CARD Hosts Successful AI Symposium Exploring Real-World Impact and Innovation
By Victoria Birk Hill June 2, 2025
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On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD), an NSF IUCRC, hosted the “AI-Powered Innovation: From Fundamentals to Real-World Impact Symposium” at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois campus. The event, held from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, attracted strong attendance from stakeholders in the manufacturing sector—including representatives from the food, chemical, and agricultural industries—as well as students and academic faculty. It preceded the CARD Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Spring Meeting later that afternoon.
The symposium featured distinguished speakers from academia and industry who explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping complex systems, accelerating sustainable innovation, and transforming decision-making processes. Topics included AI adoption, commercialization challenges, and applications in manufacturing, food production, and agriculture.
Dr. Lav Varshney, Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), presented compelling case studies demonstrating AI’s impact from core algorithm development to deployment in real-world scenarios such as AI-powered manufacturing, food innovation, and sustainable materials. Dr. Corey Adams, Senior Engineer at NVIDIA, highlighted the use of NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo for multi-scale, high-precision scientific applications, including digital twins and climate modeling. Dr. Jessica Wedow, Executive Director of the AIFARMS Institute, showcased cutting-edge agricultural innovations driven by AI, with a focus on robotics, livestock management, and generative technologies.
The event fostered dynamic discussions, particularly during the Q&A session, where attendees raised insightful questions on implementation strategies, the role of domain expertise, and integration challenges in deploying AI platforms.
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