Events

IST Connections

Student Society Event
When: August 27, 2025
Where: 2nd Floor, Westgate Building

IST Connections is the College of IST’s signature involvement fair, designed for IST students. Come explore the wide variety of student organizations that match your interests in cybersecurity, data science, artificial intelligence, analytics, leadership, and more. Meet and chat with passionate student leaders, ask questions, and see how you can get involved to build your skills, grow your network, and make the most of your Penn State experience.

Enjoy free giveaways, fun activities, and the chance to make meaningful connections right at the start of the semester. Whether you’re a new student eager to dive in or a returning student ready to take the next step, come join us on the 2nd floor of the Westgate Building where you can meet with the Nittany AI Student Society and other IST student groups to get inspired and get involved!

Learn more about IST Connections

Student Involvement Fair

Student Society Event
When: September 3, 2025
Where: HUB Lawn

Involvement Fairs are one of the best opportunities to get involved in campus life at Penn State. Come learn about the Nittany AI Alliance and the Nittany AI Student Society. Talk to the executive team members and the Nittany AI Alliance staff to learn more about our programs, artificial intelligence, and how you can develop invaluable skills you will use in life and beyond Penn State.

Learn more about Student Involvement Fair

Nittany AI Challenge Kick-off and Nittany AI Student Society General Body Meeting

Challenge Event
When: September 4, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Join us on September 4th for the highly anticipated Nittany AI Challenge kick-off and our first Nittany AI Student Society (NAISS) general body meeting of the fall! This event promises to be an evening packed with insight and energy.

What to expect: 

  • Learn about the Nittany AI Alliance programs
  • Learn about the Nittany AI Student Society programs
  • Hear from past Nittany AI Challenge champions as they share their journeys – from forming a winning team to building innovative prototypes, and the lasting impact of participating in the Challenge.
  • Be the first to get an exclusive overview of our fall schedule, upcoming events, and exciting opportunities available to NAISS members through out the semester.  

Whether you are a returning student or new to the Nittany AI Alliance community, this is your chance to connect, learn, and get inspired. Don’t miss out on launching your AI journey with us this fall!

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about Nittany AI Challenge Kick-off and Nittany AI Student Society General Body Meeting

AI Showcase: Connect, Innovate, and Flip the Script!

Inspire Event
When: September 8, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Join us for the AI Showcase, a unique event held in conjunction with the College of IST Career Fair, designed to connect Penn State’s brightest AI talent with leading industry professionals. This isn’t your typical career fair. We’re flipping the script! Experience a dynamic, reverse career fair-style environment where innovation takes center stage.

What is the AI Showcase?

The AI Showcase provides a platform for talented Penn State students to present their cutting-edge Applied AI projects directly to industry leaders. It’s an opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills and creativity, and for industry representatives to discover the next generation of AI innovators and potential future hires.

The event features top projects from the Nittany AI Challenge and Nittany AI Advance programs, alongside other exceptional student AI projects selected through an open call. Witness firsthand the practical application of AI and engage with students who are actively building real-world solutions.

The evening will kick off with an insightful panel discussion featuring industry experts sharing perspectives on AI’s transformative impact on various career fields. Afterward, attendees will have dedicated time to interact directly with student presenters at their project displays.

For Students:

Ready to show industry leaders what you can do? Don’t just hand out resumes – put your Applied AI projects in the spotlight! Gain visibility, get feedback, network with professionals, and take control of your career future.

· Showcase your AI power! Apply to have your project accepted into the AI Showcase.

For Industry Professionals:

Discover future AI leaders and gain insights into cutting-edge student innovation. Identify and recruit top-tier talent with demonstrated project experience in a setting that highlights their skills and passion. Strengthen your company’s connection with Penn State’s leading AI programs.

· Connect with emerging AI talent! Register today to become an event sponsor and engage with Penn State’s top student innovators.

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about AI Showcase: Connect, Innovate, and Flip the Script!

IST Career Fair

Affiliate Event
When: September 9, 2025
Where: HUB-Robeson Center – Alumni Hall

Whether you’re exploring internships or ready for a full-time role, the IST Career Fair is your opportunity to connect with recruiters from top tech companies looking for students just like you. They’re hiring for roles in cybersecurity, data science, UX/UI, software engineering, and more.

Bring your resume, dress to impress, and show them what you’ve got. Even if you’re not job hunting yet, it’s a smart way to build your network and see what’s out there.

Check back for a link to view employers attending.

