This week, Florida State University will bring together experts on artificial intelligence and machine learning to explore the role of agentic AI — a type of AI that performs tasks and adapts to change with little human intervention — across industries including medicine, finance, education and more.

The 2026 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Expo, AIMLX26, is set for Friday, Feb. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, 200 S. Duval Street. The two-day event is presented by the FSU Interdisciplinary Data Science Master’s Degree Program.

On Friday, industry professionals and researchers from FSU’s Department of Computer Science, the FSU School of Information, OpenAI, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Florida and Premera Blue Cross will present on topics ranging from the engineering of AI systems to their applications.

“The theme of this year’s event is agentic AI with a focus on how intelligent, autonomous and collaborative AI systems are reshaping research, industry and society,” said Zhe He, director of the Institute for Successful Longevity at FSU and a professor in the School of Information. “The program will explore topics such as multi-agent systems, large language model–based agents, decentralized and agentic web architectures, AI for scientific discovery, and real-world deployments in domains like health care, finance and enterprise systems.”

He, who is also affiliated with the Department of Computer Science, Department of Statistics, and the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine in the College of Medicine, will present the lecture “Developing a Multi-Agent AI System for Explaining Lab Results to Older Adults.” This work is supported by a recent grant from the National Institute on Aging’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research and aims to help older Americans better understand how to use AI and other emerging technologies to better manage and act upon their health data.

He’s presentation will include his team’s work on LabGenie, a patient-and-caregiver facing application that is designed to improve health outcomes for consumers.

“The system is designed to translate complex laboratory data into patient-friendly, actionable insights that support better engagement, shared decision making, and improved health literacy and outcomes,” He said.

This year’s keynote speaker, Sherwin Wu, is a member of technical staff at OpenAI and leads engineering for the OpenAI Platform. His keynote address on Friday, “Slowly, and Then All At Once: A survey of AI agents over the last three years and a glimpse into the next three years,” will discuss industry trends since ChatGPT’s launch in 2022 and the current and future landscape of AI capabilities.

On Saturday, the Challenger Learning Center will host the local K-12 community for additional FSU faculty lectures as well as a series of interactive activities — the first event of its kind in AIMLX series history. Activities include learning about robotics, color coding magnets, basic programming, car challenges, binary number bracelet crafts and more that allow learners of all ages to participate.

“We’re highlighting the connection between what goes on at FSU on the scientific level and day-to-day applications of AI tools,” said Gordon Erlebacher, IDS program director and a professor in the Department of Scientific Computing, who will present Saturday on the rapid evolution of AI tools and their impact on daily life. “AI tools have so many uses that students should learn about, and the community day allows participants to directly ask FSU faculty questions about AI while providing a point of contact for the future. We hope that hearing from local experts who use these tools will make AI approachable and relatable.”

For a full schedule of presentations, events, topics, presenter details and more, visit the FSU Data Science event website.

AIMLX26 is sponsored by Florida State University, the FSU College of Arts and Sciences, the FSU College of Communication and Information, the FSU School of Information, the FSU Department of Computer Science, the FSU Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, the FSU Department of Scientific Computing, the FSU Department of Statistics, the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee and Ruvos.

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Florida State University researchers have received a $2.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop artificial intelligence tools that will help manage wildfires fueled by hurricanes in the Florida Panhandle. 

The four-year project will be led by Yushun Dong, an assistant professor of computer science, and is the largest research award ever for FSU’s Department of Computer Science. Dong and his interdisciplinary team will focus on wildfires in the wildland-urban interface, where forests such as the Apalachicola National Forest meet homes, roads and other infrastructure. 

Dong’s project, “FIRE: An Integrated AI System Tackling the Full Lifecycle of Wildfires in Hurricane-Prone Regions,” will bring together computer scientists, fire researchers, engineers and educators to study how hurricanes change wildfire behavior and to build AI systems that can forecast ignition, predict roadway disruptions, and assess potential damage. 

