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2026 AI Educator Summer Institute
The inaugural A.I. Educator Summer Institute begins on July 13, 2026! 
Audience: 11-12 clear filter
Wednesday, July 15
 

9:00am EDT

Source Code Session #16: AI and Image Data for Plant Sciences
LIMITED
Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
AI is fundamentally changing research. This session will draw directly from active research in plant phenomics, image-based trait analysis, and plant breeding to demonstrate what AI-assisted science looks like in practice. We'll walk through concrete examples: how convolutional neural networks and on-device models are automating the extraction of morphological traits from field images, how large language models are accelerating literature synthesis in crop science, and how AI pipelines are compressing analyses. What do these shifts mean for how we teach science? When a model can segment an image or predict yield, what skills actually matter? We'll dig into how to design data collection exercises and research projects so that students build genuine scientific judgment rather than just prompt-writing habits. You'll leave with a grounded understanding of where plant science and phenomics research is heading, and practical strategies to make your classroom reflect that reality.


Understand how image data can be used with AI for effective research outcomes
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Trevor Rife

Dr. Trevor Rife

Assistant Professor, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University
Trevor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University. The Rife Lab focuses on developing efficient tools, technologies, and methods to optimize plant breeding and genetics research and works with both national and international... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group
  • Knowledge/Experience Level 3, 2
  • Audience 11-12, Higher Education, 9-12
  • Subject Science, Biology
  • Location/Room Number C123
  • Participants should bring...Part Laptops (with charging cords); Academic standards for their subject

1:15pm EDT

Expansion Pack Session #16X (Part 1): AI and Image Data for Plant Sciences
LIMITED
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
Helping your students understand that data also means images is an important aspect of AI literacy. Using the understanding from the morning session, teachers will develop an activity based on their standards that utilizes image data. 
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Jennifer Brown

Dr. Jennifer Brown

Biology Instructor, A.I. Faculty Fellow, SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics
Jennifer Brown is a biology instructor at SCGSSM, where her teaching focuses on Molecular Biology, Botany, and Marine Biology. With over 17 years of experience in education, she has contributed to the use of real-life data in classrooms and brings that expertise into the Google AI... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Trevor Rife

Dr. Trevor Rife

Assistant Professor, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University
Trevor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University. The Rife Lab focuses on developing efficient tools, technologies, and methods to optimize plant breeding and genetics research and works with both national and international... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Expansion Pack Workshop, Small Group

2:45pm EDT

Expansion Pack Session #16X (Part 2): AI and Image Data for Plant Sciences
LIMITED
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
Helping your students understand that data also means images is an important aspect of AI literacy. Using the understanding from the morning session, teachers will develop an activity based on their standards that utilizes image data. 
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Expansion Pack Workshop, Small Group
 
Thursday, July 16
 

9:00am EDT

Source Code Session #23: Lean Into AI: Machine Verified Mathematics
LIMITED
Thursday July 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
If you ask an LLM to do mathematics, how does it know what is "correct"? Although models have been improving, they still sometimes make mistakes, especially in the "harder" sciences like mathematics. And yet, prominent mathematicians such as Terry Tao are vocally advocating for the use of AI in their research and have been publishing machine assisted proofs. Why do renowned experts like Dr. Tao trust AI, how can the AI help with research, and what does this have to do with high school students? The answer to all of this is strongly related to interactive proof assistant languages like Lean, which have existed prior to the current LLM boom. This session will cover some of the basics and describe how GSSM has used Lean to create research opportunities in mathematics that are accessible for gifted high school students.
Speakers
avatar for Taylor Belcher

Taylor Belcher

Computer Science & Mathematics Instructor, A.I. Faculty Fellow, SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics
Taylor is a Mathematics and Computer Science Instructor at the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. He taught high school and college mathematics for over a decade before joining the CS department at GSSM. He has an MA in Pure Mathematics from Bowling Green... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group

9:00am EDT

Source Code Session #26: Make It Yours: A Practical Introduction to MagicSchoolAI
LIMITED
Thursday July 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
This K-12 kickoff session puts your goals at the center. Starting with two guiding questions — What do you want to accomplish? and What do you want to prevent? — we'll explore how MagicSchool can support your real work in the classroom. You'll explore the platform hands-on and leave with a clear sense of where AI fits in your practice.