Learn more about IST Career Fair

NAISS MLB Kick-off Meeting: Models

Student Society Event
When: September 10, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Are you eager to dive into the world of Machine Learning? The Nittany AI Student Society invites you to our ML Bootcamp Kick-off meeting, a perfect entry point for anyone interested in models and intelligent systems.

Join us as Aravind and Vish lead an engaging session focused on the foundational topic of Models: Regression Linear Regression. This kick-off meeting marks the beginning of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around ML models.

Whether you’re a newcomer or have prior experience, all are welcome. Get ready to learn, collaborate, and spark your curiosity as we kick off this exciting ML Bootcamp journey. Stay tuned for dates and more details!

Learn more about NAISS MLB Kick-off Meeting: Models

NAISS MLB Meeting: Models

Student Society Event
When: September 17, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join us as Aaaftab and Zach lead an engaging session focused on the foundational topic of Models: Classification Decision Trees Random Forest/XGBoost. This meeting is the second of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around ML models.

Whether you’re a newcomer or have prior experience, all are welcome. Get ready to learn, collaborate, and spark your curiosity on your ML Bootcamp journey. Stay tuned for more details!

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Models

NAISS MLB Meeting: Models

Student Society Event
When: September 24, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

This meeting is the third, and final meeting of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around ML models.

Whether you’re a newcomer or have prior experience, all are welcome. Get ready to learn, collaborate, and spark your curiosity on your ML Bootcamp journey. Stay tuned for more details!

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Models

Ideation Session: Re-imagining Penn State with AI - with World Wide Tech

Challenge Event
When: September 25, 2025
Where: HUB-Robeson Center – 233AB

Join us for an engaging ideation session co-hosted by World Wide Tech (WWT) and the Nittany AI Alliance.

This dynamic ideation session will challenge students to explore how AI can be harnessed to advance Penn State’s mission. Guided by WWT experts, the Nittany AI Alliance team, and the Nittany AI Student Society, participants will work in groups to brainstorm creative solutions, share perspectives, and collaboratively re-imagine the future of the university.

  • Arrive with your top three AI-inspired ideas for Penn State or be ready to develop new ones during the session.
  • Explore a range of challenge areas aligned with PSU’s strategic priorities, including Student Success, Research, Transforming Penn State, and Outreach.
  • Work with executive mentors and facilitators to narrow down and strengthen your ideas.
  • Participate in team-building exercises to help form a collaborative team.

Bring your enthusiasm and an open mind – no prior technical experience is required! Be ready to collaborate, share, and shape the future!

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event. Let’s reimagine what’s possible for Penn State through the power of AI!

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about Ideation Session: Re-imagining Penn State with AI – with World Wide Tech

NAISS MLB Meeting: Neural Networks

Student Society Event
When: October 1, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society as Adam and DS lead an engaging session focused on Neural Networks.

This meeting is the first of a dedicated two-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around neural networks.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Neural Networks

NAISS MLB Meeting: Neural Networks

Student Society Event
When: October 8, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society as Eric and Zach lead an engaging session focused on Neural Networks.

This meeting is the second, and final meeting of a dedicated two-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around neural networks.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Neural Networks

Building Your AI Dream Team: Networking Event with NAISS Leadership Academy

Challenge Event
When: October 9, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Come join the Nittany AI Alliance team and the Nittany AI Student Society for an exciting evening of collaboration and creativity as you prepare for the Nittany AI Challenge and/or Shark Tank. This team building event brings together students, and faculty to explore the world of artificial intelligence through hands-on challenges, networking, and fun.

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about Building Your AI Dream Team: Networking Event with NAISS Leadership Academy

AI Prototype Bootcamp with the Nittany AI Student Society

Challenge Event
When: October 14, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Join us for an intensive and inspiring AI Prototype Bootcamp! This interactive event is crafted to empower students and aspiring innovators to bring their artificial intelligence project ideas to life.This event will help teams prepare to participate in the Nittany AI Challenge and the NAISS Shark Tank as you dive into the design, development, and testing phases of building an AI prototype. 

  • Gain practical skills in AI development and prototyping
  • Access valuable resources and mentorship.
  • Increase your team’s readiness and receive feedback and guidance to refine your idea.
  • Network with other students.

Don’t have a team yet? No problem, come connect with like-minded peers and foster a collaborative environment for creativity and innovation. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your AI project and take your first steps toward success in the Nittany AI Challenge and/or Shark Tank!

