AI makes an impact
Whether it’s a future automotive technician learning to diagnose advanced driver-assistance systems, an architecture student transforming an early sketch into a realistic model or a cosmetology student creating a personalized consultation for a client, faculty say they are meeting the challenge set by Vela.
Jose Cruz, Business Administration faculty, demonstrated how students in his Communications in Management course collaborate with AI to analyze data, recognize patterns and develop evidence-based recommendations for a hypothetical company.
AI can generate insights, but students remain responsible for verifying the information, weighing possible decisions and translating the results that people can understand, Cruz said.
“It’s the human element that we still need to teach our students,” Cruz said. “It’s about knowing the culture, knowing the context and knowing the environment.”
Automotive Technology Department Chair Rogelio Camarillo discussed preparing students to service AI-powered advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which support functions including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot detection and pedestrian recognition.
The program will implement a new ADAS training system this fall, giving students hands-on experience diagnosing faults, analyzing sensor data and performing system calibrations.
In Law Enforcement education, Police Academy instructor Jennifer Rosillo is using AI to help simplify complex legal concepts, create realistic scenarios and revise test questions for students with different learning needs, while emphasizing that information generated through AI must always be checked against Texas law and other authoritative sources.
Construction Management faculty member Israel Medrano described how AI-supported platforms can help supervisors plan projects, schedule materials and workers, track costs, improve job-site safety and communicate more efficiently with contractors.
Medrano said those efficiencies can help companies secure more work, support employees and vendors and ultimately contribute to economic growth across the region.
“When we use AI, we schedule our lumber, we schedule our materials, our labor and our workforce,” Medrano said. “AI is just something we cannot do without anymore.”
Vela said he is now challenging more programs to identify practical applications, including those in which AI’s role may not be immediately apparent.
As employees continue adopting the technology, he said STC must ensure graduates arrive with the skills to use it responsibly; not as a substitute for human expertise, but as another tool to help them lead their industries forward.
“The idea is not necessarily to replace the careers they have,” Vela said. “It’s how do we enhance what we can do and make us more efficient.”
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