By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
  1. Articulate at least one personal goal and one boundary they want to set for AI use in their classroom
  2. Navigate the MagicSchool platform and identify tools relevant to their grade level and content area
  3. Apply a purpose-driven framework for evaluating when and how to use AI in their practice
  4. Leave with a concrete next step for integrating MagicSchool into an upcoming lesson or workflow
Speakers
avatar for Karisa Schwanekamp

Karisa Schwanekamp

Solution Architect, MagicSchoolAI
 Karisa Schwanekamp is a Solutions Architect at MagicSchool, where she partners with school districts to implement AI tools that are practical, purposeful, and grounded in real classroom needs. A former educator of 21 years spanning special education, elementary education, STEM... Read More →
avatar for Derek Lovell

Derek Lovell

District Partnerships - Carolinas, MagicSchoolAI
Derek Lovell partners with school districts across the Carolinas to help educators thoughtfully integrate AI into teaching and learning. With 17 years of experience in K–12 education and EdTech, he is passionate about building strong relationships and supporting districtwide innovation... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group

10:15am EDT

Source Code Session #25:Beyond ChatGPT: Launching South Carolina’s AI Pathway to Meet Graduation Requirements and Workforce Demand
LIMITED
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
This session spotlights South Carolina’s custom-designed Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (Course 1) and the full AI Career Pathway — created specifically for our state to meet workforce demand while providing a powerful option for satisfying the computer science graduation requirement. Students learn the foundational building blocks behind AI systems, including machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, data preparation, and responsible AI design — all through project-based units grounded in South Carolina’s priority industries.

Participants will learn implementation strategies for meeting graduation requirements while exposing students to viable career pathways, including approaches for adopting the full pathway and building dual enrollment partnerships with regional postsecondary institutions. We will share lessons from pilot implementation, strategies for embedding AI into existing CTE programs, and insights from new initiatives that connect pathway skills to real-world AI applications, validation processes, and industry. Participants will articulate how to guide students from basic AI tool use to a deeper understanding of the concepts, systems, and design behind AI technologies.
Speakers
avatar for Andrew Cook

Andrew Cook

Career Pathways Specialist, Office of Career Readiness, South Carolina Department of Education
Andrew Cook has over 40 years of experience in computer architecture and software development with a career that expands across three major technology-driven corporations - NCR, AT&T, and Intel. He began as a software developer and systems analyst at NCR and AT&T before moving into... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group

10:15am EDT

Source Code Session #27: AI in Education Today: What Every Educator and Administrator Needs to Know
LIMITED
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
The AI landscape in education is moving fast, and not all tools are created equal. This session gives educators a clear-eyed look at where legislation and policy stand today, how those decisions ripple down to the classroom level, and what to watch for as districts navigate responsible AI adoption. We'll unpack what makes MagicSchool distinctly different from general-purpose chatbots and consumer AI tools, and explore how purpose-built AI supports meaningful, intentional screen time for students and educators alike.


By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Summarize the current state of AI-related legislation and policy and its implications for classroom practice
  2. Distinguish between general-purpose chatbots and purpose-built AI tools designed specifically for education
  3. Evaluate AI tools through the lens of purposeful screen time and student safety
  4. Articulate why MagicSchool was built for educators and how that distinction shapes responsible adoption in their district

Speakers
avatar for Karisa Schwanekamp

Karisa Schwanekamp

Solution Architect, MagicSchoolAI
 Karisa Schwanekamp is a Solutions Architect at MagicSchool, where she partners with school districts to implement AI tools that are practical, purposeful, and grounded in real classroom needs. A former educator of 21 years spanning special education, elementary education, STEM... Read More →
avatar for Derek Lovell

Derek Lovell

District Partnerships - Carolinas, MagicSchoolAI
Derek Lovell partners with school districts across the Carolinas to help educators thoughtfully integrate AI into teaching and learning. With 17 years of experience in K–12 education and EdTech, he is passionate about building strong relationships and supporting districtwide innovation... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group

10:15am EDT

Source Code Session #28: Keeping Humans in the Loop: AI Use with Integrity
LIMITED
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Limited Capacity seats available
AI isn’t replacing student work. It is replacing student struggle.

In an era when AI can write an essay, solve an equation, and generate a research summary in seconds, the most important question is no longer whether students can use AI — it’s whether they are thinking while they do it. This session reframes the AI-in-schools conversation away from detection and discipline toward something far more powerful: building the responsible use, critical thinking, and informed judgment that make students genuinely prepared for the world they are entering.

Drawing on the aiEDU AI Readiness Framework, participants will explore how AI bias shows up in classrooms, what it looks like to be a critical consumer of AI outputs, and how to design learning experiences that honor both human judgment and the tools that are here to stay.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
  1. Identify at least two ways AI systems reflect bias and explain why this matters for classroom learning and student agency.
  2. Recognize human cognitive biases — including confirmation bias and authority bias — that shape how students and teachers interact with AI outputs.
  3. Apply a framework for evaluating student AI use that centers critical thinking and responsible judgment, not detection or compliance.
  4. Redesign or adapt at least one existing task to support transparent, integrity-centered AI integration using a prompt rubric and transcript as the assessable artifact.
Speakers
avatar for LeNard Pitts

LeNard Pitts

Senior Program Lead, East Coast The AI Education Project, aiEDU- The AI Education Project
LeNard Pitts is a passionate advocate for educational equity and digital empowerment in underestimated communities. As Senior Program Lead at aiEDU, he builds the critical thinking and human judgment students need to lead in a world shaped by AI. With over a decade of experience... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Building (GSSM) 401 Railroad Ave., Hartsville, SC 29550
  Source Code Session, Small Group
 
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