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Symposium on the Human-Centered Future of Work

Nov 3, 2023 — 8:30am - 4:30pm

Symposium on the Human-Centered Future of Work

The world of work is changing. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced robotics are poised to change the future of work and the workplace.

  • How will the transformative and potentially disruptive advances in generative AI affect different aspects of work?
  • What will the future of work look like?
  • How can we design policies that steer technology development in a more constructive direction?
  • How might AI reshape higher education? 

To answer these questions, we need to adopt a human-centered approach. The Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP) at Virginia Tech is holding a symposium on human-centered future of work to bring together a diverse array of researchers and policy makers to integrate research and education perspectives and explore these critical questions. The symposium is in partnership with the Department of Economics and the Kohl Center, AAEC.

Time Details
8:30-8:45

Registration
8:45-9:00

Welcome

  • Dan Sui (Senior Vice President and Chief Research and Innovation Officer)
  • Sue Ge (Director, Center for Future Work Places and Practices, Professor of Economics)
9:00-10:30

Panel: Human-Centered Future of Work: Searching for the Common Ground

  • Moderator: Ben Knapp (Executive Director, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology)

    Panelists:
  • Rishi Jaitly (Professor of Practice and Distinguished Humanities Fellow)
  • Nancy Lutz (Program director, National Science Foundation)
  • Erika McEntarfer (Lead Economist, Labor Markets Research Group, Center for Economic Studies, US Census Bureau)
  • Chris North (Associate Director, Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics, Professor of Computer Science)
10:30-11:00

Break
11:00-11:50

Session I: Future of Healthcare

  • Moderator: Mengxi Zhang (Assistant Professor, Health Systems and Implementation Science, VTCSOM)

    Panelists:
  • Buse Carik (PhD Student, Computer Science, College of Engineering)
    Supporting Mental Health in Neurodiverse Communities: Enhancing LLM Accessibility through Multimodal Human-AI Interactions
  • Jian Ni (Professor of Marketing, Pamplin School of Business)
    AI Adoption and Access to Healthcare Resources: An Empirical Analysis of Mental Health Therapies
  • Sarah Parker (Chair, Health Systems and Implementation Science, VTCSOM)
    Clinicians as data workers: Opportunities for generative AI implementation in healthcare work
11:50-1:00

Lunch (provided) & Social
1:00-1:50

Session II: Future of Higher Education

  • Moderator: Ralph Hall (Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, CLAHS)

    Panelists:
  • Cayce Myers (Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, School of Communication, CLAHS)
    From Classroom to Boardroom: The AI Impact on Students and Professionals
  • Lee Vinsel (Associate Professor, Department of Science, Technology and Society, CLAHS)
    TechBubble.edu: Higher Ed Decision-Making During Times of Extreme Hype
  • Daron Williams (Director of Instructional Design, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies)
    Cat's out of the bag: Teaching in the Age of AI
1:50-2:00

Break
2:00-2:50

Session III: Future of Privacy and Security

  • Moderator: Le Wang (David M. Kohl Chair and Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

    Panelists:
  • Laura Freeman (Deputy Director, National Security Institute)
    AI for Security & Security for AI
  • Arianna Schuler Scott (Senior Associate Director, the Integrated Security Education and Research Center)
    Centering Humans in Cyberspaces
  • Yaxing Yao (Assistant Professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering)
    An Empathy-Based Sandbox Approach to Bridge Attitudes, Goals, Knowledge, and Behaviors in the Privacy Paradox
2:50-3:00

Break
3:00-3:50

Session IV: Future of Work Spaces

  • Moderator: Andrew Gipe-Lazarou (Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Architecture)

    Panelists:
  • Andrew Gipe-Lazarou (Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Architecture)
    Design for disability: barriers and accommodations for the vision-impaired
  • Andrea Lamberti (Partner, Rafael Vinoly Architects)
    Work, Place, and Culture: A Matter of Emphasis
  • Yaoyi Zhou (Assistant Professor of Interior Design, School of Design)
    Design for flexibility: Meanings and challenges for workplace in the post-pandemic era
3:50-4:00

Break
4:00-4:30

Closing Discussion and Summary
Register

8:30-4:30, Nov 3, 2023

North End Center 2420, Virginia Tech
Register

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