“The modern practice of prescribed burns began over 60 years ago, which was a huge leap in working with nature to help manage an ecosystem,” said Dong, who joined FSU’s faculty last year and established the Responsible AI Lab at FSU after earning his doctorate from the University of Virginia. “Now, we’re positioned to make another leap: we’re able to use powerful AI technology to transform wildfire risk management with tools such as ignition forecasting, roadway disruption prediction, condition estimations, damage assessments and more.” 

The project is funded as part of an NSF program, Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education, or FIRE, which was established last year and funds research and education enabling large-scale, interdisciplinary breakthroughs that realign our relationship with wildland fire and its connected variables.    

Two of the four projects funded so far by the competitive program are led by FSU researchers — Neda Yaghoobian, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, was also funded for a project that will analyze unresolved canopy dynamics contributing to wildfires.  

“This grant represents the department’s biggest research award to date and cements our leadership in applying cutting-edge AI to urgent, real-world problems in our region,” said Weikuan Yu, Department of Computer Science chair. “The funding enables the development of a holistic AI platform addressing Florida’s hurricane and wildfire challenges while advancing cutting-edge AI research. Additionally, the grant includes educational and workforce development initiatives in AI and disaster resilience, positioning the department as a leader in training the next generation of scientists working at the intersection of AI and wildfire research.”

WHY IT MATTERS
Fires, especially low-intensity natural wildfires and prescribed burns, can play a vital role in regulating certain forests, grasslands and other fire-adapted ecosystems. They decrease the risk and severity of large, destructive wildfires while supporting soil processes and, in many cases, limit pest and disease outbreaks. 

In clearing fallen leaves that pose as hazardous fuel loads, fires lower forest density and recycle nutrients through the ecosystem. But when heaps of trees accumulate, as has happened following recurrent hurricanes in the Florida Panhandle, these fires can exhibit complex dynamics that threaten built infrastructure including homes and roadways in addition to natural landscapes. Understanding this hurricane-wildfire connection is critical for planning evacuations, protecting roads and safeguarding homes and lives.  

“I became passionate about applying my research, which achieves responsible AI that directly contributes to critical AI infrastructures, to hurricane-related phenomena after experiencing my first hurricane living in Tallahassee,” Dong said. “I want to use AI techniques to help Florida Panhandle residents better understand and prepare for extreme events in this ecosystem with its unique hurricane-fire coupling dynamics.”   

INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION
Eren Ozguven, associate professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center director, is the co-principal investigator on this project, and additional contributors include James Reynolds, co-director of STEM outreach for FSU’s Learning Systems Institute, and Jie Sun, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science.  

“Yushun’s project stands out for its ambition, insight, and integrative approach,” Yu said. “It zeros in on the unique challenges of Florida’s landscape where hurricanes and wildfires intersect in the wildland-urban interface of the Panhandle. By focusing on hurricane-fire coupling dynamics and working closely with local stakeholders, his project ensures that scientific innovation translates into practical, community-centered solutions. His integrated approach brings the benefit of cutting-edge AI advances directly to major real-world applications, creating a wonderful research lifecycle that’s exceptionally rare in our field.” 

To learn about research conducted in the Department of Computer Science, visit cs.fsu.edu.

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Ibrahim Gillani appreciates the “tight knit” community. 

His younger brother, Shahmeer Mustafa Gillani, beholds the “very beautiful” campus. 

And their mother, Amber Noor Mustafa, embraces the “very welcoming” hospitality. 

All three speak from the perspective of a current student at Florida State University.  

“How impressive is that?” said Lawrence Joseph “LJ” Mahon, a senior lecturer in the Department of Finance in FSU’s College of Business. “When I was young, most students saw college as a way to get away from home and live the college experience. And here we have a mother and her two sons at FSU.” 

The three arrived at FSU one at a time by way of Pakistan, their homeland. 

Ibrahim, a student of Mahon’s, graduates Friday, May 3 with a Master of Science degree in finance, while Shahmeer pursues a bachelor’s in computer science and Amber, their mother, works toward a Ph.D. in international and multicultural education through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program. 

