Thursday, February 5, 2026

Prairie Launch Event

The public debut of the Prairie Initiative. Join us as we introduce Prairie to our community and invite you to help shape its future.

In-person registration is now closed. Can't attend? Stream the panel discussion.

Kiewit Hall exterior during winter.

Program

Time

Session

Location

11:30 AM – 12:50 PM

Kickoff Lunch

Cather Dining Center

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Panel Discussion

Cather Dining Center

2:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Concurrent Workshops

Cather Dining Center

4:15 PM – 4:30 PM

Wrap-Up

Cather Dining Center

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Social Event

Don't Panic Labs

 

Kickoff Lunch

11:30 AM – 12:50 PM

Three campus leaders share their perspectives on the significance of AI for our institution:

  • Jennifer Nelson, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation
  • Lance Perez, Dean, College of Engineering
  • Kathy Farrell, Dean, College of Business

Panel Discussion: The Future of Work in an AI-Transformed World

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Leaders from across diverse sectors discuss how AI is reshaping industries, workflows, and the skills our graduates will need.

Moderator

Mark Riley, College of Engineering

Panelists
  • Josh Jones, Nelnet — Financial services and AI implementation
  • Derek Nordgren, Hudl — Sports technology and technical career growth
  • Santosh Pitla, UNL — Digital agriculture and autonomous systems
  • Bobby Brauer, Bayer Crop Science — Agricultural data and decision-making
  • Will Greenwood, MathWorks — Engineering software and AI in education
  • Hilary Kasel, Google — Workforce development and AI-ready teams
  • Jean Claude Niyomugabo, UNL Graduate Student — Student perspective on AI and agriculture

This session will be streamed for registered participants who cannot attend in person.

Concurrent Workshops

2:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Three hands-on sessions exploring AI applications in different contexts. Participants choose one track.

Track A: Research & Innovation

Facilitators
  • Mark Stone
  • Mubarak Zouriq
Partners
  • MathWorks
  • Google

How is AI accelerating discovery and changing the research landscape? From literature review to deep learning for scientific discovery.

Track B: Productivity

Facilitators
  • Tareq Daher
  • Hilary Kasel
Partner
  • Google

AI for everyday work — from quick wins that save time today to agentic tools that transform workflows. For anyone looking to work smarter.

Track C: Teaching & Learning

Facilitators
  • Asa Stone
  • Derek Heeren
Partner
  • Google

Integrating AI into education responsibly. Policies, course design, academic integrity, and the future of teaching and learning.

Social Event

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM at Don't Panic Labs

Build community, strengthen connections, and continue conversations. Hosted by Google with refreshments from The Post.

Can't Attend In Person?

We're streaming the panel discussion for those who can't join us at Cather Dining Center. Sign up to receive the streaming link.

Get Streaming Access

Questions?

Contact us at prairie@nebraska.edu with questions about the Launch Event.