I recently joined TigerAI, a brand-new club at the University of Memphis, and the members voted me in as club president! I’m excited to help shape its direction and build a place where students from different disciplines can explore AI together.

Starting something new comes with a lot of possibilities. We get to ask what kind of club would be useful to students, what people want to learn, and how we can share that learning beyond our own meetings. I’m looking forward to listening to members and helping turn those ideas into something we can build together.

Making AI approachable

My interest in AI connects with my work in computational chemistry and my interest in teaching. I enjoy exploring what these tools can help us do, but I also care about understanding how they work, checking their results, and recognizing their limitations.

I hope TigerAI becomes an avenue for outreach across campus and into the Memphis community. I would like to develop approachable workshops for undergraduate students and activities for local schools that introduce AI through practical examples. Students should be able to join the conversation even if they have never written code or trained a model.

Responsible use belongs in that conversation from the beginning. That means discussing how to evaluate an answer, protect information, and understand the expectations for a particular class or assignment. I want our activities to help people develop judgment alongside technical skills.

Connecting with the University’s AI initiatives

This feels like an exciting time to start a student AI club at Memphis. The University’s AI for All minor welcomes students from different majors and backgrounds, while its Applied AI initiatives emphasize practical skills and preparation for an AI-influenced workforce.

I hope TigerAI can complement these efforts through student-led learning, discussion, and outreach. A club can give students a place to try an idea, ask questions, and connect what they are learning in their courses with problems they care about. Finding ways to align that work with the University’s broader AI initiatives is one of my goals as president.

Building the club together

TigerAI is still at the beginning, and there is plenty to figure out. For now, I’m excited about the chance to help create a welcoming community and to learn from the people who join it. I hope we can make AI feel more accessible, encourage thoughtful experimentation, and share what we learn with others.

If you are a University of Memphis student interested in TigerAI—or have an idea for an outreach activity—I would love to hear from you. Send me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn.