ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 34 ACADEMIA EXPERTS PANEL Dr. Viola L. Acoff University of Mississippi Dean of Engineering Moderator Dr. Zi-Kui Liu, FASM The Pennsylvania State University Professor in Materials Science & Engineering Dr. Christopher Berndt, FASM, TSS-HoF Swinburne University of Technology Distinguished Professor, Surface Science and Engineering Dr. David B. Williams, FASM The Ohio State University Emeritus Dean Dr. Hanchen Huang, FASM Oklahoma State University Dean of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology KEY TAKEAWAYS—ACADEMIA • The age of AI and LLMs challenges educators to rethink how they teach, discover, and collaborate; learners are now co-creators of knowledge via hands-on discovery, digital tools, and global networks. • Connecting students early on, in group projects that mimic various disciplines, will prepare them for the collaborative work style required in future jobs. • The role of academics has evolved out of the ivory tower; they now have clients and talk with customers. • Universities need to prepare students to speak the lingo of industry, solve problems independently, and think deeply. • There is increasing pressure on academics not just to publish but also to seek patents and commercialization. • Academics can support innovation and entrepreneurship by teaching students how to turn research projects into startups. • The journal publishing process needs to be reevaluated in light of AI. • The academic promotion and merit pay system needs to change; currently it is heavily weighted by the number of journal papers published; the industry and government funding acquired should factor in more prominently. • Interdisciplinary research can more easily partner with a government agency when a project supports what industry thinks is relevant and what the university thinks is interesting. • Universities aspire to build threepronged relationships with key companies for: hiring students, utilizing professors’ research, and engaging in philanthropy (supporting the university’s foundation). • Professors can impart to students the importance of networking and making connections by encouraging participation in materials competitions, attendance at chapter meetings and conferences, or serving in student leadership roles. • AI literacy will be critical for the next generation; AI will be used in every class across the board; students will be taught how to identify AI, know its limitations, and use it responsibly. • Universities have a dual mission: to educate engineering leaders and train the workforce. ~AM&P As moderator of the academic panel, Zi-Kui Liu provides a framework to guide the discussion. Viola Acoff serves as part of the academic panel. The academic panel. Not pictured is Hanchen Huang.
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