Monday was a special day for me at Holland Hall School.
We hosted Holland Hall alum Julian Abhari, class of ’20.
Julian’s work in AI and machine learning is of significant importance. He has developed a Skin Check app, a groundbreaking innovation to identify moles that could cause skin cancer. This example application of machine learning showcases AI’s potential in healthcare and underscores its ethical responsibility in its use.
An Impressive Bio
His pioneering research in computer vision and domain adaptation has resulted in peer-reviewed publications in top computer science journals like the ACM and AHLI, impacting over 150,000 patients globally, and patent-pending innovations––creating the first visual AI skin cancer detector designed to work accurately across all skin tones.
Julian’s background in ML, CV, and healthcare technology stems from his time at Holland Hall, where his passion for computer science and engineering was ignited, creating his first mobile apps, game engines, and ML simulations throughout middle school and high school.
After graduating from Holland Hall, Julian attended the University of Tulsa and received degrees in computer science, cyber security, biomedical engineering, and mathematics.
Julian took the time to address the entire upper school student body at the morning meeting.
Additionally, he spoke to both sections of AP Computer Science about his journey at Holland Hall, where he took his first steps toward this technology while a high school student in an independent study under the mentorship of Joe Ford. Joe has also mentored me during my growth as an AP Computer Science Principles teacher.
An Inspiring Discussion Packed With Wisdom Gained From The Road Travelled
Julian’s discussion was fascinating but, most of all, inspiring. He talked about his initial interest in AI learning algorithms, which started when he was a student at Holland Hall. I taught Julian Chemistry in his junior year. I remember him showing me an app that he had trained a Flappy Bird clone so that it would learn how to play the game effectively.
Julian’s thoughts about training evolution algorithms were also insightful. When trying to improve the algorithm, he found that limiting the training data to only those successful functions did not result in the most effective algorithm. He said it was essential to include other training data that resulted in unsuccessful iterations to maximize the algorithm fully. The lesson is that you need diversity of thought in any creative process. Some ideas might not work, but having a range of possibilities was essential to the creative process and optimizing a final result. Julian’s experience inspires us to embrace diverse perspectives in collaborative teamwork projects, fostering a culture of open-mindedness and innovation.
Julian’s discussion also involved a high-level explanation of how a neural network functions, similar to and modeled after the human brain. Additionally, discussing bias inherent in datasets and training a model to recognize and analyze different skin tones was essential to democratizing and providing technology for all people.
The Importance of Humanities
One question posed by our Director of Teaching and Learning, asked Julian what role the humanities and social sciences play in developing software. Julian responded that it is essential to understand how your system works when building software. For success to be reached, the humanities provide an understanding of how the world works. This acknowledgment of the humanities’ role in software development validates their importance and makes us feel integral to the process. The following discussion was fruitful in keeping students’ minds open to seeing the connections between their classes. It supported the point of view that a well-rounded education was key. Arts, science, humanities, world language, and technology classes all play a role in a student’s development. Allowing students to see the potential connections between all the skills they are developing is key to fully realizing the creative and design processes. All of these skills and competencies help when developing technology with the ethical use of AI as a central focus.
Building Trust and Being Vigilant
The students were interested in how Julian and his team raised funds to help the development of their product. What was key was that Julian had a team of people working with him and a partner who acted as the business manager. Julian acknowledged that he was more technical-minded, so he needed help from someone who ran the business side of the operation. Another essential piece of wisdom that Julian provided the students was the importance of establishing trust when raising funds. He cautioned that some venture capitalists could be looking to take over a company rather than work to support the vision of the people involved in the company. The wisdom of being careful who you invite to your table and establish relationships with was another example of the value that our students learned.
The Ethical Use of AI
The ethical use of AI is an important topic. When I think about our primary school students graduating in fifteen years and how much change we have seen in the world in the last fifteen years regarding the app economy and the pace at which the technology landscape is changing and evolving, we need to be aware of that. We can predict what technology can do in 15 years, but we don’t know exactly how that might manifest. It is key to educate our young and empower them, but equally important is to provide them with the ethical and moral framework to see the uses and applications of new technology and leverage in ways to make it beneficial for society and understand how introducing technology has intended and unintended ripple effects. Attaining this wisdom is the power and importance of a liberal arts education. Our students are not just the beneficiaries of this knowledge but also the future creators and guardians of ethical AI.
I typically show the following clip from Jurassic Park to my Applied Technology Principles as we discuss the ethics of technology. The clip holds up thirty-two years on from when the movie was made.
Spielberg, Steven, director. Jurassic Park. Universal Pictures, 1993.
Thanks and Gratitude
I enjoy inviting guest speakers to our school to engage with our students. It is essential to provide real-world examples of people involved in good work in technology and other career tracks. It gives needed context to the work that the students are engaged in. Exposure to actual examples of innovation and the stories told contain valuable lessons. These events also open student minds to new opportunities and avenues as they work through finding their passions or how those passions can connect to different career paths.
I don’t take credit for Julian’s understanding of systems thinking, AI, and computer science, but I might have helped him balance an equation or two during his time in Chemistry.
I want to thank Julian Abhari and Joe Ford for their invaluable time and effort. Their contributions have enriched our students’ learning experience and inspired us all with their passion and dedication to their work.
Amazing stuff.
#apcomputerscience #ai #Innovation #education
Photos in this article Courtesy Holland Hall
