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Forum · Program

Program preview

A connected journey from framing to action.

March 7–12, 2027 (tentative). March 7: participant check-in only. March 8–12: main program. Topics, timing, session formats, and sequence remain subject to change.

Working program preview. Select View day details for the current time-by-time plan. No session time, contributor, or room is confirmed unless explicitly labeled otherwise. The final agenda will be published in accessible HTML; any downloadable PDF will be supplementary.

Check-in day

01

Participant check-in

A day for participants to arrive, check in, and settle in before the main program begins.

Program previewcheck-in
Check-in dayWorking agenda

Participant check-in only

A day for participants to arrive, check in, and settle in before the main program begins.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. Check-in time to be confirmedCheck-in

    Participant check-in

    This day is reserved for participant arrival and check-in only. Practical details will be shared once the venue and transportation arrangements are confirmed.

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Day 1Frame

02

Cross-sector collaboration and research implementation

Introduce responsible research translation, begin the Forum-long collaborative project, and surface needs and opportunities across sectors.

Program previewtalksResearch translationResponsible AI
Day 1Working agenda

Overview of Cross-Sector Collaboration, Current Practices, and Opportunities for Research Implementation

Introduce responsible research translation, begin the Forum-long collaborative project, and surface needs and opportunities across sectors.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. 8:00 AM–8:45 AMMeal

    Breakfast

  2. 8:45 AM–9:00 AMSession

    Opening plenary welcome

  3. 9:00 AM–9:45 AMSession

    Cross-sector collaboration framework

    An introduction to practical approaches for bringing academic, public-sector, industry, nonprofit, and community perspectives into research collaboration.

  4. 9:45 AM–10:30 AMProject work

    Cross-sector project kickoff and team icebreaker

    Participants begin the collaborative project that continues through the Forum.

    • Form small groups and identify a project topic, with ready-made starting points available.
    • Review the working project structure, expectations, timeline, and final deliverable approach.
  5. 10:30 AM–11:00 AMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  6. 11:00 AM–12:00 PMSession

    Responsible research translation and the real-world impact of research projects

  7. 12:00 PM–1:00 PMMeal

    Lunch

  8. 1:00 PM–2:00 PMSession

    AI alignment and participatory AI

  9. 2:30 PM–4:00 PMDiscussion

    Interactive cross-sector panel and discussion

    A working mix of sticky-note brainstorming, informal lightning talks, and open discussion.

    • Government agencies — available capabilities, AI challenges, and needs that academic collaborators may help address.
    • Industry — minimum viable deliverables and pathways toward real-world AI deployment.
    • National laboratories — collaboration routes, shared opportunities, and unmet needs.
  10. 4:00 PM–6:00 PMCommunity time

    Free time and optional community activity

    Unstructured time for mentor–mentee and cross-sector conversations. The working agenda lists location-dependent options such as campus or riverside walks, kayaking, and climbing; no activity is confirmed.

  11. 6:00 PM–8:00 PMMeal

    Dinner

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Day 2Explore

03

Foundational insights for AI implementation

Build shared conceptual foundations in multimodal AI, foundation models, knowledge-guided machine learning, and human–computer interaction.

Program previewtalksAI methods
Day 2Working agenda

Foundational Insights for AI Implementation

Build shared conceptual foundations in multimodal AI, foundation models, knowledge-guided machine learning, and human–computer interaction.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. 8:00 AM–9:00 AMMeal

    Breakfast

  2. 9:00 AM–10:00 AMSession

    The practical science of multimodal AI

  3. 10:00 AM–10:30 AMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  4. 10:30 AM–11:30 AMSession

    Foundation models

  5. 11:30 AM–12:30 PMMeal

    Lunch

  6. 12:30 PM–1:30 PMSession

    Knowledge-guided machine learning

  7. 1:30 PM–2:30 PMSession

    Human–computer interaction

  8. 2:30 PM–3:00 PMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  9. 3:00 PM–4:00 PMDiscussion

    Cross-sector collaboration group discussion

  10. 4:00 PM–6:00 PMCommunity time

    Free time and optional community activity

    Unstructured connection time. Location-dependent activity options from the working agenda will be reviewed before any are confirmed.

  11. 6:00 PM–8:00 PMMeal

    Dinner

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Day 3Build skills

04

Hands-on workshop for AI skills and tools

Practice AI-assisted research workflows, repository design, Git and GitHub, and containers as foundations for collaborative project work.

