Sep. 21—A forum co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program and Penn State Scranton intends to help regional manufacturers adapt to technological advances.

The free event, scheduled for Oct. 3 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Penn State Scranton in Dunmore, featuring several university-industry partnerships, will educate small to medium-sized manufacturers on how to introduce artificial intelligence and machine learning into their operations.

Marwan Wafa, Ph.D., chancellor of Penn State Scranton, noted the university strives to offer informative programs to the region.

"Penn State Scranton prides itself on being a resource to the local community and is always looking for new opportunities to provide educational services, technical assistance and resources to businesses and industry in northeastern Pennsylvania," Wafa said in a news release.

The speakers will include Soundar Kumara, Ph.D., an Allen E. and Allen M. Pearce professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and director of the Center for the Applications of AI & ML to Industry at Penn State; Andy Gatto, innovation ecosystem and partnership strategist for the Nittany AI Alliance; Majid Chatsaz, Ph.D., PE, mechanical engineering program coordinator and assistant professor of engineering at Penn State Scranton; and Fred Aebli, M.A., information technology program co-coordinator and instructor/adviser at Penn State Scranton.

Don Webster, executive director of tecBRIDGE, an organization focused on entrepreneurship and innovation in Northeast Pennsylvania, will serve as the facilitator of the forum.

He praised Penn State for creating the event as a valuable learning experience.

"This forum creates a great opportunity to begin to demystify some of the emerging technologies we hear so much about," Webster said. "Artificial intelligence is one of the transformational innovations everybody is going to be able to benefit from going forward — whether you're big, small, or in-between."

For more information on the forum and to register, visit: penntap.psu.edu/events/tec-talk-advancing-industry-5-0-with-university-partnerships

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