Student Advisory Council
The CAIELI Student Advisory Council (SAC)
What is the SAC?
The CAIELI Student Advisory Council (SAC) is a student-led body dedicated to shaping the future of generative AI education at the University of Calgary. The council ensures that student voices are at the heart of CAIELI’s initiatives, fostering innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity across faculties.
What Does the SAC Do?
- Strategic Guidance: Helps align CAIELI’s activities with the needs and priorities of students and faculties.
- Student Advocacy: Represents the student community, ensuring their perspectives are reflected in CAIELI initiatives.
- Collaboration: Brings together students from different disciplines to drive innovative projects and events.
- Representation: Promotes CAIELI’s work within the university and beyond.
Council Members, 2025-2026
Emery Boadi-Gumbs
3rd Year | BSc Natural Sciences | Faculty of Science
I am an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences at the University of Calgary, concentrating in Biological Sciences and Chemistry. Additionally, I am a NSERC Black Scholar award recipient with the University of Calgary. My interests have increasingly focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and education alongside healthcare, particularly how AI can be used to enhance learning, accessibility, and critical thinking. I have conducted research in healthcare analytics, involving software environments and artificial intelligence to optimize healthcare practices. Driven by my passion for AI integration in medicine, I have applied machine learning techniques to help enhance clinical workflows and improve patient outcomes. Through hands-on research and data-driven insights, I aspire to help develop AI inclusive solutions that advance the future of medical care as we know it.
Jackson Cooper
2nd Year | MSc in Geomatics Engineering | Schulich School of Engineering
I am Jackson Cooper, a Master’s student in Geomatics Engineering with a background in digital imaging systems. My research focuses on 3D reconstruction and medical imaging, fields where vast amounts of data often hold hidden patterns that machine learning can uncover to improve accuracy and enable new applications. I previously worked as a Data Scientist at the Canadian Space Agency, specializing in Earth observation. There, I focused on improving accessibility to satellite data through educational content and tutorials. The area of space and Earth sciences are primed for AI as it can support decision making, execution, and design in these systems. Beyond research, I am passionate about entrepreneurship and have founded startups at the intersection of health, AI, and sustainability. I also enjoy mentoring emerging founders, sharing lessons from my own experiences to help foster innovation and create meaningful impact.
Shelly-Lyn Diachuk
4th Year | BA Sociology | Faculty of Arts
I am a sociology undergraduate student with a passion for inclusivity, social change, and environmental sustainability. I am currently collaborating on a transdisciplinary research project with a supervisor in the Faculty of Science, examining how long-term team-based learning (L2TL) affects students who normally request accommodations but do not for non-science majors. I am committed to promoting public engagement and cross-disciplinary understanding of geology and science, recognizing their importance in building ethical and sustainable approaches to emerging technologies, including AI.
Camille Eamon
Graduate (1st Year) | PhD Biomechanics | Faculty of Kinesiology
As a horse enthusiast and sibling of someone with a disability, I’m passionate about accessible physical activity, particularly where horses are involved. I’ve spent the past 10 years working with riding programs for folks with disabilities, and I am currently the Volunteer Coordinator for the Calgary Therapeutic Riding Association. My experiences raised questions about the evidence-base we use to design physical activity programming, leading me to complete my BSc in Exercise and Health Physiology at UCalgary. I developed a strong interest in neurorehabilitation, and completed my MSc where my thesis focused on motor learning impairments after stroke and implications for stroke rehabilitation. I am currently working on my PhD in Equine Biomechanics to better understand the ‘horse’ part of the horse and rider equation. Throughout my studies, I have developed a keen interest in using AI for more efficient research, and how students can stay informed about effective and ethical AI use.
Sergio Plazas
4th Year | JD/MBA | Faculty of Law/Haskayne School of Business
Sergio is in his final year of a dual JD/MBA program at the University of Calgary. His background in biomedical and data science gives him a unique perspective on technology law and AI governance. Throughout his studies, Sergio has gained practical experience by consulting for MLAs on AI regulation and holding diverse roles within the VC and startup ecosystem.
Gabriel Rodriguez
5th Year | BSc Computer Science | Faculty of Science
Gabriel is a Computer Science student at the University of Calgary with a Business minor. He has experience in data science, AI, and software development, alongside leadership in student clubs, marketing, and event coordination. Gabriel combines technical expertise with creativity to deliver impactful solutions and community engagement.
Gengyan Tang
2nd Year, graduate | PhD Education | Werklund School of Education
Gengyan Tang, MA, is a PhD student in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. His research interests include research integrity, academic integrity, scholarly publishing, higher education, and the implications of artificial intelligence in academic contexts. Prior to his studies at UCalgary, Gengyan lived in Mainland China, where he became concerned with the increasingly serious issue of research integrity, particularly in the field of medicine, and published several related papers. He currently serves as a peer reviewer for multiple international academic journals and is an individual member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Noelle Thundathil
2nd Year | MD | Cumming School of Medicine
Noelle Thundathil is a medical student at the University of Calgary with a BHSc Honours degree in Bioinformatics. She is passionate about the intersection of artificial intelligence, education, and health, with experience spanning both research and student leadership. Noelle has worked on clinical informatics projects in oncology, health economics, and AI-driven diagnostics, including supporting global cancer initiatives through OXcan. In education, she has designed and led bioinformatics workshops, collaborated with faculty to integrate AI literacy into medical education, and represented students on committees such as the Alberta Medical Association’s Health Informatics Committee. Her work reflects a commitment to making digital health and AI tools accessible, equitable, and ethically integrated into clinical and academic contexts. Noelle aspires to bridge technology and healthcare through innovative research, policy, and education initiatives that prepare the next generation of learners and physicians.
Shahryar Wasif
4th Year | BSc Psychology | Faculty of Arts
Shahryar Wasif is a fourth-year BSc Psychology student at the University of Calgary whose work bridges psychology, artificial intelligence, and education. He founded the Society for AI Literacy (SAIL), a federally recognized NGO dedicated to making AI education accessible to people of all backgrounds while fostering dialogue on AI ethics, safety, and equity. Through workshops, educational media, experiential learning opportunities and collaborations with leading voices in the field, SAIL has reached thousands of learners around the world. In addition, Shahryar conducts research with Dr. Bin Hu in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Cumming School of Medicine, where he investigates how wearable technologies and AI can restore mobility in patients with movement disorders. His current work in the lab also involves comparing artificial neural networks and biological brains to better understand where they align and where they diverge.
Janith Weeraman
Graduate | MSc Bioinformatics | Cumming School of Medicine
Hey! I'm Janith, a biology major from Sri Lanka. I studied bioinformatics in my undergrad and I basically graduated just before chatGPT hit the mainstream. I've been interested in modern generative AI since the stable diffusion and Llama2 days. I take a more hobbyist stance to LLMs and currently I have a whole set of small to medium sized-LLMs that I've learned to use to help me with various task throughout the day. I am a big proponent of local specialized AI models over huge general models because I like the privacy they can provide. In my free time (though there's not a lot of that in grad school lol) I do usually tinker with some AI automation scripts I use and try to keep up with developments in the LLM field. If you want to nerd out over AI hit me up!