Have you ever encountered phrases like "AI is taking over the world!" or "The rise of artificial intelligence will change everything!"? These bold statements vividly illustrate the increasing impact of Artificial Intelligence on our societies. How can both communities and individuals equip themselves with knowledge about this trending subject and assess its potential influence on their lives?
In this recording, hear from NGCP's Youth Advisory Board and esteemed experts as they explore this intriguing topic.
This Youth Advisory Board Town Hall was hosted by NGCP on October 19, 2023
Dr. Lalitha Krishnamoorthy
Dr. Lalitha Krishnamoorthy is a visionary leader and technology entrepreneur serving as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Open Source Professional Network, a pioneering OpenTeams company dedicated to promoting open source software and fostering collaboration within the global tech community. Under her leadership, Open Source Network has emerged as a vital link in the open source ecosystem, facilitating sustainable funding, recognition, collaboration, transparency, inclusivity, and growth for countless open source developers by connecting them with companies that depend on these projects. Lalitha's journey into the world of technology began with a strong foundation in computer science and a passion for innovation. Lalitha holds a doctorate in Neuro-Symbolic Artificial Intelligence, holds several invention patents, is an author, speaker at industry conferences, is on the advisory board of directors for many startups, and a strong advocate for diversity & inclusion in technology.
Melissa L.
YAB Junior Co-Chair
STEM has always been important to 15 year old freshman Melissa. Melissa is a first generation American, born and raised in Ruston, Louisiana. At school she is involved in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Speech and Debate, Student Council, and Swim Team. She is a classically trained pianist and vocalist, musical theater actress, small business owner, and volunteer. Melissa placed first at her region MathCounts and Science Olympiad competition last year and first in the randomized team MathBee at MathCounts State. As a STEM lover herself, she chose to advocate for STEM when she was selected as the A.E.Phillips (AEP) Laboratory School 5th Grade Student of the Year. Three years later, she chose to focus on it again when she represented AEP as its 8th Grade Student of the Year. She then went on to win the Lincoln Parish, Region 1, and ultimately the Louisiana Middle School Student of the Year title this past April. Melissa has been partnering with the Lincoln Parish STEM Center and the Region 8 SCILS STEM Center at Louisiana Tech University to provide opportunities and resources for community members and empower their engagement in activities. In January 2022, she helped co-found SCILS STEM Leaders: Stand Together to Empower Many, a club that connects middle school girls with women in science, builds their leadership skills, and exposes them to different fields that they could one day go into. Melissa is also a former Miss Louisiana Teen Volunteer (2022). Her platform was “Promoting STEM Programs for Girls' and she took that across the state and to the national competition where she placed 4th Runner Up and People’s Choice. As the current Miss Louisiana Stockshow’s Teen 2023, her community service initiative is “STEM to Bloom: Investing in STEM Education for All”. She tweaked her platform from “STEM for girls” to “STEM for all” because through her work at the SCILS STEM Center she realized that not only girls but also many other groups of people are underrepresented in STEM. With these titles, Melissa has had opportunities to discuss STEM education at conferences and schools across the state of Louisiana.
Neha Shukla
Neha Shukla is an 18-year old serial inventor, social entrepreneur, bestselling author, and AI ethicist passionate about developing technology to create positive change. She is the inventor of SixFeetApart, a wearable social-distancing device using ultrasonic technology to save lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She also developed the PA Homeless Guide app to combat homelessness through policy change, interned with NASA to develop Earth-orbiting satellites to protect environmentally vulnerable regions, and developed an AI algorithm for disability inclusion with NVIDIA’s sponsorship. Neha runs global STEM, community impact, and climate innovation workshops to inspire the next generation of youth problem-solvers. Through three years of youth outreach, Neha has reached over 70,000 students across 35+ countries. Neha released her bestselling debut book "Innovation for Everyone: Solving Real-World Problems with STEM” to further encourage youth innovation.
Ora Tanner
Ora Tanner is CEO of Black Unicorn Education, an emerging technology company offering tech education to individuals from diverse communities through unique learning programs, products, and community-based events. Black Unicorn Education is on a mission to train 1 Million Black Builders to become AI leaders in their jobs and businesses, in their communities, and within their industries. The company had its beginnings on Tik Tok and Facebook where our educational content about AI received tens of thousands of views. Today Black Unicorn has expanded our unique program offerings to include AI Office Hours, a professional development training series provided through partnership with the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center in Tampa Bay; Summer of AI, an AI summer camp for underserved middle school students provided through partnership with Hillsborough Community College; virtual and in-person workshops; an online tech news series called Saturday Night Tech; and the AI Expert Academy, an exclusive 4-week virtual coaching program that uses a signature framework to teach participants AI strategies, concepts, and tools.
Alexandra (Sandra) Y.
YAB Co-Chair
Alexandra is a junior from Carmel, IN! From competing in the USACO Platinum division to conducting research on high performance computing to being a National Finalist in the Air Force Association-sponsored Cyberpatriot competition, she has pursued her passion for computer science in a myriad of ways. However, she believes that the field of computer science is limited by its lack of diversity, which is why she works to bring CS education to those around her in her community. Partnering with Techbridge Girls to found Indiana's very first chapter, she teaches young girls to code, build, and engineer, and ignites their passion for the STEM field. Alexandra also loves to share her passion for competitive coding with those around her. This spring, she'll be leading and organizing the very first INDIGO Informatics Competition, a competitive programming contest for high schoolers in Indiana! Working with both local and national tech companies, she hopes to spark a love for computer science in high school students across the state.
Alexandra has had the opportunity to participate in many amazing STEM summer programs, including Canada/USA Math camp and the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)! She will be attending the Research Science Institute (RSI) this summer, a six-week long research program at MIT. In her free time, she loves to debate (public forum), listen to music, and spend time with her cat and dog!
Programs and Initiatives
