Pi Day 2025 [AI Conference]

Pi Day 2025 Volunteer Registration

Become a Pi Day Volunteer

This is a "For Students, By Students" event. The goal is to promote the ownership of your math learning, to encourage you to talk about mathematics, to share your joy of learning mathematics, to develop better attitudes and mindsets needed to learn mathematics, to discover ways of overcoming difficulties or anxiety in learning mathematics, to connect mathematics with real-life applications, and to celebrate and share your victories in understanding mathematical concepts.

Deadline to submit your research poster presentation: TBA

(If you need Pi Club to print your poster, you must submit it online by TBA.)

We would like to invite you to make posters to showcase your research learning and present it at the Pi Day Conference!

Activity/Demo/Games/Presentation Form

Day 1 Schedule

(CC 201)

10:00 AM - 11:50 AM Interactive STEM Activites/Demonstrations

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

11:50 AM - 12:00 PM Pi Day Welcoming Remarks

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Akki Akshit, President, Pi Club - PCC
Carrie Starbird, Division Dean, Mathematics - PCC
Dr. Daphne Liu, Department Chair, Mathematics - Cal State LA

12:00 PM - 12:50 PM Academic Panel - AI and Education: How to Use AI Smartly for Learning

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Carrie Starbird, Division Dean, Mathematics (Co-Moderator) - PCC

  Dean Carrie Starbird transferred from PCC to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to earn her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. After completing her Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona, she began her full-time teaching career at PCC, where she taught math for over 10 years. For the past decade, Dean Starbird has led the Mathematics Division through many changes, including Covid, hiring over a quarter of the division’s new faculty, and numerous legislative changes that have impacted community college mathematics students. Currently, Dean Starbird is also the Project Director for a Title III grant aimed at improving STEM students’ completion rates.
• 
  Dr. Roger Yang, Professor, Mathematics - PCC

  Dr. Roger Yang is a mathematics professor at Pasadena City College with over two decades of experience in teaching, curriculum innovation, and faculty mentorship. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of California, Irvine, and a BA in Computer Science and Mathematics from Cornell University. Dr. Yang has been a key contributor to several innovative initiatives, including the development of AI-infused curricula and Python-based mathematical modeling courses. 
  
  He also co-created SLAMTV, a video series designed to make statistics engaging and accessible. Dr. Yang’s work emphasizes leveraging AI to foster higher-order thinking in mathematics and exploring equitable teaching practices. With extensive experience in standards-based grading and professional development, he is dedicated to transforming education to meet the needs of the AI-driven era.
• 
  Jamal Ashraf, Professor, Computer Science - PCC

  Jamal Ashraf is a senior faculty member at Pasadena City College, bringing over 30 years of experience in computer science education, with expertise in Python, Java, and data structures. Passionate about integrating artificial intelligence and data science into education, he developed PCC’s Data Science Certificate program, which has enabled over 150 students to gain advanced skills and secure opportunities at leading tech companies and universities. Beyond teaching, Jamal mentors student-led clubs such as AIML and She.Codes, organizes initiatives to empower women in technology, and leads innovative projects like NASA Swarmathon competitions. His dedication to equity in STEM and real-world applications has earned him recognition for fostering academic-industry connections and inspiring the next generation of technologists.
• 
  Dr. Rhea Presiado, Professor, Geography - PCC

  Professor Rhea Presiado is a proud product of the community college system and teaches geography at PCC for the past 17 years. While at PCC, Rhea developed the first quality reviewed online course offerings in Geography, the Geography AA-T Degree, the first GIS Certificate, and spearheaded widespread OER textbook adoption across the Geography program. A leader in innovative teaching methods, her courses combine project-based learning with undergraduate research projects at local natural areas, and she has redesigned course assignments to adapt to AI technologies.

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM Python in Science Workshop

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Workshop Description: Computing is a vital component of all modern STEM research, and in this workshop, we'll begin to explore the intersection of science and computing. We'll program various simulations in Python together using Google Collaboratory, spanning various fields of physics and astrophysics. All you need is a laptop or tablet with a web browser.

