IWD 2024 - Impact the Future - GDG Central Florida

We all have the power and the responsibility to impact the future of technology and society, with AI as a major part of shaping our world. What will that future look like? And how will we build it.. As we celebrate IWD 2024, we encourage everyone in the Greater Orlando and Kissimmee areas to reflect on the following questions: 

What are you working on that will make a difference in the world? 
How are you using your skills and talents to create a better future for all? 
Ultimately, we can dream big and be bold when we “Impact the Future”

AGENDA 

12:00 - 1:00 PM - Welcome & light lunch

1:00 - 2:00 PM - Women in K-12 STEM Education Panel 

Amanda Soto @Stem5k -  Experiences in public education as a teacher & administrator - Empowering women to take leadership positions 
Candice Shields - TechCentral, Osceola Library System’s Makerspace 

2:00 -  2:30 PM - Orchestrate generative AI with Workflows - Mete Atamel, Google 

Workflows is a versatile service for orchestrating and automating microservices, business processes, data, and ML pipelines, including generative AI calls. Explore the benefits of using Workflows to orchestrate generative AI calls to Vertex AI. Dive into a demo showcasing how you can effortlessly orchestrate and parallelize generative AI calls, creating a map-reduce style workflow for summarizing large amounts of text.

2:30 - 2:45 PM - Break 

2:45 - 3:45 PM - STEAMDivas: Inspiring Girls to Lead the Robotics Revolution - Chioma Aso - Founder, Steam Divas  - www.steamdivas.org 

Robotics is a rapidly growing field with the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. However, the robotics industry is currently facing a significant gender gap, with women being underrepresented in both academia and the workforce.  This presentation will provide an overview of STEAMDivas' mission and programs, as well as a discussion of the importance of diversity and inclusion in robotics. We will also explore the ethical considerations that must be taken into account when designing and deploying robots

3:45 - 4:00 PM - Break 

4:00 - 4:45 PM - Not Replaceable Yet:  Human Creativity vs. AI - Kimberly Morrow - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlymorrowdesign/ 

While heavily associated with the arts, creativity is a form of intelligence that we all possess, can all improve, and that AI can't touch. In this fun, engaging session, we'll: 1. Delve into some geeky brain science, learn what creativity is and how it works, and how culture, perception, memory, cognitive biases, and other factors affect our thinking and creativity. 2. Take a quick look under the hood to see how some AI technology works, why it's limited compared to humans, and why it's crucial to view AI as another tool in our toolbox. 3. Flex our creative muscles individually and as a group with a couple of interactive exercises (100% no-pressure, beginner-friendly, no need to be an artist or designer). 4. Discuss ways to strengthen your creative thinking and problem-solving skills. 5. Bring it home by experimenting with AI to see how its creative output compares to ours

5:00 - 7:00 PM - Networking Event with Pancakes and the Pancake Bot 

Agenda

12:00 PM:

12:00 PM: Welcome and Light Lunch

1:00 PM: Women in K-12 STEM Education Panel

Amanda Soto @Stem5k - Experiences in public education as a teacher & administrator - Empowering women to take leadership positions

Candice Shields - TechCentral, Osceola Library System’s Makerspace

2:00 PM: Orchestrate generative AI with Workflows

Workflows is a versatile service for orchestrating and automating microservices, business processes, data, and ML pipelines, including generative AI calls. Explore the benefits of using Workflows to orchestrate generative AI calls to Vertex AI. Dive into a demo showcasing how you can effortlessly orchestrate and parallelize generative AI calls, creating a map-reduce style workflow for summarizing large amounts of text.

Mete Atamel, Google

2:30 PM: The Intersection of Music and Technology

Michael Rosario - Design Interactive

3:00 PM: Break

3:15 PM: STEAMDivas: Inspiring Girls to Lead the Robotics Revolution

Robotics is a rapidly growing field with the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. However, the robotics industry is currently facing a significant gender gap, with women being underrepresented in both academia and the workforce.

This lack of diversity is a problem for two reasons. First, it means that we are missing out on the talents and perspectives of half the population. Second, it sends a message to girls that robotics is not a field for them.

STEAMDivas is working to address this issue by inspiring girls to pursue careers in robotics and STEM. We believe that a more diverse and inclusive robotics industry will lead to better outcomes for everyone. By empowering women to become leaders in robotics, we can create a more equitable and prosperous future for all.

This presentation will provide an overview of STEAMDivas' mission and programs, as well as a discussion of the importance of diversity and inclusion in robotics. We will also explore the ethical considerations that must be taken into account when designing and deploying robots.

Robotics, entrenched in systems engineering, demands a multidisciplinary approach that transcends traditional STEM boundaries to include the humanities, thereby advocating for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) perspective.

