Past Events & Accomplishments
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Sessions in the Debate Chamber, Scharbauer Hall · Lunch in Sadler 302, Loft Lounge
The cluster held its first AddRan Human-Centered AI Symposium, a full day of innovation, research and ideas that brought faculty and students together to examine what it means to keep the human at the center of artificial intelligence. Panels paired faculty perspectives on AI pedagogy with student voices on how AI is reshaping their own learning, and the day closed with a keynote on the future of the profession itself.
Keynote Address
Dr. William Nichols, Mary McDermott Cook Chair for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the Office of Undergraduate Education at The University of Texas at Dallas, delivered the keynote, “Higher Education in the Future Tense: Reframing the Profession in the Era of AI,” in the Debate Chamber of Scharbauer Hall.
Program
| Time | Session |
| 9:30 a.m. | Breakfast & Welcome |
| 10:00 a.m. | Beyond the Hype: Keeping the Human in AI Pedagogy and Innovation |
| 11:00 a.m. | Co-Pilots? Student Voices on AI and Learning |
| 12:00 p.m. | Networking Lunch |
| 1:00 p.m. | Keynote Address — Higher Education in the Future Tense: Reframing the Profession in the Era of AI |
Theme: AI and the Human Imagination
March – April 2026
The cluster launched its first AI Creative Competition, a six-week challenge open to every undergraduate and graduate student at TCU. Students were asked to treat AI as a creative instrument rather than a technical one — to build something imaginative and then reflect honestly on what the machine contributed and what remained unmistakably their own. Ten projects were submitted across two categories, AI Interactive Experiences and Critical AI Philosophy & Artistic Exploration, and were presented at a public showcase.
Judging was led by former TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini and Jacqueline, Director of the Innovation Network. Prizes totaling $1,700 were awarded across four categories.
| Award | Recipient(s) | Project |
| Overall Grand Prize ($500) |
Miguel Blando Issabella Carias |
Claude: Curiosity You Can Trust |
| Best Creative Storytelling ($400) |
Herman Happy Farduus Ibraahim |
Seefar |
| Best Humanistic Inquiry ($400) |
Anna Block | Turn It and Turn It Again: Hevruta Thinking Lab |
| Best Execution & Craft ($400) |
Darryl Vasilinda | Mind’s Eye |
Spring 2026
The cluster launched and completed its first AI Seed Grant competition, inviting AddRan faculty to propose projects that put artificial intelligence to work in humanities and social science research and teaching. Roughly ten proposals were received and four were funded, spanning political science, English, history and modern languages.
Recipients
Funded Project: The Gender of Authority: Justice–Attorney Interactions in Supreme Court Oral Argument
Funded Project: The AI Tutor: A Hybrid Model for Asynchronous Instruction of a Web Authoring Course
Funded Project: An Epic Tale: The American Southwest. Using AI to Enhance the Visual and Auditive Experience in the History Classroom
Funded Project: Designing and Evaluating an AI-Supported Leadership Platform
With support from the cluster, members Junyu Zhang and Xiaolu Zhou won first place in the 2026 Chancellor’s Innovation Prize — recognition at the university level for work that began as an interdisciplinary collaboration inside AddRan.