NIU: CEET’s Innovation Showcase highlights AI’s role in education and industry

November 20, 2024

The four panelists who gathered last Friday for the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology's Innovation Showcase were joined by an unseen but increasingly influential entity: a chatbot.

It was only fitting, with the topic being "Harnessing AI and Machine Learning."

Administering the chatbot was panelist Scott Meyer, co-founder of Chipp, which helped NIU launch its first AI tutors in calculus, advising and physics. As Meyer promised during the discussion, the chatbot distilled all the remarks into a 30-minute AI-generated podcast.

Trane's Kristy Schomaker speaks during the panel discussion moderated by CEET Dean Dave Grewell (far right).
The episode, entitled "AI and Education: Rethinking How We Learn," features two voices (one female, one male) that cover many of the key points, questions and concerns covered by the panelists.

Among the questions: Where do our skills fit in with AI? Will AI make us dumber? What's the best way to incorporate AI into education? How do we continue to develop our critical thinking skills? What are the other uniquely human skills that we need to focus on?

CEET Dean Dave Grewell served as panel moderator. In addition to Meyer, the panelists were Greg McFalls, founder of McFalls Technical Solutions; Brian Freeman, senior data scientist at Trane Technologies; and Kristy Schomaker,​ Digital Services Commercialization Leader at Trane Commercial.

During the lively, wide-ranging discussion, McFalls told the Kasuba Auditorium audience that his use of AI is how he's able to compete with larger companies.

"It allows me solutions that work really well, really quickly, faster than anybody else, so long as I use this technology in a responsible way," McFalls said.

Meyer noted that "what runs AI is words, so if you can speak, you can create AI applications. But the people who are great at writing (AI) applications can speak clearly and ask questions succinctly." That advantage tends to be possessed by older people who have a greater depth of knowledge and expertise, he added.

Freeman said he encourages his team "to use the heck out of (AI tools) but you're still responsible for it. We're not going to use anything that we don't test the heck out of as well…Use with caution and at your peril but use it."

In the academic realm, "if you're giving questions that your students can use AI to solve," said Meyer, "then we should be teaching differently." One alternative he suggested is having AI write the answers that students then critique to demonstrate their knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Among the panelists' cautions: relying so heavily on AI that your critical thinking skills diminish. Another top issue is how to address privacy and proprietary concerns. "There's a reason why 22% of the Fortune 500 restrict or limit the use of public generative AI," McFalls said. "Spotify, Disney, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, the list is growing by the month."

AI: `Great at what you hate'

AI streamlines or eliminates certain laborious tasks-as Meyer said, "AI is great at what you hate. …what are the things in your day that you don't want to do and are not a great use of your skills? Let's get those out of the way so you can spend time doing what you care about."

For Trane, AI helps analyze a given building's data before technicians go on-site. That way, they can see what issues likely exist ahead of time, enabling them to be more effective and efficient with their time.

From left: Brian Freeman, Greg McFalls, Scott Meyer, Kristy Schomaker and Dave Grewell.
Although that gives rise to concern AI will eliminate positions, Schomaker noted that there are some characteristics of industry veterans that are irreplaceable. Among Trane's building technicians, for example, it's vital to create a culture of mentorship-"how do we pass hands-on skills down, so we don't lose that?"

The event was co-sponsored by the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), which serves as the state's U.S. Department of Commerce NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership center.

During her remarks earlier in the day, IMEC Vice President of Operations Mary Hallock noted that small- and medium-sized manufacturers have made strides but are behind larger companies in adopting newer technologies.

"Manufacturers tell us their biggest impediment to adopting automation and technology is the skills and the knowledge in order to be able to do it," Hallock said. "…the students here are so fortunate to receive a good education at NIU, building your problem-solving skills, building your critical-thinking skills. All of those are so important, no matter where you go in your careers."

Attended by leaders from industry, other academic institutions, the DeKalb area community and throughout NIU, the event underscored CEET's role as a vital partner in nurturing the region's workforce.

The day included tours of the building, research and project posters by students and professors, and an overview of CEET's six departments and programs: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, engineering technology, biomedical engineering and mechatronics engineering.

Article Link: https://ceet.news.niu.edu/2024/11/20/ceets-innovation-showcase-highlights-ais-role-in-education-and-industry/

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