This presentation, led by Chioma Aso, founder of STEAMDivas Inc., delves into the importance of integrating the arts and humanities in the development of robotics to ensure that these technologies are not only innovative but also socially responsible and human-centric.

CONCLUSION
Audience members will learn about:
The current state of the robotics industry and the gender gap
The importance of diversity and inclusion in robotics
STEAMDivas' mission and programs
The ethical considerations involved in robotics
How to get involved in robotics

We invite you to join the STEAMDivas movement and support our mission of empowering women in STEM. We can create a world where all girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential in robotics and beyond.

Visit our website: www.steamdivas.org
Support our mission: Donate or volunteer
Spread the word: Share our story and resources with others

4:00 PM: Break

4:15 PM: Not Replaceable Yet: Human Creativity vs. AI

While heavily associated with the arts, creativity is a form of intelligence that we all possess, can all improve, and that AI can't touch. In this fun, engaging session, we'll: 1. Delve into some geeky brain science, learn what creativity is and how it works, and how culture, perception, memory, cognitive biases, and other factors affect our thinking and creativity. 2. Take a quick look under the hood to see how some AI technology works, why it's limited compared to humans, and why it's crucial to view AI as another tool in our toolbox. 3. Flex our creative muscles individually and as a group with a couple of interactive exercises (100% no-pressure, beginner-friendly, no need to be an artist or designer). 4. Discuss ways to strengthen your creative thinking and problem-solving skills. 5. Bring it home by experimenting with AI to see how its creative output compares to ours

Kimberly Morrow - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlymorrowdesign/

5:00 PM: Networking with the Pancake Bot

Robots are fun! And who knew they could make edible items? Enjoy networking with others, and have some pancakes too

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Hosted By

Javier Carrion, GDG Organizer

Hi everyone! My name is Javier, but you can call me "Javi." I live in Ocala, known as "the Horse Capital of the World" and I'm actively involved in the Central Florida Development communities. As a Software Engineer (Web) at Design Interactive, I work with cutting-edge human-system integration (HSI) technologies, which means I get to play with devices like HoloLens and more. Fun Fact: I have a mixology certification from the city of Waterbury! 🍸 I'm excited to be a part of this amazing group and looking forward to connecting with all of you! 🚀

Michael Rosario, GDG Team Lead Member

As an experienced software developer with over 19 years of experience, I enjoy helping organizations with agile software development, promoting cultures of innovation, and creative business solutions. I enjoy helping organizations and software teams discover the craft of continuous improvement. I am always looking for opportunities to serve leaders and teams who want to create more value with integrity, character, and predictability.

Professional interests: AR/VR, Web dev, MAKERS movement, Agile leadership, Machine learning, Cultures of Innovation, Gaming & Game based learning, Visual analytics

Christi Kapp, Founder & CEO

Christi Kapp is a well-respected Management Consultant and Coach that has spoken at numerous professional conferences on topics ranging from business analysis, to managing organizational change.

Christi’s career has included management consulting, executive leadership, coaching and teaching in the hospitality, training and technology industries. She has also managed performance, as well as the professional development of staff engaged in development and delivery of complex information system solutions, solution sales, training, and customer service.

Her entrepreneurial background includes founding, growing and selling TechKnowQuest, Inc – one of the Orlando Area's Fastest Growing Tech Companies in 1998 (1992 – 2000). While at TechKnowQuest, she created custom courses for a number of clients and performed management consulting services. She has also performed coaching and consulting services through KnowledgeSpot, Inc, (2000 – 2007) and JustIntegration, Inc. (founded in 2006). She was also co-founder of Art In Motion LLC Custom Motorcycles (founded in 2007), and is Owner/Innkeeper at Kapp and Kappy Bed & Breakfast (2016)

She is an accomplished author also. She has written several enterprise information technology books (Prentice-Hall), a UCF Master's thesis on “Regional Readiness for Homeland Security Information Sharing”, and in 2016, wrote a book chapter titled “Soft Factors Enabling Innovation” in the Apple Academic Press series called Ecosystems and Technology: Idea Generation and Content Model Processing.

She has a B.S. Degree from the University of Rochester and a M.S. from the College of Health & Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida.

Kendra Kennedy, GDG Organizer

Hello everyone! My name is Kendra Kennedy, and I am a Software Engineer who specializes in eXtended Reality (XR) Development and dabbles in Web Development, Mobile Development, and a bit of Machine Learning. I have a deep love for learning and trying out new skills, so when I'm not behind the keyboard I can be often be found taking acting, dancing, or media art classes from the nearby art center or martial arts, yoga, or one-off exercise classes at my local gym. I'm happy to be a part of such an awesome team and look forward to learning and creating with all of you!

Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-central-florida-presents-iwd-2024-impact-the-future-gdg-central-florida/.