8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

REGISTRATION

• Registration: 1st floor, University Commons
• Continental breakfast: Ballroom, University Commons
• Posters: Multipurpose Room, University Commons
• Exhibits: Ballroom, University Commons

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM

WELCOME

• Matthew Hale, President, NJBDA; Associate Professor, Seton Hall University
  
• Chris Tully, Assemblyman, New Jersey General Assembly, District 38
• Richard J. Helldobler, President, William Paterson University
• Joshua B. Powers, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, William Paterson University
• Dave Cole, State of New Jersey Chief Innovation Officer

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Rajeeve Kaul, Corporate Vice President- Global Pricing Officer, McDonald’s

“From Models to Mindsets: Building the Augmented Enterprise on the Age of AI”

As the AI wave reshapes business, education, and government, how do we build systems and people that evolve and thrive? In this keynote, Rajeeve Kaul draws on a rich cross-industry journey spanning finance, retail, healthcare, and global operations to explore how AI and advanced analytics have evolved from behind-the-scenes modeling to front-line augmentation. Through real-world stories of innovation at scale — from retail segmentation to nuclear medicine logistics, he will discuss how predictive and generative AI are transforming decisions, workflows, and roles. With a focus on the human side of transformation, Rajeeve offers an honest, insightful look at what it really takes to lead in the age of AI — where culture, context, and capability must all align to create lasting impact.

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

BREAK AND NETWORKING

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

Research Track Program:
The symposium Research Track features presentations on current applied research in Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning. Presentations are categorized based on specific symposium themes in AI, Society, and higher education.

Research Track Chair: Forough Ghahramani, Assistant Vice President for Research & Innovation, Edge; Vice President for Research and Collaborations, NJBDA

Research Session 1: AI Methods & LLM Innovation
Location: 168A, University Commons

Explore cutting-edge AI techniques including generative models, graph networks, and real-time NLP. This session highlights technical advancements driving the next wave of intelligent systems.

Moderator: Abhishek Tripathi, Ph.D., Department of Accounting and Information Systems, The College of New Jersey

Research Session 2: AI in Health, Education, and Society
Location: 171A, University Commons

This session examines the impact of AI on healthcare delivery, educational support, and social equity. Presenters showcase human-centered applications of AI that enhance well-being and inclusion.

Moderator: Sharath Kumar, Ph.D., Data Science Institute, Saint Peter’s University

Research Session 3: AI in Industry, Infrastructure, and the Environment

Location: 171B, University Commons

Dive into real-world AI applications transforming business, infrastructure, and the environment. From optimizing mobility to guiding innovation in life sciences and clean energy, these talks spotlight AI’s role in shaping the future.

Moderator: J.D Jayaraman, Ph.D., Interim Dean, School of Business, New Jersey City University

Research Session 4: NJ Pathways Research Project
Location: 168 B, University Commons

Representatives from three student externship teams will present on the Data Science Curriculum Alignment and Articulation Agreement Pathways Project—a collaborative initiative between the Rutgers Master of Business and Science’s (MBS) Externship Program, the New Jersey Big Data Alliance, and NJ Pathways.  

As part of this project, externship teams investigated how data science curricula at New Jersey’s community colleges align with programs at four-year institutions. The overarching goal is to strengthen articulation agreements between community colleges and universities, enabling students to more seamlessly transfer credits toward their major—rather than as general electives—when moving from Associate to Baccalaureate degree programs. 

Following the student presentations, there will be a Q&A panel to further explore the students’ findings and experiences.

Moderators:
Karen Bemis | Assistant Research Professor, Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Assistant Director, Rutgers MBS Externship Program, Lori Dars, MBA | Associate Director of Economic Development and Innovation, Rutgers SEBS, Senior Advisor, Rutgers MBS Externship Program, George Avirappattu | Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Kean University |Program Mentor, New Jersey Big Data Alliance

Panelists: Saira Khan – Summer 2024 Externship, Rutgers – New Brunswick, Majors: Data Science & Computer Science; Jessica Rippman – Fall 2024 Externship, Rowan University, Major: Mathematics with a Statistics Concentration, Minor: Data Science; Aliaksandra Voitsik – Fall 2024 Externship, Kean University, Major: Mathematical Sciences with a Data Analytics Concentration, Minor: Computer Science; Rut Mehta – Spring  2025 Externship, Rutgers – New Brunswick, Majors: Business Analytics and Information Technology & Computer Science, Minor: Mathematics; Ananya Rayapuraju – Spring  2025 Externship, Rutgers – New Brunswick, Major: Business Analytics and Information Technology, Minor: Music Technology