They personify FSU’s global reach and illustrate the university’s celebrated family atmosphere.  

“We are proud to be at FSU,” Amber said. 

Amber began a five-year Fulbright program at FSU in August 2020, one year after Ibrahim began pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in economics at New York University. Amber did her first semester online in Pakistan, then moved to Tallahassee with her husband, Noor Mustafa Gillani, in January 2021.  

Amber calls her husband the family’s “scaffolding.” 

“He left his work in Pakistan and made all of this possible,” she said. 

Shahmeer came with his parents to Tallahassee but soon returned to the family’s hometown of Lahore, considered Pakistan’s cultural capital, to finish high school. He graduated in summer 2023 and applied to numerous U.S. universities, with a preference for acceptance to FSU so that he could join his mother and father in Tallahassee. He got his wish and started at FSU in fall 2023. 

Meanwhile, Ibrahim completed his bachelor’s degree at NYU in May 2023. He considered starting work as a strategy consultant but decided to apply to FSU’s Master of Science in finance program, which would reunite him with his family and give him time to prepare for the Chartered Financial Analyst level 1 exam as he worked toward a prestigious job in finance. 

He liked the professional-development emphasis of FSU’s program, which would allow him to help manage the college’s Student Investment Fund, a student-run vehicle now valued at more than $6 million. He also considered FSU’s Top 25 ranking among public schools and especially its value compared with the cost of tuition at many other schools. 

He has since discovered even more to like about it. 

“Even though it’s a big school, there’s a tight-knit community here,” Ibrahim said. “I’ve noticed that the faculty members, even the ones with the highest credentials, are very caring toward their students. They look out for us, and they’re there for us when we need help. That is a big difference at FSU.” 

He has brought a big difference to FSU: a moustache that turns heads, amazes professors and inspires comparisons to William Howard Taft, Rollie Fingers and the guy on the Pringles can.

“That is the best mustache in the competition and possibly the best mustache I have ever seen,” Darren Brooks, assistant dean and MBA director in the College of Business, said in March during the FSU/SouthState Bank Small Business Case Competition. He referred to the whiskers of Ibrahim, who participated on a team that took first place in the event. 

Ibrahim noted that moustaches are culturally big in Pakistan, where they’re sometimes just plain big. He’s had his since 2022, and he plans to keep it, at least for now. 

“It’s been useful in the job-searching process,” he said. “When you do an interview or you’re at a networking event, they remember you. They remember your face.” 

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Over the past year, the public and academia have experienced the power artificial intelligence and machine learning possess to fundamentally change the way people interact with one another, with technology and with the world.

Florida State University is bringing together experts in the use of these technologies Friday, Feb. 23 for the 2024 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Expo, AIMLX24, an exploration of the latest applications of AI and machine learning in health care.

The expo, which features expert presentations and a panel discussion, is presented by the FSU Interdisciplinary Data Science Master’s Degree Program and will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee.

“Better understanding the applications of AI and machine learning techniques is crucial for navigating the future landscape of work and daily life,” said Zhe He, AIMLX24 co-organizer and an associate professor in the FSU School of Information, part of the College of Communication and Information. “For researchers and innovators, knowledge about these techniques is crucial for pushing the boundaries of what is possible, leading to breakthroughs in science and technology.”

AI’s cutting-edge technology focuses on building systems that learn and improve from history and experience rather than through programming. The rapid improvements in AI are having profound impacts on a wide array of industries, including academic research.

This year’s expo will focus on AI’s emerging role in health care, featuring presentations from professors, researchers and health care experts. Attendees will learn about new advancements in AI in health and medicine, hear valuable perspectives during individual presentations and engage with practitioners in an interactive panel discussion.

“Proficiency in AI and machine learning also opens up a wealth of career opportunities,” He said. “As demand for these skills grows across sectors, those who are knowledgeable will have a competitive advantage in the job market.”

