About us
CT OpenSource AI Connect is a Connecticut-based IBM meetup group hosted at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, focused on exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and society. We cover topics such as Artificial General Intelligence, recommender systems, cloud-based machine learning, and the latest trends in AutoML.
This meetup is open to all—whether you're a beginner or an expert, there's something for everyone in our engaging discussions and hands-on workshops. Join us to network with professionals and enthusiasts who are passionate about advancing AI technology and its impact on our world.
We proudly collaborate with The Open AI Community and support the AI Alliance, which is committed to building and advancing open source AI agents, data, models, evaluation, safety, applications, and advocacy to ensure everyone can benefit.
### Focus Areas of the AI Alliance:
- Skills & Education: Supporting global AI skill-building, education, and exploratory research.
- Trust and Safety: Ensuring safe and trusted generative AI with benchmarks, tools, and methodologies.
- Applications and Tools: Building the most capable tools for AI model builders and GenAI application developers.
- Hardware Enablement: Fostering a vibrant AI hardware accelerator ecosystem through enabling software technology.
- Open Foundation Models and Datasets: Enabling an ecosystem of open foundation models, including multilingual and multi-modal capabilities, and open datasets.
- Advocacy: Supporting regulatory policies that create healthy, sustainable, and open ecosystems for AI.
Upcoming events
1
Meet IBM Leaders and Build Agents with Granite
CT Open Souce AI Connect, Quinnipiac University, School of Computing and Engineering Room CCE 101, 275 Mount Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT, Hamden, CT, US### Meetup Description:
| | Join us to meet IBM Leaders and Build Agents with Granite, CT OpenSource AI Connect, an initiative focused on accelerating open-source AI innovation through community collaboration, hands-on learning, and cross-disciplinary dialogue. In partnership with Quinnipiac University, IEEE AI Coalition Region1, IEEE CT and the IBM Open Innovation Community (OIC), this event brings together leaders from academia, industry, and open research communities to explore how open AI can positively impact society.
Inspired by the Building Agents with Granite workshop—where participants learn to use open‑sourced IBM Granite foundation models to develop intelligent AI agents capable of reasoning, planning, and invoking tools autonomously—this meetup blends practical workshops with executive insights and expert lightning talks. [ibm-granit....github.io]
You’ll gain exposure to the latest agent architectures, including Function Calling, Plan-and-Solve, Route-and-Solve, and ReAct frameworks, and understand how these approaches enable real-world automation and decision-making.
Alongside hands-on learning, attendees will hear from CIO and executive leaders on enterprise AI strategy, security, governance, and the evolving talent landscape—including the critical skills companies are seeking from today’s college graduates entering the workforce.
Lightning sessions will spotlight AI, current trends in open development, and emerging academic practices for improving transparency and reproducibility in AI research. The evening concludes with a speaker panel and casual networking over pizza.
This event is ideal for students, engineers, researchers, educators, executives, and anyone passionate about AI’s open, ethical, and community-driven future.
| Let’s collaborate, innovate, and build the future of open AI—together. |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|- What to Expect:
- Event Highlights (With Duration)
🕠 5:00–5:10 PM — Session Host Welcome & Introduction
Host: Sanjeev Kumar Marimekala, STSM, Thought Leader, Enterprise Architect, IBM
🕠 5:10–5:30 PM — Agent building with IBM Granite Workshop (Part 1) (Bring your Laptops)
Hands-on agent building with IBM Granite
Cara Mulrooney, Associate Client Engineering -AI Engineer (IBM)
🕠 5:30–6:00 PM — CIO Insights (Speaker Session)
Matt Lyteson, CIO, IBM
Topic: Enterprise AI, Data, Security & Skills for New Graduates
🕕 6:00–6:30 PM — Lightning Session (1 or 2 sessions 15 min)
Karen Borgsmiller, Assistant Dean, Pre-Collegiate Programs
Johns Hopkins University,
Whiting School of Engineering
Topic: AI in Academia and Research
🕕 6:30–7:00 PM — Agent building with IBM Granite Workshop (Part 2)
Continue building agents using open‑source Granite models
Cara Mulrooney, Associate Client Engineering -AI Engineer (IBM)
🕖 7:00–7:30 PM — Speaker Panel
Topic: STEM to OpenSource AI: Building the skills the industry needs
Moderator: Sanjeev Kumar Marimekala, STSM, Thought Leader (Enterprise Architect)
Academic Leaders (STEM Focals):- Dr. Damian Valles is an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Program at Texas State University.
- Dr. Heena Rathore is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
- Dr. Anandi Dutta is an Assistant Professor (Electrical Engineering Program) at Texas State University and the Director of the Responsible AI (RAI) Lab
- Dr. Aniruddha Bora is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Texas State University.
Industry Leader (Security Focal): Mike Russo, Senior Manager, Global Risk and Compliance Leader, IBM
Industry Leader (Skills Focal): Bob Epstein, Senior Manager and Leader, IBM CIO Platform Engineering
🕖 7:30–8:00 PM — Networking & Pizza| Community building and open discussion |
| -------------------------------------- |
|- Bring your laptops, notebooks, pencils or pen for workshop and sessions
Whether you're an AI researcher, technologist, executive, or student, this meetup offers a unique opportunity to connect, contribute, and co-create the future of open AI.
Let’s ignite collaboration, inspire innovation, and impact society—together..Thanks to Quinnipiac University Dean and Faculty for hosting this event
Dean: Prof. Taskin Kocak
Associate Dean: Brian O'Neill,
Faculty: Prof Kruti Shah, Prof. Mostafa Analoui, Prof. Guido Lang, Prof. Chetan JaisawalLocation: Quinnipiac University,
School of Computing and Engineering
Room CCE 101
275 Mt Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT
Date: April 23'rd 2026
Start Time: 5:00 P17 attendees
Past events
12
![[AI Alliance] Introducing weave-cli - A fast CLI for vector search](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/8/b/3/highres_531622707.jpeg)
