Greetings IAIER Supporters,

📣 We are thrilled to connect with you for another edition of the IAIER Pulse! When we first launched this newsletter, our plan was to share updates once a month. Due to popular demand, we are excited to now bring you a bi-weekly newsletter, helping you stay informed and more closely engaged with our work.

📈 September has been a busy and impactful month at IAIER, with four events that brought together students, faculty, and industry partners. Through these efforts, we remain committed to AI literacy, creating meaningful engagement opportunities with global companies, and equipping you with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

🌎 Your support makes this work possible. We encourage you to stay connected through our social media channels and to reach out with opportunities for collaboration, partnership, or funding. Together, we are advancing NCCU’s vision of Soaring to New Heights, ensuring that AI is accessible, engaging, and empowering for all.

Thank you for your commitment to IAIER—where we believe AI is for everyone.

With Eagle Pride,

_{Siobahn Day Grady, Ph.D.}

🔐 Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Each October, we recognize Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of protecting our digital lives and advancing innovation in online safety.

At IAIER, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence and cybersecurity intersect to shape a safer future. AI tools are transforming how threats are detected, data is protected, and networks are secured—helping individuals, organizations, and communities stay resilient in a digital-first world.

September was a whirlwind for IAIER as we stayed busy hosting and supporting multiple events across campus. Each gathering brought students, faculty, and partners together—sparking collaboration, fresh insights, and continued innovation in AI learning at NCCU.

☁️ AWS Cloud Quest
With over 20 participants, this hands-on event gave students a chance to level up their cloud computing skills. Five participants went above and beyond, earning the Cloud Engineer Certification—a nationally recognized credential that positions them for workforce readiness and real-world opportunities in tech.

Here are our top five winners!

📘 Grammarly for Faculty: Redesigning Writing Assignments for the AI Learner
Around 30 faculty registered and attended this interactive workshop, where the focus was on rethinking writing assignments in an AI-enabled classroom. Faculty explored strategies to maintain academic integrity, design assignments that promote critical thinking, and use AI as a supportive tool rather than a shortcut.

📚 AI Book Club: Algorithms of Oppression
In an intimate conversation of just over 10 attendees, the AI Book Club dug into Safiya Umoja Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression. Participants reflected on how bias is embedded in search engines and digital platforms, and what it means for fairness, representation, and the future of information access.

🤝 IBM: Ethical Uses of AI
Over 80 people registered and around 30 joined for a thoughtful discussion led by IBM, where both students and faculty examined the ethics of AI construction and implementation. The session emphasized how human impact must remain at the center of innovation, reminding participants to consider who benefits and who may be harmed as AI continues to grow.

🚨 Milestone Reached: Over 1,000 Lives Impacted!
Since spring, IAIER events have engaged 1,026 students, faculty, staff, and community members through hands-on workshops, trainings, and our inaugural summit. From AI ethics to workforce readiness, we’re equipping our campus and community with the skills to thrive in an AI-driven world.

📊 Impact Breakdown

This is just the beginning—together, we’re building where access meets innovation.

IAIER’s partnership with IBM SkillsBuild continues to grow stronger—this September, the team joined us on campus to connect with students, showcase career-building tools, and spark new pathways for future-ready skills.

🤝 5 Years with IBM SkillsBuild

This September marked five years of collaboration between NCCU and IBM SkillsBuild, a partnership that began in 2020 and continues to open doors for learners across our community. Through SkillsBuild, students, faculty, and staff alike can access free courses that expand knowledge in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and other cutting-edge areas of tech.

We proudly celebrated this milestone during our AI Ethics with IBM event on Monday, September 29, where attendees learned about SkillsBuild’s impact and discussed why keeping ethics at the center is key to AI’s future.

💡 Friendly reminder: Attending IAIER events—both in person and online—is the best way to discover opportunities like SkillsBuild and to network with leaders in their fields.

🔗 Learn more: SkillsBuild.org

🌟 Announcing Our IBM SkillsBuild Ambassador 🌟

At our AI Ethics with IBM event, we proudly announced Jaleah’ Spruill as one of NCCU’s new IBM SkillsBuild Ambassadors! Jaleah’, a 3rd year Biomedical Sciences Major, is passionate about public health, biomedical science, and clinical research—and how these fields can be used to improve outcomes in underserved communities. Her commitment to opportunity-focused research aligns perfectly with IBM SkillsBuild’s mission to connect learning with real-world impact.

Through her ambassador role, Jaleah’ will help expand IBM’s reach on campus, supporting students in accessing certifications, building connections, and preparing for careers at the intersection of AI, health, and innovation.

