AI Innovation Showcase Highlights Research, Paths to Industry Partnerships
On Oct. 16, the University of California, Davis, College of Engineering hosted the AI Innovation Showcase and Prem Jain Symposium, which was attended by more than 100 faculty, students, alumni and industry partners. Faculty and student researchers shared cutting-edge technologies, startups and programs, and industry professionals remarked on the importance of research and collaboration and the future of AI.
“Generative AI has ushered in a new era of AI,” said Raissa D’Souza, associate dean of research for the college and founding director of the UC Davis AI Center in Engineering. “This showcase creates an opportunity to come together with industry to learn and innovate and help UC Davis reach its potential of being a true powerhouse in AI research and technology for the betterment of humanity and the planet.”
The event kicked off with an address from Prem Jain, co-founder of Pensando Systems and UC Davis engineering alum, during which he outlined a vision of UC Davis as one of the world’s top universities for AI research and innovation, urging attendees to aspire, invest and lead. The university is uniquely positioned for this role due to its growing AI ecosystem built on interdisciplinary collaboration, proximity to both Sacramento and Silicon Valley, and ability to translate how its research can make a significant impact on society.
In 2019, Jain donated $1.5 million to establish the Prem Chand Jain Family Presidential Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering to help translate students’ fundamental research into commercially viable, socially useful products. The gift also enabled the titular Prem Jain Symposium, which was launched in 2021 and led by Dipak Ghosal, the inaugural Presidential Chair, current chair of the Department of Computer Science and co-director of the AI Center in Engineering.
Diane Bryant, former chairman and CEO of NovaSignal and electrical engineering alum (and namesake of the Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center), delivered the industry keynote address. She emphasized the importance of a solid educational foundation to further advance AI.
“AI is moving at lightning speed,” she said. “Yet it’s still very early days. There isn’t a field it isn’t going to touch, and UC Davis has a great responsibility and opportunity to help advance AI.”
Six UC Davis faculty members presented current research initiatives, including Chen-Nee Chuah, professor of electrical and computer engineering and co-director of the AI Center in Engineering, who discussed her work in using AI for health innovations in clinical and home care, and Vinod Narayanan, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center, who spoke about his transformative research on efficient, dry cooling technology for sustainable, modular datacenters.
Alfred Chuang, computer science alum and founder of Race Capital, which sponsored the event, presented a rousing video message stressing that the most exciting projects are interdisciplinary and that this is the time to reinvent the world. This was followed by a presentation of student AI startups and clubs, moderated by Ghosal.
These presentations included VitalCue, which uses kinetic data capture and machine learning models for early identification of disease-specific decline, and the AI Student Collective, a global student organization of which UC Davis is the founding chapter dedicated to providing accessible AI literacy.
Tyler Schilling, co-founder of Schilling Robotics and CEO of Integral Methods, attended the event and was energized by the creativity of the projects shared, as well as the enthusiasm of the students and faculty.
“I always come away from events at UC Davis with a renewed sense of optimism. The AI Innovation Showcase was no exception,” he said. “I think it is critical that the College of Engineering is committed to building the infrastructure needed to enable the brilliant UC Davis community to make the world a better place, utilizing AI.”
George Baxter, chief innovation and economic development officer for UC Davis, outlined his goals for the university: Grow the number and quality of university-supported startups; improve venture capital provision; expand student enterprise; and champion Aggie Square in its efforts of collaborative innovation.
"It is critical that the College of Engineering is committed to
building the infrastructure needed to enable the brilliant UC Davis
community to make the world a better place, using AI." - Tyler Schilling
To close the afternoon, D’Souza facilitated a panel discussion with industry leaders, including Diane Bryant; Alim Giga, an investor in Race Capital; Ammar Hanafi, co-founder and general partner of Moment Ventures; Michael Hurlston, president and CEO of Lumentum; and Saif Islam, Distinguished professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering at UC Davis and two-time startup founder.
The panel offered perspectives on topics from AI energy usage and data centers to the integration of AI and robotics and translating research from the lab to commercial solutions.
Dean of Engineering Richard Corsi concluded the event, remarking on the progress of the past year since the launch of the AI Center in Engineering, as well as future efforts to build industry consortia and other partnerships that are catalyzed by events like the showcase.
“The AI Center in Engineering has been instrumental in aligning research, educational and entrepreneurship-focused initiatives, like the ones we’ve seen here at the AI Innovation Showcase,” he said. “I am inspired by all I’ve learned today, and I look forward to seeing the innovations we’ve explored grow alongside the connections that have been made.”
See more photos from the event on the College of Engineering Flickr.
