UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The COVID-19 pandemic and inequity are just two stressors placing enormous challenges on education for students around the world. How can artificial intelligence address some of the core issues facing global education today? The Nittany AI Alliance, a service of Penn State Outreach, is taking a deep dive into that question during "Nittany AI Inspire Global Education, AI and the Greater Good" — an interactive, virtual event — at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22.

Spud Marshall, experience designer for My Creative Community, will facilitate the event. He curates event experiences for Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, the Sullivan Foundation and MentorCloud.

“Many of us are tired of joining ‘yet another Zoom meeting.’ Fortunately, there are exciting alternatives that let virtual gatherings feel far more engaging and collaborative,” Marshall said. “During this event, you’ll have the chance to freely move around the room and drop in on conversations that are most relevant to you while connecting with leaders all around the country.”

Marshall will join featured speaker Michelle Weise, author of “Long-Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist Yet,” to facilitate a conversation about emotional wellness, access to education, underserved populations, learning analytics and more with the following topic leaders:

— Justin Aglio, founding senior director for the Readiness Institute at Penn State and the Hope Moonshot program.

— Karen Armstrong, director of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity for Penn State Outreach and Online Education.

— Linsey Covert, CEO and founder of TEAMology.

— Phil Ice, chief solutions officer for Analytikus.

— Qiyuan Li, edtech director for Boston University Digital learning and Innovation.

— Raluca Negulescu-Balaci, executive director for UiPath Foundation.

— Ritik Parmar, Penn State student and tech lead for the winning Nittany AI Challenge team Nyansapo.

— Tanish Rastogi, Penn State student and app development for the winning Nittany AI Challenge team Nyansapo.

— Jennifer Wahl, instructor of Social Sciences for the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year for 2018.

— Brad Zdenek, innovation strategist for the Nittany AI Alliance.

All students, staff, companies and organizations focused on K–12, higher education and lifelong learning are invited to attend. The virtual event is free. Register Register here to receive a link to attend the event.