Adrian College highlights student-led AI projects on Ribbons of Excellence Day
Posted Thursday, May 28, 2026
Author: Mickey Alvarado
From a student-built robot to research on AI in education and transportation, Adrian College’s Ribbons of Excellence Day in April highlighted how students are applying artificial intelligence in real-world settings.
The history of Adrian College’s Ribbons of Excellence program traces back to the Cane Ceremony, a tradition of tying a ribbon with the names of Adrian College graduates to a shepherd’s crook. This tradition has continued since 1887.
In 2007, Adrian College’s academic community developed its vision for the Ribbons of Excellence program. The Ribbons of Excellence were to represent what Adrian College seeks to be known for: caring for humanity and the world; learning throughout a lifetime; thinking critically; crossing boundaries and disciplines; and developing creativity.
Adrian College Professor of English Studies Bethany Shepherd, Ph.D., was the keynote speaker for this year’s Ribbons of Excellence Day, and her presentation was titled “AI’s Question for Humanity.”
“At this moment, we are very busy asking ourselves questions about AI: how will AI change education, jobs, global economics and the environment,” Shepherd said. “These questions are important because, although the answers are not entirely clear, we know for certain that now and in the immediate future, AI’s capacity to concentrate power and wealth is unprecedented. I translate this certainty as the central question that AI poses to humanity: Will we be capable of using AI in ways that benefit humanity sufficient to offset the ways that AI will cost humanity?”
While Shepherd has been teaching and exploring AI since 2013 when she taught a course titled Narrative and Artificial Intelligence, she said she does not know the answer to that question.
“I only know that to even attempt the latter will require extraordinary creativity, empathy, collaboration and leadership — some of the most difficult and meaningful types of work humans are capable of,” she said.
As AI continues to rapidly advance, Adrian College and its students are increasingly exploring ways to integrate emerging technologies into hands-on learning experiences. Adrian College freshman Kaleb Richardson, a computer science major, said his presentation, “Bruiser the Robot,” is one of the first campus-developed initiatives to implement robotics as an applied learning tool.
Bruiser was designed from the ground up using 3D-printed components to create a custom, functional chassis.
“It started as a 3D scan that I took of a real-life statue Adrian College gave to my sister as an award, and I used that as the baseline for the model,” Richardson said. “I hollowed out the shell so I could fit the components inside.”
The project then went from design to engineering. A programmable robot car platform was incorporated into the model, enabling autonomous movement and real-time navigation.
Richardson said that by leveraging AI-powered capabilities such as image and facial recognition, along with various sensors and modules, Bruiser serves as a practical demonstration of how robotics and AI intersect.
“Beyond technical innovation, the project highlights the multidisciplinary nature of robotics by combining engineering, design, fabrication and problem-solving,” Richardson said.
Adrian College sophomore Abigail Malone’s Ribbons of Excellence presentation was titled “Integrating AI in Early Education: Enhancing Learning Through Gamification and Intelligent Tutoring Systems.”
Malone, a computer science major, said AI is an emerging technology that is becoming increasingly present in education, and it is easy to see how students have taken advantage of these platforms in negative ways.
“Generative AI has been shown to have a toxic influence on education, with many students using it as a way to cheat, shortcut their learning and complete their work for them,” Malone said. “However, there is a responsible way to use AI tools to benefit our education system, and that is what I’m here to showcase.”
Malone said that despite the drawbacks, AI’s capabilities in personalized learning and adaptive learning platforms have the potential to transform the nation’s education system for the better.
“In the digital era, exploring how AI can work alongside educators is extremely important to help maximize the educational experience,” she said.
Her presentation explored the effects an AI-enhanced curriculum has on education and argued that AI-based educational tools should be introduced in early education to teach responsible use and enhance learning at younger ages.
“By examining gamified learning and intelligent tutoring systems, my research highlights the positive effects of AI on education and draws conclusions about why these technologies should be incorporated into early and secondary education,” Malone said. “With thoughtful incorporation of AI, these technologies can support educators rather than replace them.”
Malone added that early exposure to AI helps students develop digital literacy and expand the educational setting.
“Ultimately, by embracing AI tools early in a student’s academic journey, we can build the cognitive, emotional and ethical foundation needed for lifelong learning and responsible technology use,” she said. “This is the future of education.”
Adrian College junior Hunter Allen said AI is transforming the world as we know it. His presentation was titled “Intelligent Mobility: How AI Is Transforming Modern Transportation Systems.”
Allen focused on how AI is changing modern transportation and reshaping how vehicles analyze, perceive and react to their surroundings rather than relying solely on human judgment and reaction time.
“AI-driven systems have integrated machine learning, sensor fusion and computer vision to identify and interpret complex environments and react in real time to specific scenarios,” Allen said.
His presentation reflected the broader movement toward automation and the prioritization of safety, efficiency and accessibility in modern transportation. Allen said self-driving vehicles demonstrate how abstract concepts such as decision-making, trust and ethical responsibility are translated into practical systems such as vehicle interfaces.
“AI enables cars to identify objects, obey traffic laws, predict human behavior and adapt to changing road conditions as these systems learn from vast amounts of data and improve over time,” Allen said. “The implementation of AI in cars is a significant step for automotive companies and technology in general, but it also presents challenges.”
Allen noted that cybersecurity, data privacy, system reliability and ethical decision-making are concerns that highlight the need for careful vehicle design and the implementation of regulations. He said that while the technology is rapidly advancing, there are still important challenges to overcome, especially in terms of safety, public trust and regulation. He noted that, looking ahead, self-driving cars will likely continue to improve and become more common, but full automation may take time before it is widely accepted.
“The future of transportation will depend not only on technological innovation but also on how society chooses to adopt and regulate these advancements,” Allen concluded.
Other AI presentations included The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Spanish Language Acquisition (Stephanie Gordon), A Comparison of Two-Dimensional Planer and Non-planner Motion Using Artificial Intelligence (Haley Holmes), AI-Driven Financial Modeling: Can Machine Learning Outperform Traditional Valuation Techniques? (Themba Mazibuko) and Exploring AI-Driven Solutions for Adaptive Hearing Devices to Empower People with Auditory Disabilities (Ariane Ouedraogo).
“It is clearly up to us, right now, to shape the kind of role we want AI to play in our lives as individuals and in our society as a whole,” Shepherd said. “Humans created AI, and our use of AI is authoring its evolution as we speak.”