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about AI Prototype Bootcamp with the Nittany AI Student Society

NAISS MLB Meeting: Vibe Coding and Mini Competition

Student Society Event
When: October 15, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Grab your Halloween costume and join the Nittany AI Student Society and the Nittany AI Alliance Tech Team for a fun, casual coding competition using free AI coding agents. 

This event will be in-person only and open to all who want to attend.

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

 

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Vibe Coding and Mini Competition

NAISS Leadership Academy Meeting - Customer Discovery

Student Society Event
When: October 16, 2025
Where: Online

Join the Nittany AI Student Society for an engaging session focused on customer discovery. 

This meeting is the first of a dedicated two-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around customer discovery.

  • Learn the tools and tactics
  • Define your customers

This event is open to individuals participating in the Nittany AI Challenge.

Learn more about NAISS Leadership Academy Meeting – Customer Discovery

Workshop: Mastering Customer Discovery

Challenge Event
When: October 23, 2025
Where: Happy Valley LaunchBox

Customer discovery is essential in building a product that people find useful, but what exactly is it?  The Happy Valley LaunchBox team will help individuals and teams explore the importance of customer discovery in validating assumptions, identifying market needs, and shaping your product development. You’ll learn how to formulate powerful customer discovery questions that help uncover key insights, mitigate risks, and guide your product strategy. The LaunchBox team will show you how to use customer discovery to inform your build and create solutions that truly resonate with your target audience and solve real problems.

 

**Light refreshments will be provided.

Learn more about Workshop: Mastering Customer Discovery

NAISS MLB Meeting: RAG

Student Society Event
When: October 29, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society as Aravind and Aaftab lead an engaging and interactive session focused on embedding Vector DB Cosine Similarity Mini Code (examples).

This meeting is the second of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around RAG.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: RAG

Workshop: Effective Pitching and Video Creation

Challenge Event
When: October 30, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Join the Nittany AI Student Society and the Nittany AI Alliance team as we unlock the secrets to delivering a winning pitch and crafting compelling videos at our hands-on workshop! Whether you’re preparing for the Nittany AI Challenge or a Shark Tank presentation, this event is designed for you.

Learn how to:

  • Structure and deliver an impactful pitch
  • Techniques for creating high-quality, engaging videos
  • Insights from real Shark Tank and Nittany AI Challenge examples
  • Tips for effective communication

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your presentation skills in a supportive, interactive environment. Come connect with fellow innovators, and take your projects to the next level!

Reserve your spot today and get ready to make your pitch shine!

 

**Light refreshments provided.

Learn more about Workshop: Effective Pitching and Video Creation

Workshop: No-Code SQL in Python

Inspire Event
When: November 3, 2025
Where: Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub – Room 603

Join the Nittany AI Alliance Tech Team for an engaging, hands-on No-Code SQL in Python Workshop designed for students looking to enhance their data skills without the complexities of traditional SQL. Explore how to efficiently create and interact with databases using intuitive Python tools—perfect for anyone advancing beyond basic proof-of-concept projects.

Don’t miss this chance to elevate your technical toolkit in a friendly, collaborative environment! Register now to reserve your sea!

 

**Light refreshments provided.

Learn more about Workshop: No-Code SQL in Python

NAISS MLB Meeting: RAG

Student Society Event
When: November 5, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society for an engaging and interactive session focused around Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

This meeting is the third, and final of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around RAG.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: RAG

NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

Student Society Event
When: November 12, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society as Adam and Vish lead an engaging and interactive session focused on examples of fine tuning theory mini-code.

This meeting is the first of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around fine tuning.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

Student Society Event
When: November 19, 2025
Where: Online

Join the Nittany AI Student Society as Zach leads an engaging and interactive session focused on applications before/after fine tuning your project.

This meeting is the second of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around fine tuning.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

Student Society Event
When: December 3, 2025
Where: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building – Room 001

Join the Nittany AI Student Society for an engaging and interactive session focused on fine tuning your project.

This meeting is the third, and final session of a dedicated three-part series, each designed to build your understanding and skills around fine tuning.

Learn more about NAISS MLB Meeting: Fine Tuning

Stay Informed

The Alliance is hard at work with AI industry partners to bring cutting-edge programming to Penn State. Don’t miss your opportunity to get involved!

Share your contact information to stay up-to-date on all of the activities, challenges, and networking opportunities the Nittany AI Alliance will be offering in the coming months. You’ll be among the first to know about AI–related programming, giving you a chance to sign up early for events that may offer limited seating or enrollment capacity.

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