AI, Humanity, and the Power of Design: A Conversation with Dr. Ayanna Howard

Thursday, November 6, 2025, 12 - 1pm

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Dr. Ayanna Howard

Dr. Ayanna Howard, roboticist and dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering

STEM Outreach@Cooper hosts a talk by Ayanna Howard, Ph.D., world-renowned roboticist, AI researcher, and the first female dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Howard will lead an engaging conversation on how human-centered design can help reimagine the purpose of engineering—moving beyond technical achievement toward innovation that uplifts communities and benefits humanity as a whole.

Her talk will challenge educators, innovators, and future engineers to consider how might design technologies reflect empathy, inclusion, and the diversity of human experience. The event is open to current students, faculty, staff, and alumni interested in exploring how engineering and design can be a force for equity and global good.

Registrations are requested.
A light lunch will be provided.

Feel free to explore Dr. Howard's book before her talk.

Located in the Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, at 41 Cooper Square (on Third Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets)

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  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.