Government Documents Librarian in Richardson Library at Morgan State University.

A New iDDentity: Governed Digital Doubles and the Consent Layer for Human Agency in AI

About the Presenter

Minista Jazz (Rev. Jasmaine Cook-Kendrick) is a radical liberation technologist, artist, and founder of Much Different World, building consent-governed infrastructure for voice, likeness, and personality in the age of AI. A self-taught Black queer woman, she learned to code at 40 after 20+ years as an award-winning hair artist who performed with global icons across 40+ countries. That craft became reparative technology that centers Black women first. Her Afrotemporal Witness Rooms braid past, present, and future, activating the public record of Black historical figures through source-credited, non-impersonating digital doubles. Rooted in Diasporic Intelligence and afrotemporalism, her work treats consent, provenance, and repair as civic acts.

Making Accessibility a Reality for People with Limited Mobility and the Visually Impaired: Ai in Personal Delivery Devices

About the Presenter

Deji Obikoya is a Mechanical Engineering student at Virginia State University (Class of 2028) with a passion for innovation, problem-solving, and designing solutions that create a meaningful impact. After initially pursuing a degree in Biology, he transitioned to Mechanical Engineering upon realizing that the discipline better aligned with his interests in understanding how systems work, improving existing designs, and developing practical solutions to real-world challenges.

Before attending Virginia State University, Deji graduated from Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, where he earned an Advanced Diploma, completed Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, competed as a member of the varsity basketball team, and obtained his Physical Therapy Technician Certification. These experiences helped cultivate the discipline, resilience, and collaborative mindset that continue to shape his academic and professional growth.

Driven by curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning, Deji enjoys applying analytical thinking and creativity to engineering challenges. He is particularly interested in designing innovative systems, improving processes, and leveraging engineering principles to solve complex problems that benefit both industry and the broader community.

As an aspiring engineer, Deji is actively seeking opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships, research, and collaborative projects. His goal is to build a career centered on innovation, continuous improvement, and developing technologies that make a lasting, positive impact on society.

When Should a Biomedical Model Change Its Mind? A CFD-Guided Energy-Geometric Framework for Concept Drift in Multimodal Physiologic Signals

About the Presenter

Farouk Ganiyu Adewumi is a graduate student in Advanced Computing at Morgan State University. His research focuses on trustworthy artificial intelligence, multimodal biomedical signal processing, and explainable machine learning for healthcare applications. His current work investigates the fusion of ECG, PPG, and respiratory signals to improve robust cardiovascular monitoring and clinical decision support.

A Multi-Agent Prediction-Triggered Control Framework for Intersection Safety: Demonstration and Stability Limits of Dynamic Left-Turn Protection

About the Presenter

My name is Farhana and I am a graduate researcher in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University, affiliated with the SMARTER Center and CEAMLS. My research focuses on the intersection of transportation safety, artificial intelligence, and K–12 education technology. I currently work on AI-based traffic signal control, a U.S. DOT-funded digital twin testbed for connected and automated vehicles, and AI literacy programs for K–12 students in underserved communities. My broader interests span simulation-based transportation research, computer vision pipelines, and building production-ready agentic AI and educational platforms.

Human-AI Collaboration in Stress and Pain Monitoring Using Psychophysiological Signals

About the Presenter

Olamide Adeyelu is a Graduate Research Assistant and M.S. candidate in Biomedical Sciences at Morgan State University. Her research focuses on neuroscience, pain perception, anxiety, and psychophysiological signal analysis using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials. She is interested in applying computational methods and neurotechnology to better understand brain function and improve patient care. Her broader research interests include clinical neuroscience, biomedical data analysis, and translational research aimed at advancing neurological health.

Understanding AI Literacy Among College Students: Voices from a Historically Black College and University

About the Presenter

Sujata Sharma earned a Master of Public Health degree from Morgan State University (Spring 2026) and is a registered nurse licensed in both the United States and Nepal. She has clinical experience in Medical/Surgical, Cardiac, and Progressive care nursing. Her research interests include cardiovascular disease prevention, music as medicine, health literacy, digital inclusion, and health equity. She has contributed to qualitative and quantitative public health research, data analysis, and scholarly dissemination while serving as a graduate researcher. As a graduate teaching assistant, she has supported nursing and biostatistics education while mentoring students. She is passionate about integrating research, education, leadership, and community engagement to improve health outcomes.