STUDENT WORKSHOP

Hands-On AI Workflows with Google Colab & LM Studio
Location: BR 211, Student Center

Facilitators: Demetrios Roubos, Information Security Officer, Stockton University; Brian Gembara, Cybersecurity Engineer, Stockton University

Dive into practical AI-enhanced content creation in this beginner-friendly workshop. Start with a micro-session on leveraging Google Collab to build, test, and optimize AI workflows using pre-trained models and API integrations. Then, transition to a hands-on demonstration with LM Studio, where participants will learn to run lightweight models locally, tweak generation parameters, and harness the power of prompt engineering. Intended for all skill levels, this session equips participants with both cloud-based and local AI techniques to kickstart their journey in modern content automation. Though not required, participants should plan to bring their own laptop if possible.

STUDENT POSTER SESSION
Location: Multipurpose Room

Session Chair: Hieu Nguyen, Professor, Mathematics, Rowan University   

Committee: Rajiv Kashyap, Department Chair and Professor, Cotsakos College of Business, William Paterson University; Demetrios Roubos, Information Security Officer, Stockton University; Ik Jae Lee, Associate Professor, Rowan University; ​George Avirappattu, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Kean University

Panel of Judges: Rajiv Kashyap (Chair), Department Chair and Professor, Cotsakos College of Business, William Paterson University; Matthew Hale, President, New Jersey Big Data Alliance; Paul Arias, Senior Scientist, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Ik Jae Lee, Associate Professor, Rowan University; Jay Singh, Regional Enterprise Sales Manager, Cloudflare; Jay Sheruda, Public Sector Client Director, PruTech Solutions; Kelly Fitzpatrick, Associate Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness, County College of Morris; Hung Tong, Assistant Professor, Rowan University; Jin-A Choi, Assistant Professor and Director of Data Analytics, Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, Montclair State University; Cyril S. Ku, Professor and Director of Data Science Research Lab, Department of Computer Science, William Paterson University; Stephen Betts, Professor, Department of Management, Marketing, and Professional Sales, Cotsakos College of Business, William Paterson University.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

LUNCH, NETWORKING, EXHIBITS

• Lunch: Ballroom
• Posters: Multipurpose Room
• Exhibits: Ballroom

AWARDS

• Best Poster Awards

Prizes sponsored by Cloudflare, Inc. and Swiss Vault

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Lawrence Lee, Senior Director, Strategic Development, SRI International

“Human-Machine Collaboration and the Future of Work”

The rise of ChatGPT and other generative assistants have created opportunities that are changing the future of how we work. As a pioneer in AI including developing the original Siri, SRI believes that AI assistants can be helpful partners with people in the workplace, but there are many challenges that need to be overcome. Examples of SRI’s research in human-machine collaboration to turn this vision into a useful reality will be discussed.

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM

ACADEMIC PANEL DISCUSSION
The Impact of AI on Higher Education: Preparing the Workforce of Tomorrow

Academic Panel Chair: Catherine Frugé Starghill, Esq., Vice President, New Jersey Council of County Colleges; Executive Director, New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development

As artificial intelligence transforms industries at an unprecedented pace, higher education plays a critical role in equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in the augmented workforce. This panel, featuring leaders from New Jersey’s Community Colleges and the NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities initiative, will explore how AI is transforming teaching, learning, and workforce development.

With insights from educators in Data & Computer Science, Engineering/Advanced Manufacturing, and Information Technology, the discussion will highlight how AI is integrated into curricula and hands-on training and how higher education plays a pivotal role in preparing students to become power users of AI-driven technologies. From reshaping traditional industries to unlocking new career pathways, panelists will examine strategies for fostering AI literacy, closing skills gaps, and equipping students with the expertise needed in an evolving job market.

And in an unexpected twist—AI will be invited to the table. How? You’ll have to join us to find out.

Panelists:

Moderator: Kelly Fitzpatrick, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, County College of Morris, NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities, Center of Workforce Innovation for Data & Computer Science; Thomas Roskop, Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Engineering Science & Engineering Technologies, County College of Morris; Dawn Rywalt, Associate Professor, Department of Information Technologies, Business, Mathematics, Engineering & Technologies, County College of Morris; AI invited guest

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM

BREAK AND NETWORKING