The 2025 FYEE Conference is excited to welcome the following Keynote Speakers
Dr. Darryll J. Pines
Position: President, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Keynote Title:
Building the Pipeline: e4usa and the Next Generation of Engineers
Amidst declining enrollments, changing demographics and rising costs, it is more imperative than ever that educators reach the next generation of engineers with experiential programs that have immediate impact and inspire them to continue their academic journey. In this talk, University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines will discuss how the landscape of engineering education has changed and how his work leading Engineering for US All—a first-of-its-kind, national initiative designed to introduce engineering design principles—is creating new pathways to engage young people and inspire them to deliver real world solutions for our societal challenges.
Keynote Date/Time: Monday July 28th, 2025 at breakfast
Dr. Darryll J. Pines is the 34th president of the University of Maryland and a professor of aerospace engineering. Since 2020, he has led initiatives to foster diversity, support student success, and address global challenges through research and collaboration. Key efforts include the Terrapin Commitment for need-based aid, TerrapinSTRONG onboarding, and a pledge for net-zero carbon emissions by 2025. A faculty member since 1995, Pines previously served as engineering dean and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He holds degrees from UC Berkeley and MIT.
Read Darryll J. Pines’ full biography here
Amir Ansari
Position: Co-founder and Executive Director, IDEA Factory at University of Maryland, and xFoudndry@UMD
Keynote Title:
Building A Solution Engine Inside Higher Education in the Age of AI
How can we empower universities to become the “solution engine” for grand challenges, while reimagining learning in the age of AI and investing in and partnering with local communities? xFoundry is a multidisciplinary program that turns universities into innovation engines by combining team-based curriculum, robust resources, and annual entrepreneurship competitions to launch student ventures that tackle real-world challenges.
Keynote Date/Time: Monday July 28th, 2025 at dinner
Amir Ansari is a serial entrepreneur and prolific inventor whose career spans telecommunications, AI, edge computing, personalized healthcare, and multimedia. He co-founded Telecom Technologies, Inc., where, as CTO, he commercialized pioneering Voice-over-IP systems that significantly reduced calling costs and transformed carrier networks in the 1990s. Following its 2001 acquisition by Sonus Networks, he co-founded Prodea Systems, building one of the earliest end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for smart homes, elder care solutions, and connected vehicles.
Today, Amir is the co-founder and inaugural executive director of the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory and xFoundry@UMD at the University of Maryland. This multimillion-dollar initiative blends multidisciplinary coursework, extensive resources, and annual entrepreneurship competitions that supply capital and mentorship, empowering student teams to launch ventures addressing society’s grand challenges.
Holder of more than seventy U.S. and international patents in multimedia streaming, data privacy, edge computing, and VoIP, Amir’s intellectual property underpins consumer staples such as streaming devices, smart speakers, building-automation systems, and connected cars while advancing user-centric privacy safeguards.
Beyond his ventures, Amir has served on the XPRIZE Foundation’s board since 2004 and is a member of its Vision Circle. He and his family were the title sponsors of the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE, the first contest to reward privately funded, reusable human spaceflight, catalyzing today’s commercial space industry. A tireless advocate for public-private collaboration, Amir works with regulators, universities, and nonprofits to deploy technology against complex business, environmental, and social problems, while mentoring the next generation of solution-oriented innovators.