PRIDE in Higher Ed: Perception of Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics in Higher Education

About the Presenter

Dr. Tiffanie Smith is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science at Lincoln University, where her research explores the intersection of human-centered computing and computing education. Her work focuses on designing culturally and contextually responsive technologies and learning experiences that broaden participation in computing and empower communities to engage critically with emerging technologies. Through interdisciplinary research, she develops human-centered educational interventions and experiential learning opportunities that connect computing with real-world social impact.

AI-Driven PM2.5 Prediction Using Satellite and Meteorological Data

About the Presenter

Rokeya Siddiqua is a PhD student in Computer Science at Morgan State University under the Advanced & Equitable Computing program. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant with Dr. Xiaowen Li in the Climate Science Division, where she contributes to the NASA DEAP project using satellite observations to study surface particulate pollutants around Baltimore. She completed her BSc in Computer Science and Engineering with a focus on Artificial Intelligence at North South University, Dhaka. She previously worked as a Machine Learning Engineer at AinoviQ IT Limited and as a Lab Instructor at North South University. Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and their applications in education, mental health, healthcare, and climate science.

Democratizing Measurement of Unstructured Corporate Giving Using AI-based Framework

AI-Assisted Exploration of Accounting Data in Extended Reality

About the Presenter

Dr. Dina El Mahdy is a Professor of Accounting at Morgan State University. Her research spans earning quality, accounting education, corporate social responsibility, information technology, gender diversity, corporate governance, forensic accounting, and more. Her work influences the decisions of various stakeholders and has been cited by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), Forbes, New York Post, the Afro, Bloomberg, and others. Her publications have appeared in Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Accounting and Finance, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Risk and Financial Management, International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting, and others. Throughout her career, she has secured scholarships and educational and research grants nearing $1 million, highlighting the immense impact of her career.

Adaptive Cybersecurity with Human-in-the-Loop Policy Learning: A Simulation-Driven Framework for Collaborative AI Defense

About the Presenter

Tarique Cummings is an undergraduate Computer Science student at Morgan State University whose research spans trustworthy artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, adaptive machine learning, quantum computing, and algorithmic trading. His work focuses on developing robust, human-centered intelligent systems through continual learning, explainable AI, simulation, and secure system design. He has contributed to research in intrusion detection, adaptive policy learning, AI infrastructure, and intelligent decision-support systems, and has industry experience in AI and data analytics through Pfizer Digital IT. He aspires to develop resilient technologies that advance responsible AI and cybersecurity.

Digital Equity, Student Agency, and Ethical AI Readiness: Evidence from an HBCU Broadband Intervention

About the Presenter

Oluwafisayo Jessica Adeolu is a graduate student in Data Analytics and Visualization at Morgan State University, where she also serves as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Civil Engineering. Her research focuses on digital equity, urban infrastructure, transportation systems, and data-driven approaches to inclusive planning and evidence-based policy. She applies quantitative analysis, geospatial methods, and data visualization to examine how technology, infrastructure, and access shape institutional and community outcomes. Her broader research interests include ethical AI readiness, urban systems, and equity-centered decision support.

FPGA-Accelerated ORB Feature Extraction on Zynq UltraScale+: A Real-Time HLS Pipeline on the AUP-ZU3 MPSoC PYNQ Platform with Performance Comparison Against Zynq-7000

About the Presenter

Charles Clarke Dankwa is a doctoral researcher and graduate research assistant at Morgan State University's National Transportation Center (NTC), in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on FPGA-accelerated edge processing for perception, autonomous systems, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). His recent work includes FPGA-accelerated ORB feature extraction on the PYNQ platform (achieving 72 FPS with a 7x CPU speedup), field deployment of an autonomous wheelchair platform (UrbanFlow) at BWI Airport and Morgan State's HHSC campus, and LiDAR-based perception and V2X communications research for connected vehicle systems..

The Misleading Narrative of AI Shared Prosperity: A Marxist Reply

About the Presenter

Larry Liu is an assistant professor of sociology at Morgan State University and faculty affiliate at the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems. He researches the future of work, automation, capitalism and universal basic income.

Predictive Stability Versus Fairness Instability in Multi-Label ECG Classification: A Multi-Run Analysis of Deep Learning Architectures on PTB-XL

About the Presenter

Sudip Sharma is a Research Assistant at the Center for Equitable Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) at Morgan State University, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Advanced Computing. His research focuses on trustworthy and explainable artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on machine learning applications in healthcare.

