RU 1st Seminar tech conference for Educational Opportunity Fund Scholars is presented by the SAS Educational Opportunity Fund Program and Support Inclusion in Tech. Student technologists take the stage as speakers, sharing their ideas and the projects they are building.
A tech conference unlike any other, with students at the mic, from Support Inclusion in Tech and the SAS Educational Opportunity Fund Program.
The Long Game: Why Your Belief Must Outlast Your Statistics
A Computer Science major and Statistics minor, Maanya is a Physics Learning Assistant and an Aresty Peer Instructor. An Eagle Scout, she interned in immunology and AI at Johnson & Johnson, conducted computational research in microbiology, and enjoys public speaking, making art, and observing art.
Read the announcement
Everyone Is Just a Line of HTML
Daniel John is a Computer Science and Data Science student at Rutgers University and Tech Lead for the Honors College, with software experience at Capital One and MindfulMela. Interested in the intersection of technology, people, and product design, he builds software that helps people connect.
Read the announcement
Creating DriftPlan
Abdullah Khan studies Computer Science and Math at Rutgers. A Pakistani immigrant raised in New Jersey, he left high school during COVID, earned his GED, and transferred from community college while working multiple jobs. To manage his ADHD, he built DriftPlan, a planner for everyone.
Read the announcement
Learning Computer Science in the Age of AI: Are We Learning or Just Generating?
Soraya is a computer science student interested in technology, artificial intelligence, and the future of learning. She is passionate about exploring how emerging technologies change how students think and solve problems, hoping to encourage thoughtful conversations about using AI while fostering independent skills and creativity.
Read the announcement
How to Make Room for the Opportunities That Matter
Martin is a senior in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences studying Computer Science. Having explored teaching, leadership, community building, and technology, these experiences shaped his passion to help students recognize which opportunities truly matter to them so they can make more intentional choices.
Read the announcement
Predicting the Future: AI and Chronic Disease Prevention
Ayan Zaidi is a Junior at Rutgers University majoring in Computer Science. Born with a chronic hematological condition called Hemophilia, he has a passion for medicine and biotechnology. He aims to showcase how artificial intelligence can improve treatment and disease prevention for chronically ill patients.
Read the announcementScholars in the SAS Educational Opportunity Fund Program.
Cook Campus, Rutgers-New Brunswick. Room details go to registered attendees by email.
A half-day program featuring EOF Director’s welcome, a fireside chat, two student speaker sessions with three speakers each, and time for networking. Each speaker will have approximately 15 minutes.
No, talks won't be recorded, but a professional photographer will take headshots of student speakers.
Email questions to student@supportinclusionintech.com and add files to your shared folder. Expect a reply in 24 to 48 hours. Your Handbook, Prep Guide, and workshop materials are in your shared folder.
Each speaker receives a $200 Professional Development Grant from Planning Write and Amazon Web Services Open Source, plus on site professional speaker photos from the Rutgers Foundation.
The 2026 speaker call closes September 16. Opt in to SiNC updates to hear about future speaker cohorts first.
Support Inclusion in Tech is an independent, global open source inclusion initiative. This event is a partnership with the SAS Educational Opportunity Fund Program for November 6, 2026.
Although we are unable to expand the RU 1st Seminar to additional programs or departments this academic year, we welcome requests and ideas for future years. The seminar is a collaboration between Support Inclusion in Tech and the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Educational Opportunity Fund, so both partners review and decide on any expansion.
If you are a student or department interested, please email student@supportinclusionintech.com with your department name and a point of contact. We will make sure the planning team considers your request.
Absolutely. Organizations and individuals can support this work through professional development grants for students, contributing in-kind support (services) for conference organizing, and giveaways to students (books, software, swag).
This year, student speaker grants are funded by Planning Write, SiNC’s parent company, and Amazon Web Services Open Source through Open Collective.
We are also grateful for in-kind contributions from SiNC partners, with logo design by Meryl Randman of Randman Design Direct; social media marketing services from My Marketing Assistant; web hosting from SiteGround; and a customized online application form through Gravity Forms by Rocketgenius.
Interest in speaking this year surpassed our session capacity, making our selection process naturally competitive. Here is what the RU 1st Seminar represents to the students who applied, on the schedule or not:
"Speaking at RU 1st would give me the chance to share something I’m building around a question I’m facing myself: how do I turn what I’m learning in college into a career? It would help me practice explaining my technical work to people with different backgrounds and hear feedback from the students I hope this project can help."
"It will show me a little bit more about my path and what I aim to achieve from it, it will remind me why I chose CS in the first place and how passionate I am about this field and all that coding has meant to me personally. It is motivation to keep me working hard and to one day be able to graduate."
