NSF ACCESS Regional Workshop

The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) will host a National Science Foundation (NSF) ACCESS Regional Workshop on artificial intelligence (AI) April 14–15, 2026, at the Fawcett Center on The Ohio State University’s campus.  

The in-person workshop provides a unique opportunity for researchers, educators, and students to learn how to integrate AI tools in research and classroom settings. 

Part of a regional series based on the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot’s AI Unlocked: Empowering Higher Ed through Research and Discovery workshop, the event is designed to help institutions across the United States navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape.  

Application and Travel Support

Participation is free for the day and a half-long, in-person event, which is sponsored by the NSF ACCESS and NAIRR programs. Space is limited to 100 participants, and OSC anticipates receiving more applications to attend than available spots. 

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN THROUGH FEB. 10, 2026! 

Travel support is available for hotel accommodations ONLY for those traveling from outside a 50-mile radius of Columbus, Ohio. No transportation or other travel expenses will be reimbursed. 

Attendees receiving travel support must stay at an Ohio State-preferred hotel (Blackwell Inn, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Hampton Inn, Staybridge, Marriott). Please do not book a hotel room until we have notified you that you have been accepted into the program.

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Research Symposium 

Participants also are invited to attend OSC’s annual Research Symposium, which showcases how faculty, students, and industry in Ohio are using OSC’s high performance computing (HPC) resources to advance research, education, and innovation – including in the fast-growing area of AI. The symposium, which is free to attend, will be held immediately following the NSF ACCESS Regional Workshop at the Fawcett Center.  

Continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks will be provided to all attendees. 

Full event schedule details will be released throughout winter 2026. 

Tentative Schedule 

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 

  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.:  Intro / Overview
  • 9:45 – 10:30 a.m.:  Keynote, Ayanna Howard, Dean of the College of Engineering, The Ohio State University
  • 10:30 – 11 a.m.:  Tanya Berger-Wolf, Director, Translational Data Analytics Institute, Ohio State
  • 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.:  AI Services talk
  • 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.:  LLM services panel, led by Vikram Gazula, Information Technology Manager III, University of Kentucky
  • 1:30 – 2 p.m.: Evan Jaffe, Machine Learning Engineer, Ohio Supercomputer Center
  • 2:00 – 2:30 p.m.: AI Services talk
  • 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.:  Dhabaleswar K (DK) Panda, Professor and University Distinguished Scholar of Computer Science and Engineering, Ohio State
  • 3:30 – 4 p.m.: Jia (Kevin) Liu, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ohio State, Ohio State AI(x) Hub
  • 4:00 – 4:30 p.m.: AI Research talk
  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.:  NAIRR overview / User panel

Wednesday, April 15, 2026  

  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.:  Intro / Overview
  • 9:45 – 10:30 a.m.:  Keynote, Tim Huerta, Professor of Family Medicine, CRIO & Associate Dean for Research Information Technology, Ohio State College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center
  • 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.:  Education/Ethics panel, led by Basil Masri Zada, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Digital Art + Technology, Ohio University