Holtz and Rosenberg Present the Presidential AI Challenge at the Inaugural AI Tennessee Summit
At the inaugural AI Tennessee Summit, Emily Holtz and Joshua Rosenberg represented the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences as both attendees and featured presenters, sharing their work on the Presidential AI Challenge and how it is being shaped in collaboration with educators and students across Tennessee.
Their session with Reid Jackson, Computer Science Educator and AI Program Lead at L&N Stem Academy, centered on how the Presidential AI Challenge is being implemented in real, K-12 educational settings, and how classroom-based experimentation and feedback are shaping its direction. The presentation drew a steady audience of educators, researchers, and policymakers interested in how AI initiatives translate beyond theory into practice.
For Josh Rosenberg, Haslam Family Professor and associate professor of STEM Education in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE), the experience stood out as a defining professional moment. He shared, “This was a statewide collaboration involving a group of wonderful faculty (Memphis, Fisk, MTSU) and educators (Metro Nashville, Knox County, Roane County, Alcoa, Shelby County, and Murfreesboro City), so it was an honor to share a bit on our work at the AI Tennessee Summit. It was a career highlight!”
Emily Holtz, assistant professor of elementary education in TPTE, emphasized the collaborative foundation behind their presentation, noting, “For me, being invited to the AI Summit and asked to share our work done in partnership with faculty, teachers, and students across Tennessee was a truly meaningful opportunity.”
For Holtz, that sense of meaning was rooted in something deeper. “What stood out most was how much stronger this work becomes when it’s shaped alongside teachers, students, and community partners and grounded in real classrooms and real questions,” she said. “It’s a reminder that the future of AI in education is not just about innovation, but about whose perspectives are informing the work and how those closest to it are part of the process.”
Together, their presentation underscored a central theme of the summit: initiatives like the Presidential AI Challenge gain their strongest footing when they are built with educators and students, not just for them.
Learn more about the inaugural AI Tennessee Summit at aitennessee.ai.