Throughout the academic year, INGENIUM organises several public Staff Academy webinars where there are 1–3 short case presentations (20minutes each) on cutting-edge teaching practices, followed by a lively discussion and Q&A sessions. The webinars unfold on Zoom and are hosted by the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk). Register to the webinar here to get the link to join!

AI in education

April’s Staff Academy Webinar will focus on AI. Get to know the speakers and their topics below.

Gen AI – Opportunities and Challenges in Education, by Professor Jim O’Mahony

This session will explore the emergence of technologies, tools, and platforms which are being shaped by generative AI. In particular, we will highlight strategies for the safe and responsible adoption of generative AI as it pertains to teaching, learning and assessment. We will look at how to manage security and privacy issues, and what specific platforms and applications should be promoted as part of a modern teaching approach.

Professor Jim O’Mahony is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Munster Technological University (MTU). In addition, Jim is the AI Lead for the Teaching and Learning Unit, MTU Cork and Co-Chair of MTU’s Working Group on Generative Artificial Intelligence. He has served as a member of the National Advisory Group on Generative AI for the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, contributing to the strategic development of AI integration in Irish higher education, and works with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) to support school management teams in their work.

Jim specialises in making AI tools more accessible to educators and demonstrating their practical applications in enhancing student learning experiences. His expertise spans a range of AI platforms beyond Chat GPT and he is dedicated to exploring how technology can support education while keeping the work we do as educators very much human focused.

Jim produces the popular LinkedIn newsletter “AI Simplified – for Educators,” sharing the latest tools, tips, and Gen AI platforms to help educators work better and smarter.

Creating Classroom AI: From Concept to Student Use, by Aitor Iriondo Pascual

You do not need to be an AI expert to encounter AI in education — but you do need to relate to it. How should AI be understood in the classroom, where are its limits, and what becomes possible when teachers and students move from using AI to creating it? The topic connects the broader educational questions around trust, learning, and technology with practical ways of building AI, from beginner-friendly approaches to more advanced implementations in existing tools and workflows. In this way, classroom AI becomes not only something to discuss, but something to shape.

Aitor Iriondo Pascual holds a doctorate in informatics and is a researcher at the University of Skövde working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital human modelling, and industrial engineering. His work focuses on how AI can be used not only as a general-purpose assistant, but also as a practical component in technical systems for education, ergonomics, and industrial optimization. He has experience with computer vision for pose estimation, simulation-based multi-objective optimization using machine learning, and the development of AI-supported tools that combine human expertise with automated analysis. His interest lies in making advanced AI understandable, applicable, and useful in real contexts for both students and professionals.

Robust Tracking Algorithms for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), by Dobrea Dan Marius

In several UAV guidance systems, robust object tracking is a primary requirement. One of the primary goals of the different autopilot softwares (PX4, ArduPilot or Betaflight) is to guide the UAV along a predefined trajectory based on GPS data. Furthermore, various UAV systems employ alternative guidance systems that facilitate target tracking to enable (1) maneuvering within a defined formation for multiple UAVs, (2) following and intercepting a moving system, or (3) avoiding potential collisions.

This presentation will focus on a novel algorithm that addresses the conflicting requirements of real-time operation in a real, complex environment on an embedded unit, while enhancing detection performance and maintaining computational efficiency.

This presentation also advances the open-source ecosystem by disseminating a practical, validated approach to real-time object tracking for UAVs, grounded entirely in open-source software and hardware.

Dobrea Dan Marius received the Ph.D. from Gh. Asachi Technical University, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications & Information Technology, in Iasi, Romania, in 2005, and a habilitation in 2018. Dobrea Dan Marius is a professor in the Department of Applied Electronics and Intelligent Systems. His research interests include digital signal processing, AI, intelligent systems, embedded systems, UAVs, sensors, and IoT. He has authored over 90 books, patents, journal articles, and conference papers.

Register to the webinar here

Staff Academy event recordings and webinars will be published on INGENIUM YouTube channel.