Before joining Morgan State University, Sudip worked as a Software Engineer at EB Pearls, where he developed backend GraphQL APIs using NestJS and contributed to iOS application development with SwiftUI. He has experience in Python, machine learning, cloud computing, and full-stack software development.

Sudip is passionate about developing AI systems that are fair, transparent, and impactful. His research interests include deep learning, medical image analysis, explainable AI, trustworthy AI, and cloud technologies. He actively participates in research, conferences, and collaborative projects that bridge academic innovation with real-world applications.

Human-AI Collaborative Digital Twins for Climate-Resilient Transportation Infrastructure

About the Presenter

Julius Ogaga Etuke is a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, specializing in sustainable and resilient transportation infrastructure. He serves as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Engineering Research Laboratory. His research interests include transportation resilience, digital twins, immersive technologies, pavement performance, rubber-modified asphalt, and AI-supported infrastructure decision-making. He has contributed to multiple research projects, conference papers, and technical studies focused on resilient infrastructure systems, engineering education, and emerging technologies for sustainable transportation.

Business Risk in Machine-Generated News Summaries: A Four-Model Accuracy and Bias Audit

About the Presenter

Tamara Ward-Lucas is a MS candidate in Artificial Intelligence for Business at the University of Baltimore, focused on AI ethics and governance. Her research evaluates accuracy, hallucination, and bias in AI-generated news summaries, alongside work on bias in mortgage lending and power grid cybersecurity. A former federal employee and journalist, she covered government, politics, and environment in Maryland and Capitol Hill. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Maryland College Park, authored an Olin Brookings Commission paper on AI and machine learning for opioid diversion, and completed fellowships in Congress and with NABJ and Pew Research Center.

Exploring Adaptive Learning Beyond Student Performance

About the Presenter

Skylar Brown is an undergraduate student researcher at Howard University whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, education, and cognitive science. Her research focuses on adaptive learning systems that personalize instruction by integrating cognitive styles, reflective processing, and funds of knowledge to improve student learning outcomes and self-efficacy. By investigating how AI can provide individualized support while preserving learner autonomy, Skylar aims to contribute to the development of more equitable and effective educational technologies.

Whose Classroom Is It? Teacher Agency in the Age of Agentic AI

About the Presenter

Emmanuel Akwasi Opoku is a student at Grambling State University interested in how AI is changing classrooms. His research looks at what happens to teachers and students when AI systems start handling parts of instruction on their own. At N-SEA 2026, he is presenting a poster that breaks down the different ways teachers show up when AI is running the lesson, and what that means for how well students actually learn.

AI CYBERCHECK: Quantifying the Faithfulness of LLM-Augmented Explanations in Hybrid Network Intrusion and Phishing Detection Framework

About the Presenter

Rezoan Sultan is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University and an Applied Machine Learning Engineer specializing in real-world AI systems. He is the founder of an AI solutions company focused on building intelligent platforms across healthcare, education, cybersecurity, and environmental risk management. His work includes developing Mediscan AI, a system that simplifies complex medical reports for better patient understanding, an AI Academic Advisor for personalized student guidance, a machine learning–based natural calamity risk reduction system for early warning and safety, and AI-driven approaches in cybersecurity for threat detection and analysis. His mission is to design human-centered AI solutions that bridge the gap between advanced machine learning and practical, impactful applications.

Generative-AI Enhanced Clinical Judgment Grand Rounds

About the Presenter

Dr. Aundrea McNeil, DNP, MSN, RN, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing at Morgan State University with more than 20 years of clinical, academic, and leadership experience. She has served in roles including Dean of Nursing, Practical Nursing Program Chair, and Assistant Director of Nursing, with expertise in nursing education, curriculum development, simulation, faculty development, and student success. Her clinical background includes medical-surgical nursing, critical care, and case management, and she has presented nationally and internationally on nursing education and evidence-based practice. Dr. McNeil earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Carlow University, a Master of Science in Nursing Education from Towson University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Coppin State University. She is currently pursuing her Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Bowie State University and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Preparing Preservice Inclusion Teachers to Support Students Using AI

About the Presenter

Dr. Koryne C. Nnoli, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Exceptional Education in the Teacher Education Department of the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University. With over 15 years of experience as a special educator, Dr. Nnoli brings extensive expertise in supporting students with diverse learning needs. Her research centers on advancing inclusive education, strengthening inclusive leadership practices, and fostering meaningful family-school partnerships. Her most recent work focuses on ways to integrate artificial intelligence with curriculum design, assessment and instruction practices, and program implementation to support students with diverse learning needs in inclusive learning environments. She is committed to preparing educators, leaders, and families to create equitable, collaborative, and supportive learning environments for all learners.

