NTU-CEE Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Laurence Jacobs
Learn about Georgia Tech's Academic AI Strategy, a framework designed to prepare every student to use artificial intelligence effectively, thoughtfully, and responsibly.
About the Seminar
Topic: Preparing Students to Lead in an AI-Enabled Future
This talk discusses Georgia Tech's Academic AI Strategy, a framework designed to prepare every student to use artificial intelligence effectively, thoughtfully, and responsibly. Grounded in the Institute's long history of AI research and innovation, the strategy is guided by eight core principles—including being human-centered, responsible, faculty-empowering, and focused on access and public good—that shape how AI is developed, evaluated, and used across teaching and learning.
The strategy is organized around two strategic goals: ensuring AI fluency for every student; and fostering AI innovation across the academic enterprise by equipping faculty, staff, and students to build and integrate AI tools responsibly.
Central to the strategy is a firm commitment to academic freedom and shared governance. Rather than prescribing specific uses of AI, the framework empowers faculty—who retain primary responsibility for curriculum, instruction, and assessment—to lead innovation within established governance structures, ensuring the strategy supports rather than supersedes faculty expertise and academic judgment.
About the Speaker
Professor Laurence Jacobs, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Laurence J. Jacobs is Executive Vice Provost Education and Learning at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. He joined Georgia Tech in 1988 as an Assistant Professor and has previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Interim Dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering. His current role is to lead the Institute’s strategic initiative to define and implement a transformative learning strategy that builds on the foundations of established successful programs.
Professor Jacobs’ teaching is focused on fundamental engineering mechanics classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Professor Jacobs’ research focuses on the development of quantitative methodologies for the nondestructive evaluation, monitoring and life prediction of structural materials. This includes the application of nonlinear ultrasound for the characterization of fatigue, creep, stress corrosion, thermal embrittlement and radiation damage in metals. His work in cement-based materials includes the application of linear and nonlinear ultrasonic techniques to quantify microstructure and progressive micro-cracking in concrete. Dr. Jacobs’ publications have been cited more than 13,000 times with an h-index of 60 (Google Scholar), 46 (Scopus) or 44 (Web of Science) and he is a Fellow of the ASME. Professor Jacobs’ research has been funded by DOE, NSF, ONR, AFOSR, DARPA, NASA, US DOT, Georgia DOT, Exxon-Mobil, EPRI, Sandia National Labs, ARPA-E and GE. Dr. Jacobs has graduated 19 Ph.D. students and 65 M.S. thesis students.
Venue
Lecture Theatre 22 (SS2-B2-07)