Program previewworkshopGitDockerReproducibility
Day 3Working agenda

Hands-On Workshop for AI Skills and Tools

Practice AI-assisted research workflows, repository design, Git and GitHub, and containers as foundations for collaborative project work.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. 8:00 AM–9:00 AMMeal

    Breakfast

  2. 9:00 AM–10:30 AMWorkshop

    AI co-scientists and agentic systems for scientific discovery

    The working format allocates approximately 30 minutes to a general introduction and 60 minutes to a small-group, hands-on experiment using an AI-assisted research workflow.

  3. 10:30 AM–11:00 AMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  4. 11:00 AM–12:00 PMWorkshop

    AI tools mini-bootcamp, part 1 — Python repositories and advanced Git

    Tutorial and hands-on practice for organizing code so it is clear, maintainable, ready to share, and supported by effective version control.

  5. 12:00 PM–1:00 PMMeal

    Lunch

  6. 1:00 PM–2:30 PMWorkshop

    AI tools mini-bootcamp, part 2 — Building a Docker container

    Package a research environment so collaborators can run the work more reliably and reproducibly.

  7. 2:30 PM–3:00 PMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  8. 3:00 PM–4:00 PMDiscussion

    Cross-sector collaboration group discussion

  9. 4:00 PM–6:00 PMCommunity time

    Free time and optional community activity

    Unstructured connection time. Location-dependent activity options from the working agenda will be reviewed before any are confirmed.

  10. 6:00 PM–8:00 PMMeal

    Dinner

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Day 4Prototype

05

Cross-sector collaboration and real-world project prototyping

Small groups move from a stakeholder-grounded problem toward a realistic minimum viable deliverable through supported, low-pressure project work.

Program previewproject workPrototypingCollaboration
Day 4Working agenda

Cross-Sector Collaboration and Real-World Project Prototyping

Small groups move from a stakeholder-grounded problem toward a realistic minimum viable deliverable through supported, low-pressure project work.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. 8:00 AM–9:00 AMMeal

    Breakfast

  2. 9:00 AM–10:00 AMDiscussion

    Alumni career panel

    A cross-sector conversation that may cover job-market navigation, work–life balance, audience-centered research communication, and paths from research to practice.

  3. 10:00 AM–10:30 AMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  4. 10:30 AM–12:00 PMProject work

    Group work and minimum viable deliverable prototyping

  5. 12:00 PM–1:00 PMMeal

    Lunch

  6. 1:00 PM–4:00 PMProject work

    Group work and minimum viable deliverable prototyping

  7. 4:00 PM–6:00 PMCommunity time

    Free time and optional community activity

    Unstructured connection time. Location-dependent activity options from the working agenda will be reviewed before any are confirmed.

  8. 6:00 PM–8:00 PMMeal

    Dinner

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Day 5Reflect

06

Reflections on research translation and cross-sector collaboration

Share project work through informal lightning talks, reflect on the Forum's lessons, and identify realistic paths for relationships and outputs to continue.

Program previewreflectionOutcomesCommunity
Day 5Working agenda

Reflections on Research Translation and Cross-Sector Collaboration

Share project work through informal lightning talks, reflect on the Forum's lessons, and identify realistic paths for relationships and outputs to continue.

Program preview. Times are shown in local Ann Arbor time and remain tentative until the exact Forum dates, venue, contributors, and final program are confirmed.

  1. 8:00 AM–9:00 AMMeal

    Breakfast

  2. 9:00 AM–10:00 AMReflection

    Project presentations, part 1 — Q&A and discussion

    Informal lightning talks. The working agenda currently places two groups in this block.

  3. 10:00 AM–10:30 AMBreak

    Coffee and tea break

  4. 10:30 AM–11:30 AMReflection

    Project presentations, part 2 — Q&A and discussion

    Informal lightning talks. The working agenda currently places two groups in this block.

  5. 11:30 AM–12:00 PMReflection

    Closing plenary — responsible research translation and cross-sector collaboration

    A closing synthesis intended to connect the Forum's discussions, skills, project work, and relationships.

  6. 12:00 PM–1:30 PMMeal

    Closing reception and lunch

Contributors will be named only after participation and public attribution are confirmed.

Help us prepare

Different backgrounds are part of the design.

A future pre-event survey will help the organizing team understand participants' technical experience, interests, learning goals, and access needs.

Participation updates