CapstoneEngineerMagazineFall2026 - Flipbook - Page 30
Academic Leaders Convene in Tuscaloosa for
2026 SEC Engineering Leadership Summit
More than 140 engineering and computer
science leaders from across the Southeastern
Conference gathered at the Styslinger College
of Engineering July 27-29 for the 2026 SEC
Engineering Leadership Summit. The threeday conference fostered collaboration among
engineering deans, associate deans, assistant
deans, department heads, development directors
and communications directors and addressed
the opportunities and most pressing challenges
facing engineering programs today.
This year’s gathering, which drew
representatives from all 16 SEC universities,
centered around the theme of artificial
intelligence and its influence across engineering,
computer science, industry and government.
“Engineering colleges across the SEC share
a commitment to preparing the next generation
of innovators and problem-solvers that are so
critically needed in our states and across our
nation,” said Dean Clifford Henderson. “As our
institutions navigate emerging opportunities and
challenges, particularly in areas such as artificial
intelligence, the SEC Engineering Leadership
Summit strengthens our ability to learn from one
another, exchange ideas and shape the future of
engineering education together.”
The summit’s keynote presentation
featured a panel comprised of industryleading professionals, including Dr. Amit
Kumar, exploration AI program manager for
ExxonMobil; Robert Lightfoot, president of
Lockheed Martin Space; Dr. Keith Nagara,
director of strategic academic partnerships
and centers of excellence for Dassault Systems;
Bobby Napiltonia, chief helper for The GTM Firm;
30 | CAPSTONE ENGINEER | FALL 2026
Ananth Sankaranarayanan, vice president of
AI infrastructure for Microsoft; and Michael
Schulte, senior fellow at AMD. Drawing from their
experience across aerospace, energy, electronics,
software and related fields, panelists’ discussions
focused on the myriad applications of artificial
intelligence and its implications for education,
research and workforce development.
“One of the highlights of this year’s summit
was the engagement of leaders from across
industry,” said Henderson. “Their insights
provided valuable context for how artificial
intelligence is being applied in the real world
today and how engineering and computer
science education and research programs can
continue to evolve alongside those advancements
to ensure that we are properly preparing students
for the workplaces of tomorrow.”
Attendees engaged in a hands-on workshop
led by Google that introduced them to advanced
concepts in agentic AI, culminating in an exercise
that guided participants through building
their own AI agents. Additional programming
included targeted breakout groups, an interactive
presentation hosted by UA’s department of
computer science and the Alabama Center for
the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and
five-minute presentations in which faculty and
staff outlined recent initiatives that have been
successful at their institutions.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape
both academia and industry, the summit
reinforced the commitment of SEC engineering
colleges to preparing professionals who are
equipped to lead and excel in a rapidly evolving
technological landscape.