✨ Stay tuned—our second ambassador will be revealed in our next newsletter! 🦅💻

🎉 Congratulations, Shantel! 🎉

LAIER is proud to celebrate our Graduate Assistant, Shantel Reddick, on passing her Ph.D. written exams! Shantel’s hard work, dedication, and brilliance shine through in everything she does, and this milestone is a huge step forward in her doctoral journey.

We’re so fortunate to have her contributions, energy, and leadership in our work at LAIER—and we can’t wait to see all that she continues to accomplish. 💻📚✨

🎂✨ Happy Birthday, Vaniah! ✨🎂

Join us in celebrating our Graduate Assistant, Vaniah Russell, on her special day! Vaniah brings incredible talent, energy, and heart to LAIER, and we’re grateful for all she does. Wishing her a wonderful year ahead filled with joy, growth, and success! 🥳💻🎉

The Digital Empowerment Leadership Program (DELP) at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will host its final event before the close of the grant on October 14, 2025. This capstone session will continue DELP’s mission of advancing digital literacy in the Durham community by offering accessible, hands-on training tailored to residents from various backgrounds, including veterans, seniors, parents, English and Spanish language learners, the homeless, and others.

Participants will engage in interactive mini-sessions designed to strengthen their digital skills and receive devices distributed through the DELP grant. This culminating event not only celebrates the collective impact of DELP’s efforts but also reflects the university’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and promoting broader access to technology and education.

IAIER is proud to announce that its poster, “Expanding AI Literacy at an HBCU: The Launch and Impact of the NCCU Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2025 ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

This poster highlights the establishment of IAIER in January 2025 as the first artificial intelligence research center at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Founded with support from Google.org, the institute is dedicated to democratizing access to AI by fostering comprehensive literacy, supporting interdisciplinary and ethical research, and engaging both campus and community stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about emerging technologies.

Key initiatives featured in the poster include the Soaring Conversations lunch-and-learn series, which convenes experts and community members to discuss pressing issues such as algorithmic bias and misinformation; AI Literacy Labs, which provide hands-on learning with generative AI tools; and a Seed Grant Program that supports early-stage, community-focused projects across disciplines. Early outcomes show measurable gains in participants’ confidence and understanding of AI tools, demonstrating the institute’s success in building innovative, human-centered learning environments.

Through this recognition, NCCU and IAIER continue to model how HBCUs can lead national conversations on AI by embedding ethics, accessibility, and societal impact at the core of technological innovation.

We are proud to share that the Digital Empowerment Leadership Program (DELP) at North Carolina Central University had a poster accepted for presentation at the 2025 ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. This work showcases DELP’s commitment to advancing digital empowerment and innovation.

The paper, “Best Practices for a Digital Empowerment Program Serving Marginalized Communities,” highlights lessons learned from DELP’s community-focused approach, which blends device distribution, digital skills training, and sustained partnerships to address access and adoption gaps.

This acceptance into the 2025 ASIS&T conference demonstrates how DELP is modeling collaborative, community-driven approaches to digital empowerment and emerging technology education at HBCUs and beyond.

Artificial intelligence isn't just about code — it's about people, power, and possibility. This book club is a collaborative effort with the James E. Shepard Memorial Library and the Office of Alumni Relations. To learn more and participate, register here.

Fall 2025 Schedule and Selections:

October brings new chances to connect, learn, and lead in AI—with even more virtual options this month. Explore what’s ahead and register through our Linktree. Here are a few highlights from the calendar:

Lock in and join us! View the PDF of our calendar of events, featuring clickable event titles that direct you to flyers and more information. Stay connected with us on our social media, which you can also find on our Linktree.

Dr. Siobahn Day Grady has experienced a significant increase in meeting requests from students, faculty, partners, and media. To better manage this demand and ensure timely responses, IAIER has launched a streamlined system for scheduling meetings.

There are now four dedicated request forms designed to route inquiries appropriately:

 🤝 Partnership Inquiries – For organizations or individuals interested in exploring collaborations with IAIER.     

🎤 Speaking Engagements – For those looking to invite Dr. Grady to keynote, present, or participate in panels.

🎓 Student & Faculty Meetings – For general meeting requests from NCCU students, faculty, or staff.

📰 Press & Media Requests – For journalists and media outlets looking to feature Dr. Grady or IAIER.

All forms are available on our website: 👉 nccu.edu/iaier

This system will help us manage the growing volume of requests, prevent delays in communication, and ensure that Dr. Grady’s time and expertise are directed where they can make the greatest impact.