Schedule (draft)
Schedule (PDF)
Thursday, October 22, 2026
| Noon – 4 p.m. | Registration |
| 1 – 4 p.m. | Exhibit Tables |
| 1:30-4:30 p.m. | EarthDance Farms |
| 1:30-3 p.m. | SIUE Clean and Solar Energy Tour |
| 1:30 & 2:30 p.m. | Health Science Complex Tour |
| 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. | Concurrent Panels
· Panel 1 | “2026 ISA SpringBoard Challenge Awardee Presentations” – HS 1340 · Panel 2 | “IIN Social Innovation Insights, 2027 Funding Opportunities and Recipient Showcase” – HS 1131 · Panel 3 | “Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation through Digital Engineering, AI, and Cybersecurity” – HS 1330 · Panel 4 | Dell AI in Action: From Experimentation to Real-World Impact – HS 1135 |
| 5 – 7 p.m. | · IIN Networking Reception – HS Atrium
· Announcements of IIN Seed Funding Awardees and IIN Fellows |
Friday, October 23, 2026
| Noon – 4 p.m. | Registration |
| 1 – 4 p.m. | Exhibit Tables |
| 1:30-4:30 p.m. | EarthDance Farms |
| 1:30-3 p.m. | SIUE Clean and Solar Energy Tour |
| 1:30 & 2:30 p.m. | Health Science Complex Tour |
| 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. | Concurrent Panels
· Panel 1 | “2026 ISA SpringBoard Challenge Awardee Presentations” – HS 1340 · Panel 2 | “IIN Social Innovation Insights, 2027 Funding Opportunities and Recipient Showcase” – HS 1131 · Panel 3 | “Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation through Digital Engineering, AI, and Cybersecurity” – HS 1330 · Panel 4 | Dell AI in Action: From Experimentation to Real-World Impact – HS 1135 |
| 5 – 7 p.m. | · IIN Networking Reception – HS Atrium
· Announcements of IIN Seed Funding Awardees and IIN Fellows
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Friday, October 23:
| 8 – 8:45 am | Registration, Breakfast, Connections – Atrium and HS 1330/1340 |
| 9 – 9:15 am | Welcome Remarks – HS 1330 & 1340
IIN Conference Co-Chairs Welcome SIUE Welcome – Provost Denise Cobb IIN Director Welcome – Jeannette Tamayo |
| 9:20 – 10:15 am | Keynote Discussion – “Art and Storytelling from Frontline Nuclear Communities – HS 1330 & 1340
· Myrriah Gómez, Director, Southwest Hispanic Research Institute and Associate Professor, Honors College, the University of New Mexico · Abbey Hepner, Associate Professor, Department of Art & Design, SIUE · Moderated by Sean J. Patrick Carney, Assistant Professor of Visual & Critical Studies, Portland State University |
| 10:15 – 10:30 am | Coffee Break |
| 10:30 – 11:45 am | Session 1 – Concurrent Panels
· Panel 1 (Roundtable) “Responsible uses of AI: Considerations for workforce development, ethical decision making, environmental consciousness, and social justice” – HS 1340 · Panel 2 (Roundtable)“Innovative Bio and Feedstock Solutions for Non-Food Products and Future Research and Development” – HS 1135 · Panel 3 (Panel) “Surprising Opportunities in Partnership, A Case Study in Impact” – HS 2161 · Panel 4 (Roundtable)“What is Social Innovation, Why Should We Care, and How Does it Get Funded?” – HS 2131 · Panel 5 (Roundtable) “Community centered AI: Identifying Solutions for Accessibility, Grid Reliability, Career Development, and Workforce Access” – HS 2141 |
| Noon – 1:15 pm | Lunch, Networking breakouts, Student Posters |
| 1:30 – 2:45 pm | Session 2 – Concurrent Panels,
· Panel 6 (Workshop) “Building Sustainable Pathways Across Illinois: A Cross-Institutional Model for Circular Economy Innovation and AI-Enhanced Learning, and Student Entrepreneurship” – HS 1340 · Panel 7 (Roundtable) “ Clean energy production through transformative land-use and environmentally conscious protective land practices” – HS1135 |
| 1:30 – 2:05 | Panel 8a (Roundtable)“Open By Design: Rethinking Cost, Access, and Collaboration with Open Educational Resources” – HS 2161 |
| 2:10 – 2:45 | Panel 8b (Demonstration?) “Hands on Approaches to Industrial Processes and Manufacturing Operations in Support of Workforce Development and Sustainable Communities” – HS 2161 |
| 1:30 – 2:05 | Panel 9a (Panel)“AI as a source of connection, healthy aging, and support” – HS 2131 |
| 2:10 – 2:45 | Panel 9b (Panel) “Trustworthy AI in Practice: Emerging Threats and Privacy-Preserving Solutions for Illinois Healthcare and High-Stakes Systems” – HS 2131
Panel 10 (Workshop) “Powering Illinois’ Future Through Community Anchors: A University-Community Infrastructure Model for Equitable Innovation” HS 2141 |
| 3 – 3:30 pm | Closing Remarks and Connections – HS 1330 & HS 1340 |
| 4 pm – onward: | Extended opportunities for networking, working groups, and engagement |