• 
  Dr. Maria Okounkova, Professor, Natural Sciences - PCC

  Dr. Okounkova is a tenure-track physics and astronomy faculty member at PCC. She received her BA in Physics magna cum laude from Princeton University in 2014, with a minor in applications of computing, and her PhD in physics from Caltech in 2019, researching black holes and gravitational waves with Prof. Saul Teukolsky. Until she joined PCC, she was a Research Fellow at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute in New York City. Her research interests involve black holes, general relativity, gravitational waves, and computational astrophysics, and she has over a dozen lead-author publications in her field. Dr. Okounkova is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, and seeks to make this a focal point of her teaching and mentorship at PCC.

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM AI Applications Workshop

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Workshop Description: (TBA)

• 
  Evan Chou, Student, Computer Science - PCC

  Evan Chou is a 2nd-year Electrical Engineering student with a fervor for exploring the applications of AI and Machine Learning, and enjoys reading articles about the latest innovations in AGI and multimodal AI agent systems. In the 2024-2025 school year, he co-founded and became the President of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Club at PCC, a community where students of all different backgrounds and majors can learn about AI and its implications. Evan is also currently an AI Fellow in the Cerebras x BCV Fellowship program, where he is leveraging Cerebras Systems technology to accelerate real-world computational speeds of AI.
• 
  Shin Htet Aung, Student, Computer Science - PCC

  Shin Htet Aung is a first-generation student at Pasadena City College. He plans to transfer to a four-year university majoring in Computer Science. Shin co-founded the AI and Machine Learning Club at PCC, and as its VP, he oversees a wide range of responsibilities from managing club activities and functions to organizing events for the club. Most recently, he completed the IDEAS Machine Learning Program with AI LA and earned the AI For Good and Machine Learning Specialization certificates through Coursera, further advancing his knowledge in AI. Lastly, he couldn’t resist his excitement to pass along a message to everyone, stating, “I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of Pi Day 2025 and am looking forward to connecting with everyone there!”

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Underwater Robotics Workshop

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Workshop Description: (TBA)

• 
  Hyacinth Ang

  Hyacinth Ang is a second year at Pasadena City College majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She is the Vice President of PCC’s Mate ROV team and co-lead of the Mechanical team. On the side, she has experience coaching a VEX robotics team and educating young elementary school students in Python.
• 
  Chansereyroth Bun

  Chansereyroth Bun is attending Pasadena City College, and her major is Mechanical Engineering. She is on the mechanical team of the PCC MATE ROV Team.
• 
  Trina Wan

  Trina Wan is a second-year student attending Pasadena City College, majoring in Civil Engineering. She is an active member of the Mechanical Team in PCC's Mate ROV Program, where she contributes to the design and development of the underwater vehicle.

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Career & Internships Panel

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Sean Kamkar, Chief Technology Officer at Zest AI

  Sean is the Chief Technology Officer at Zest AI, where he leads the engineering and data science teams in developing cutting-edge AI solutions for credit lending. His teams focus on building robust systems, innovative AI applications, and scalable, transparent models that enhance performance, fairness, and automation in lending. Under Sean’s leadership, Zest AI has enabled hundreds of financial institutions to deploy AI/ML solutions that are not only powerful but also compliant and easy to implement.
  
  Sean holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from Stanford University and conducted postdoctoral research at NASA Ames Research Center. Before joining Zest AI, he led large-scale engineering initiatives, including managing over 200 engineers to improve the safety of aging U.S. natural gas pipelines.
• 
  Dr. Veronica I. Jaramillo, Dean of Natural Sciences Division (Co-Moderator) - PCC