AIMLX24’s keynote speaker is Yuan Luo, director of the Institute for AI in Medicine and an associate professor of health and biomedical informatics in Northwestern University’s Department of Preventative Medicine.

“AI is here to stay, said Gordon Erlebacher, FSU IDS program director and professor of scientific computing. “FSU’s IDS program teaches students to handle all types of data with the help of statistical, mathematical and computational tools. At the expo, students will learn about the applications of their coursework and challenge their expectations as to what is possible. I hope the attendees gain an appreciation of the new life-changing tools on the near-horizon, such as personalized medicine.”

Concerns are commonly articulated about the potential for AI software to be abused, not least by those most invested in the technology’s development. The expo will respond to these concerns and foster discussion on the importance of responsible use.

“It is important to know that AI and machine learning are not just technical subjects; they are catalysts for transformation across all facets of society,” He said. “Understanding them is key to unlocking their potential and mitigating their risks.”

AIMLX24 is sponsored by FSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication and Information, School of Information, Department of Computer Science, Department of Scientific Computing, Department of Mathematics, Department of Statistics and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.

For the full schedule of presentations, topics, details on the presenters and more, visit datascience.fsu.edu/aimlx.

About the FSU Interdisciplinary Data Science Master’s Degree Program:
Students in this professional degree program study the latest in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics, and statistics as they prepare for wide-ranging careers, from cybersecurity to the sciences and health care, from finance and economics to the humanities and more.

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The National Science Foundation has awarded a Florida State University computer science researcher a grant to design, implement and test a new type of wireless communication technique that aims to reduce transfer times when sending messages via satellite networks.

Zhenghao Zhang, a professor in the Department of Computer Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, leads the $550,000 project, which will allow more immediate connections to satellites and support applications such as automated vehicles and advanced gaming that are sensitive to latency, or the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer.

“This grant is truly valuable to me and my doctoral students because, without it, this work could not be done,” Zhang said. “I have received NSF grants in the past, but this is the first time my proposal was ranked as highly competitive by the NSF review panel. I tend to be more experimental as a computer scientist, so earning this grant solidifies my passion for exploring new routes toward solving practical problems in wireless communications.”

Currently, typical communication technologies need a coordination stage to wait for decisions on resource allocation before communication can successfully occur. This process involves significant time restrictions, making satellite networks less suitable for users who seek instant communication. Zhang and his team will research alternative links between user terminals and satellite networks in order to eliminate these restrictions.

Zhang’s project was born of the desire to further empower satellite communications in rural areas and oceans where ground networks require too much energy, time and funding to install. This project would allow users to rely on satellite networks in addition to typical wireless data networks to send and receive messages without the delay usually experienced by satellite users.

“When submitting this proposal, we not only claimed our method of reducing satellite latency might work, but we showed how it could work in certain situations by experimentally verifying our ideas,” Zhang said. “We set up experiments, in collaboration with the University of Utah, in which multiple devices transmitted data to another device over long-distance wireless links, and it showed that we could successfully decode the received signal. Thanks to this grant, we can now set up devices to test even longer distances and verify more applications of this research.”

Through their experiments, Zhang and his team learned that in order to eliminate slow uplink times for messages being sent to satellites, each user signal must be randomized, which is a key part of a protocol known as Chirp Permutation Multiple Access. This enables satellites to decode and interpret many messages at once since each signal is made unique, allowing for faster communication than present-day satellite networks offer.

Zhang earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, in 1996 and 1999 before going on to earn a doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2006. Prior to joining FSU’s faculty in 2007, Zhang worked in industry as an embedded system software engineer and in academia as a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

“This NSF grant is an affirmation of Zhang’s promising ideas and recognition of the high-quality research of Zhang and his vision of future communication networks,” said computer science chair Weikuan Yu. “It also greatly boosts the strengths of wireless communication and mobile computing in the computer science department at FSU. We look forward to further accomplishments from Dr. Zhang’s cutting-edge research as he propels this direction forward in our department.”

To learn more about Zhang’s work and the Department of Computer Science, visit cs.fsu.edu.

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