Virtual Faculty Workshop · Tuesday, July 14, 2026

CIPHER‑AI

Cybersecurity, Information Privacy, and Human-centered Ethics in the Age of AI

A gathering of liberal arts faculty to build a research community at the intersection of security, privacy and AI.

When Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Where Virtual (Zoom)

About the Workshop

As AI-enabled technologies become pervasive, they bring unprecedented opportunities alongside significant risks to cybersecurity and individual privacy. This interdisciplinary workshop addresses the urgent need for liberal arts colleges to develop comprehensive approaches to understanding — and teaching about — AI-powered cyber threats, privacy protection mechanisms, and the ethics of AI governance.

Liberal arts institutions, with their emphasis on critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and interdisciplinary inquiry, are uniquely positioned to contribute to the national dialogue on responsible privacy and security practices as AI is integrated into daily life.

Goals and Outcomes

Meet and build relationships within LAC faculty working in security and privacy.
Build a sustainable research community that can co-develop projects and co-write grant proposals and papers.
Share concrete resources for both teaching and research (syllabi, assignments, datasets, tools).
Establish structures and norms to keep the community active and connected well beyond the workshop.

Schedule

All times Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Research, Teaching, and Community

1:00–1:10 EDT
Welcome and Framing
Organizer intros, workshop goals, and norms for virtual participation.
1:10–2:20 EDT
Research Breakout
Two themed breakout rooms:
- A. Privacy in AI
- B. Security in AI
Each room opens with a ~10-min round-robin — every participant gets 2–3 minutes to share current work or a specific question. Small groups then work together for ~40 min of discussion. We reconvene for the final 15 min to share what each room discussed.
2:20–2:35 EDT
Break
Screen break.
2:35–3:45 EDT
Teaching & Curriculum Design Breakout
Two themed breakout rooms:
- A. Research and Mentorship Pipeline for Undergraduates
- B. Active Learning Modalities and New Labs & Hands-on Materials
Each room opens with a ~10-min round-robin — every participant gets 2–3 minutes to share one course module, assignment, lab, or mentorship practice. Small groups of 4–5 then work together for ~40 min to tackle one concrete design challenge and produce a one-page resource. We reconvene for the final 15 min to share what each room discussed.
3:45–4:00 EDT
Break
Screen break before the closing block.
4:00–4:30 EDT
Town Hall & Farewell: Sustaining the Community
Open-mic format — share ideas on how we keep this community alive, infrastructure we need, and commitments for co-writing proposals, sharing syllabi, and peer-reviewing grants. A shared doc stays open so people can jot in ideas either during the session or later. We close out the workshop together at the end of this block.