  Dr. Veronica I. Jaramillo’s background in chemistry and mathematics, and interest in equitable education, have fostered her career in the community college. Dr. Jaramillo began her academic path at Moravian College earning a bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and Chemistry. She then continued her studies at the University of Arizona where she earned her doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Her thesis involved the study of low temperature reaction dynamics of important chemical reactions in the stratosphere. After, Dr. Jaramillo worked at a startup company, Calhoun Vision, where she developed irradiation systems and techniques.  Then she followed her passion for teaching and has been a chemistry faculty for the last 15 years at the community college and is currently the Dean of Natural Sciences at Pasadena City College. Dr. Jaramillo has been the principal investigator on a NSF grant devoted to incorporating early research experience for community college students. She has published a chapter and papers devoted to improving Chemical Education. Dr. Jaramillo has also been dedicated to community science outreach and has been an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on both the local and national level. Dr. Jaramillo was awarded the Agnes Anne Green Distinguished Service award and honored as a 2021 ACS fellow in recognition for her research, extensive work with students in science education, and her impact on diversity in the STEM workforce through work with minority and economically disadvantaged students, as well as for her excitement, enthusiasm, and innovation of chemistry outreach through her service on the ACS Committee on Community Activities and to the Southern California local section.
• 
  Prof. Avo Yousefian

  Avo Yousefian graduated with a Master of Accountancy from CSULA and an MBA from the University of the People. He is a CPA and site coordinator for the PCC-VITA program which is collaborating in a partnership with CSUN-VITA as the nationwide largest volunteer income tax assistance program. He has been teaching at PCC since 2016 as a full-time faculty.

Day 2 Schedule

(CC 201)

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

12:30 PM - 1:15 PM Check-In & Refreshments

1:20 PM - 1:30 PM Pi Day 2025 Welcoming Remarks

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Dr. Veronica I. Jaramillo, Dean of Natural Sciences Division (Co-Moderator) - PCC

  Dr. Veronica I. Jaramillo’s background in chemistry and mathematics, and interest in equitable education, have fostered her career in the community college. Dr. Jaramillo began her academic path at Moravian College earning a bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and Chemistry. She then continued her studies at the University of Arizona where she earned her doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Her thesis involved the study of low temperature reaction dynamics of important chemical reactions in the stratosphere. After, Dr. Jaramillo worked at a startup company, Calhoun Vision, where she developed irradiation systems and techniques.  Then she followed her passion for teaching and has been a chemistry faculty for the last 15 years at the community college and is currently the Dean of Natural Sciences at Pasadena City College. Dr. Jaramillo has been the principal investigator on a NSF grant devoted to incorporating early research experience for community college students. She has published a chapter and papers devoted to improving Chemical Education. Dr. Jaramillo has also been dedicated to community science outreach and has been an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on both the local and national level. Dr. Jaramillo was awarded the Agnes Anne Green Distinguished Service award and honored as a 2021 ACS fellow in recognition for her research, extensive work with students in science education, and her impact on diversity in the STEM workforce through work with minority and economically disadvantaged students, as well as for her excitement, enthusiasm, and innovation of chemistry outreach through her service on the ACS Committee on Community Activities and to the Southern California local section.

• 
  Dr. Thomas Hou, Charles Lee Powell Professor, Applied Computational Mathematics (Co-Moderator) - Caltech

  Thomas Yizhao Hou is the Charles Lee Powell professor of applied and computational mathematics at Caltech. He received his BS from South China University of Technology in 1982, his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1987, and became a tenure track assistant professor in 1989 at the Courant Institute. He moved to Caltech in 1993 and was named the Charles Lee Powell Professor in 2004. Dr. Hou has received a number of honors and awards. He was elected to be Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024, Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011, SIAM Fellow in 2009 and AMS Fellow in 2012. He received the William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics in 2024, the SIAM Ralph E. Kleinman Prize in 2023, the SIAM Outstanding Paper Prize in 2018, the SIAM Review SIGEST Award in 2019, the Computational and Applied Sciences Award from USACM in 2005, the Morningside Gold Medal in Applied Mathematics in 2004, the SIAM Wilkinson Prize in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing in 2001, the Frenkiel Award from the Division of Fluid Mechanics of American Physical Society in 1998, the Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing in 1997, the Sloan Research Fellow from 1990 to 1992.

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM The Power of AI: Foundation Models and Their Impact on Science and Engineering

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Dr. Yisong Yue, Professor, Computing and Mathematical Sciences - Caltech

  Yisong Yue is a Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. He was previously a research scientist at Disney Research. Before that, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Machine Learning Department and the iLab at Carnegie Mellon University. He received a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Yisong is also the General Chair of ICLR 2025 (International Conference on Learning Representations).
  
