Navigating AI Together & Learning Out Loud with Alum, Marissa Rivas Taylor
RSVP for the Zoom link and lunch.
For this session, Navigating AI Together: Community Conversation Series is merging with the AI Clinic Labs! We're keeping the conversation series topic and inviting our UMSI alum, Marissa Rivas Taylor to join in on this conversation with her personal insights.
Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a core goal for UMSI, but what does that actually mean for our everyday work and daily lives? There are strong opinions. Some folks are early adapters, some are staunchly opposed and many others simply are unsure where they stand. While a lot of public discussion focuses on how AI affects classrooms, technology has the potential to change how all of us—staff, faculty, and students alike—get tasks done and find information.
This community conversation series is an open, friendly space to talk through big questions around AI without the tech jargon. We aren't here to lecture or push a specific viewpoint. Instead, each session is a place to swap ideas, listen to different perspectives, learn from each other and figure out what AI means for you.
Each meeting focuses on one practical topic, like AI's environmental footprint, its effect on social good, or the pros and cons of using AI tools at work. You'll walk away with helpful resources, and access to a dedicated Slack channel to keep the conversation going.
No prior knowledge on AI is required for participants to participate meaningfully.
Use Marissa's "Ask Me Anything" form to submit questions for her ahead of time.
This event is co-hosted by UMSI Organizational Culture and Community & the Engaged Learning Office.
Featured Speaker
Marissa Rivas Taylor
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She/Her
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Assistant Director for Technology & Communication
University of Michigan's Center for Educational Outreach
Marissa serves as Assistant Director for Technology & Communication, working at the intersection of people, technology, information, and power structures. She leads technology and communication strategy and statewide initiatives that connect people, ideas, and resources to strengthen educational access and opportunity. A proud first-generation college graduate and Gates Millennium Scholar, she is interested in how people interact with technology and information, how power shapes those interactions, and how communities can help build more human-centered systems. Marissa is also a PhD student in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University, where her research examines what motivates female students to succeed in STEM spaces, how students use generative AI for mastery learning, and how to advance human-first AI design that values human experiences, expertise, and agency of educational communities. Marissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric Communication and English Literature-Creative Writing from Wheaton College and a Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan, with a focus on Library Science and Design Thinking. She is also the author of Higher Ed and AI: Personalized Workflows and Collective Practices.
Contact: [email protected]