Our paper, Chicago LEAD Program: Learning from Experience in AI Development, is now published in the proceedings of the 2026 ACM Conference on Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT).

What the paper is about

The paper describes how LEAD blends classroom learning with embedded work experience. Students work in cross-university teams on real problems from Chicago businesses, using a structured development process while building technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

It also reports on the program's early work: 13 projects that brought students from different academic pathways and backgrounds together in teams centered on interpersonal respect.

Read the paper in the ACM Digital Library →