Tess Gilman Posner

Closing Black History Month: Innovation, Leadership, and Building the Future 🚀🔬🤖 As Black History Month comes to a close, it’s important to remember that innovation isn’t just something we look back on — it’s happening right now. Across AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, energy systems, and biomedical engineering, Black inventors and scientists are leading breakthroughs that shape how we build, automate, and train the next generation of engineers. Here are just a few leaders driving impact today: • Joy Buolamwini — Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, pushing industry to measure and correct bias in AI systems. That work directly impacts automation, machine vision, and data systems used on modern shop floors. • Kimberly Bryant & Black Girls Code — Building coding and robotics skills in girls of color, strengthening the early pipeline that makes future internships, apprenticeships, and engineering careers possible. • Hadiyah-Nicole Green — Translating laser physics and nanotechnology into targeted cancer treatments. A powerful example of how deep STEM research becomes life-changing applied technology. • Ayanna V. Howard — Roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator bridging research, startups, and student mentorship — scaling lab innovation into real-world application. • Lonnie Johnson — Aerospace engineer turned prolific inventor (250+ patents), spanning consumer products to advanced energy systems — a model of applied R&D and entrepreneur-driven manufacturing. Organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) are running programs and camps that feed talent directly into engineering and manufacturing careers. Partner with them. Sponsor a capstone. Host a paid micro-internship this summer. Innovation scales when opportunity scales. At Pellissippi State, we’re committed to building real pathways into manufacturing, automation, robotics, and skilled trades — through hands-on labs, certifications, and measurable workforce outcomes. If you're looking to advance your technical skills or upskill your team: 🔧 Workforce Training Programs: https://lnkd.in/eBT-vRff If you have a middle or high school student ready to explore engineering, CNC machining, robotics, or advanced manufacturing: 🎓 STEM Youth Camps: https://lnkd.in/ebCSCrzu Black History Month reminds us: talent is everywhere. Opportunity is built. Let’s keep building. #BlackHistoryMonth #STEM #Manufacturing #WorkforceDevelopment #CTE #EngineeringEducation #Robotics #NSBE

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Eric Tucker and Edward Metz explain how public seed funding, exemplified by SBIR, can effectively scale innovative edtech delivering immense value at minimal cost per user https://lnkd.in/g4Ndzgen

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I'm a few months late to reading this wonderful piece by my dear friend Matthew Rascoff, Stanford's VP of Digital Education. For decades, we've focused on building individual skills to get ahead. While this "human capital" approach has led to skill building, it's also led to increased isolation, anxiety, and inequality—even with massive education investments. What if we reinvented the college experience to focus on building social capital? Stanford produces so many successful startups not because they teach different skills, but because they are intentional about curating experiences where students connect and collaborate. Specifically, their "Code in Place" programming course serves 12,000 students globally while maintaining small discussion groups. It actually gets better with scale—more people means higher chances of meaningful connections. This is what it means to scale social capital. As AI reshapes work, our ability to build relationships and collaborate becomes even more valuable than individual skills. So, how are our colleges and workforce training programs building community in their learning environments? https://lnkd.in/gNYYrpuH

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Here are some lessons learned from running the largest Inclusive Innovation hackathon for NYC students with disabilities: 1. Creativity: This shouldn't come as a surprise as many study reveal that individuals with ADHD and ASD score higher on divergent thinking 2. Self advocacy- many of the teams wanted to present to school leadership their ideas/prototypes. Entrepreneurship gives them the perfect avenue to self advocate and build confidence 3. Use of AI- many of the teams wanted to use AI to create videos and presentations- which gives me pause as traditional LLMs do not protect student data. AI can reimagine, support, and free up teachers to focus on what matters. But responsible AI isn't optional in special education. We're working with marginalized students and deeply personal data. Every decision has to start with "how does this serve the student?" And entrepreneurial mindset? It's transformative for students with disabilities. When they learn to solve problems, iterate, and advocate for themselves, they see their own potential differently. Those same skills translate to college, careers, and independent living. Over the coming weeks, I'll share what we've learned building at this intersection - the challenges, the ethical questions, and why special education might be the most important testing ground for responsible AI. #SpecialEducation #ArtificialIntelligence #ACEAI #EdTech #EntrepreneurialMindset #InclusiveEducation

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