  Yisong's research interests are centered around machine learning, and in particular getting theory to work in practice. To that end, his research agenda spans both fundamental and applied pursuits, from novel learning-theoretic frameworks all the way to deployment in autonomous driving on public roads. His work has been recognized with multiple paper awards and nominations, including in robotics, computer vision, sports analytics, machine learning for health, and information retrieval. During his time in industry, Yisong worked on machine learning approaches to behavior modeling and motion planning for autonomous driving.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM Green AI: Making Artificial Intelligence Sustainable

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Dr. Jay Kuo, Ming Hsieh Chair Professor, Electrical Computer Engineering and Computer Science - USC

  Dr. Jay Kuo is the Ming Hsieh Chair Professor, a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, and the Director of the Multimedia Communication Laboratory (MCL) at the University of Southern California. He is a Fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, SPIE, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and an Academician of Academia Sinica.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM AI, Machine Learning, and Mathematical Science

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Dr. Tony Chan, Former President of KAUST and HKUST

  Professor Tony Chan served as the third president of KAUST from 2018 to 2024, leading the university into its second decade with significant growth in faculty and students, while expanding research focus to include digital and health sciences. He launched new initiatives in Artificial Intelligence and Smart Health, and bolstered KAUST’s impact on innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge transfer, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. His leadership strengthened KAUST’s global and national visibility, culminating in a strategic plan to accelerate the university’s impact both locally and globally through commercialization efforts.

  Prior to KAUST, Professor Chan was president of HKUST from 2009 to 2018, guiding the university to be ranked Asia’s number one by QS for three consecutive years. He championed interdisciplinary studies, led major fundraising campaigns establishing over 50 endowed professorships, and oversaw the construction of key infrastructure projects, including the Shaw Auditorium. Before HKUST, he held leadership roles at the US National Science Foundation and UCLA, with early academic appointments at Yale and Caltech. An elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering, he holds degrees from Caltech and Stanford and has served on numerous advisory boards worldwide.

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Ethical Issues and Challenges of AI

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Dr. Martin Verhoeven, Professor, Dharma Realm Buddhist University

  Dr. Martin J. Verhoeven received his MA in history (1971) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was a visiting scholar at Stanford under a Ford Fellowship, and completed his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the American encounter with Asian religions. Verhoeven's background includes both academic study of history and various philosophical traditions and East Asian contemplative practice. His particular areas of interest are the historical teachings of Buddhism, the translation of Buddhist texts into modern English, and the process of religious acculturation. He is currently the dean of academics at Dharma Realm Buddhist University.

3:50 PM - 5:00 PM Panel Discussion

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

• 
  Douglas Powers, Professor, Vice President - Dharma Realm Buddhist University

  Doug Powers is currently a professor and vice president of finance and administration at Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU). He teaches topics ranging from Buddhist sutras to Western philosophical treatises. Versed in both Western philosophy and Buddhist thought, Powers is constantly exploring how Buddhism can engage with the modern mind. He holds an MA in philosophy and religion from the Graduate Theological Union and an MAT in political science from the University of Redlands.

Resources for Your Pi Day Poster/Presentation

• If you'd like the Pi Club to print your digital poster, please email us here. (Recommended poster size:  20" x 32"  or  40" x 32")
• For more examples of Pi Day posters click here.
• "Want to be a great storyteller? First, break these habits"
• Learn to condense your research story into a Three Minute Thesis
• Avoid "Death by PowerPoint"
• Prepare your own "TEDx Talk"
• Watch other undergraduate research pitch competition videos

Examples of Pi Day Posters:

 

 

 

Chance to Win a Gift Card

Every instructor and student who submits their Pi Day survey online will have a chance to win a gift card. Deadline: TBA

T-Shirt Design Contest!

Participate in the T-Shirt Design Contest to win a gift certificate up to $100!

• Theme for Pi Day T-Shirt 2025:  "I can do it!" (3 colors maximum)
• T-Shirt Design Submission Deadline: TBA

Submit Your T-Shirt Desgin

Every poster-participating student and instructor will receive a certificate in the award ceremony, receive one raffle ticket, and will be entered for a chance to win a gift certificate up to $100.

Pi Day Survey

View our past Pi Day Events