The AI Conversation is a 30-minute webinar series hosted by Dr. Bao Johri, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer. Each session features a faculty or staff member sharing how they use AI to enhance teaching, streamline operations, transform research and enrich campus life. The series fosters dialogue about using AI responsibly, ethically and effectively.

Goals of the series:

• Encourage thoughtful integration of AI in higher education.
• Inspire cross-disciplinary exploration.
• Discuss ethics, academic integrity and institutional strategy.
• Build a campus culture where AI is understood and applied with care.

Interested in presenting? Complete an Interest Form to propose a discussion topic or present on how you use AI in your teaching, research or administrative work.

Meet Upcoming Guests - April 2026

Dr. Hubert Cecotti
Noon - 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9

Dr. Hubert Cecotti is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science. His current research interests include pattern recognition and machine learning for computer vision and brain-computer interfaces. He also investigates human-computer interaction with eye-tracking and virtual reality for assistive technologies and serious games.

Dr. Lalita Oka
9 - 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 10

Dr. Lalita Oka is a professor in the Civil Engineering Department with expertise in geotechnical engineering. Beyond her technical research, she is focused on ensuring students and faculty have the tools they need to succeed as the industry evolves. During the 2023-24 academic year, Oka chaired the University and Academic AI Policy Sub-committee and currently serves on Fresno State’s Generative AI Guidelines Committee to help develop ethical guidelines for our campus. In the classroom, she integrates generative AI into her teaching to help students build the practical skills they will need for their future engineering careers. Her goal is to bridge the gap between traditional engineering principles and the new technologies Fresno State graduates will use on the job.

Register on the AI Conversation webpage.