Juan Gilbert to present lecture at K-State for MLK Observance Week
Friday, Jan. 12, 2024
MANHATTAN — Nationally renowned computer scientist and educator Juan Gilbert will deliver the MLK Presidential Lecture at Kansas State University on Thursday, Jan. 25, as part of the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week.
The MLK Presidential Lecture will occur from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Amy Button Renz Family Banquet Room at the K-State Alumni Center. The lecture is open to the public, and attendees must register and purchase a meal ticket by Jan. 17. Tickets are $25 per person.
"The MLK Presidential Lecture is a key event of our Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week celebrations," said Mirta Chavez, assistant vice president of student belonging and inclusion at K-State. "It is a time when the entire university gets together to break bread over a thought-provoking keynote address honoring Dr. King's life and legacy. We are truly honored to have someone of Dr. Gilbert's caliber join us this year."
Gilbert leads the Computing for Social Good Lab at the University of Florida, where he is the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and chair of the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department. His research spans advanced learning technologies, election security, usability and accessibility, human-centered artificial intelligence and machine learning, Brain-Computer Interfaces, and ethnocomputing.
He has published more than 250 articles, given more than 250 talks and obtained more than $30 million in research funding.
Gilbert was awarded a 2022 National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Joe Biden for pioneering and championing universal design in elections technology to make voting accessible for everyone and for increasing diversity in the computer science workforce. The medal is the nation's highest honor for technological achievement.
His many accolades include the Social Impact Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, the Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama in 2011.
In addition, Gilbert has been named a Master of Innovation by Black Enterprise Magazine, a Modern-Day Technology Leader by the Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference and a Pioneer of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Inventors.
Gilbert received his master's and doctoral degrees in computer science from the University of Cincinnati in 1995 and 2000, respectively. He also received his bachelor's degree in systems analysis from Miami University in Ohio in 1991.
Learn more and see a schedule of events on the K-State Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week website.