Measuring of Heart Rate Without Touch: Making Health Monitoring More Accessible and Fair

About the Presenter

Tijesunimi Adeyemi is a Ph.D. student in Computer and Electrical Systems Engineering at Morgan State University. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, biomedical signal processing, computer vision, and non-contact physiological monitoring. He develops camera-based methods for estimating heart rate from facial videos using Eulerian video magnification, with particular attention to fairness and performance across diverse skin tones. His broader research interests include responsible AI, deepfake detection, digital health, and the development of accessible technologies for real-world healthcare applications.

A Multi-Agent Workflow implemented in Python using Mistral AI Library

About the Presenter

At present Dr. Stojkovic’s research interests are primarily focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI-agents, machine learning algorithms, and drone programming). These areas are reflected in his publications, including over 90 scientific papers.

Dr. Stojkovic has received notable recognition for his research efforts, including several grants from major organizations such as multiple Google Awards (2022, 2023, 2024).

Dr. Stojkovic continues to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, participating in professional development programs such as the Google Technical Exchange Program on Machine Learning and Software Development Studio and Amazon Machine Learning University.

LEGO Brick Detection: YOLO based Deep Learning

About the Presenter

Derrick Mirindi, a civil engineer and member of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), is a doctoral candidate in architecture, urbanism, and built environments with a strong foundation in civil engineering and hydroinformatics. He is also a master's student in Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests lie in the intersections of infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and remote sensing, with a focus on analyzing urban nexus analysis through remote sensing and nexus assessment and modeling, as well as combining structural materials for construction in Building Information Technology (BIM). Derrick is committed to advancing knowledge in sustainable infrastructure solutions and is seeking opportunities to collaborate, teach, and further his research. He has a diverse educational background, including a Master of Science in Water Science and Engineering with a specialization in hydroinformatics from the Netherlands, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on structures from Kenya, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Burundi. Derrick's research experience includes roles as a research assistant at Morgan State University, where he conducts literature reviews, designs research studies, and collaborates with other researchers. He has published various articles focusing on waste materials for construction, artificial intelligence, and building information technology.

Leveraging Growth Mindset as a Lens for Human-AI Collaboration: Examining Educator and Parent Perceptions of AI

About the Presenter

Nacie Jones-Grigsby (she/her), M.A., M.S., is a doctoral student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs concentration at Morgan State University, currently serving as a Graduate Research Assistant for the National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities (NCEED). A senior higher education scholar-practitioner with nearly two decades of experience, her research examines the impact of AI literacy on education and society through the lens of growth mindset. She is committed to exploring how AI can serve as a catalyst for educational equity, institutional innovation, and improved learning outcomes for Black communities.

Teachers’ Criteria for Trusting AI: A Working Qualitative Study of K-12 Educators’ AI Trust Frameworks in Professional Practice

About the Presenter

Keshiyena is a doctoral candidate in Science Education at Morgan State University. She taught science in Durham Public Schools for two and a half years. Her research pursuits also include studying AI in all school contexts. Keshiyena is passionate about innovative approaches to improving education systems and empowering all stakeholders to take actionable steps towards greater academic change.

Active Dynamic Consent: A Lifecycle-Enforced Approach to Privacy-Preserving Data Governance

About the Presenter

Lawyer with over six years of legal experience and currently pursuing an MBA at Morgan State University. Researcher with the QQAEL Lab, affiliated with the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS). Research interests include AI ethics, legal ethics, privacy, and data governance.

EcoMunity: A Human-in-the-Loop Computer Vision System That Turns Campus Cleanups into a Verified, Open Litter Dataset

About the Presenter

Kene Ugoji is a rising senior at Oakland Mills High School with a strong interest in AI and robotics engineering, especially where mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering intersect. He has completed advanced coursework in AP Physics, Calculus, and Computer Science, and is particularly passionate about biomimetic applications in robotics. Kene is also a part-time programmer and game developer experienced in Lua/Luau, Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, and C++, with hands-on work building and maintaining Roblox games for indie studios. At school, he serves as the tech lead for the EcoMunity club, where he is developing a data-driven web app to support community cleanup efforts and improve local waste management.