At the Agentic Coding Spectacular, NMI faculty Chris Gerlach and John Weatherford went head-to-head before a live audience in a one-hour sprint to build a working student assignment tracker app. 

Using tools like Claude Code and GPT Codex, ideas from the crowd became functional prototypes in real time. Features were added. Pivots happened. The app evolved on the fly. Think part demo, part improv, part “wait…you can do that?!”

For students, the takeaway was clear: AI isn’t replacing builders. It’s accelerating them. As John told the room, the limiting factor isn’t coding ability – it’s the flexibility to see what’s possible. Whether validating a startup idea, prototyping for a class, or pressure-testing a side project, the barrier to building has never been lower.

Resources discussed in the talk are available at bit.ly/agentic-uga.

1️⃣ In partnership with WUGA, we’re launching a brand-new TEDxUGA podcast: The Idea Loop. Each episode will bring back a TEDxUGA presenter to explore how their idea has evolved since stepping off the red round rug. These conversations will dive deeper into their ongoing research, passion, and impact.

2️⃣ If you love TED Talks and want to learn how to craft and deliver a high-impact presentation of your own, we’ve got something special for you. The TEDxUGA Curation Team will lead a three-part course through the UGA Center for Continuing Education, where participants will learn how to develop clear presentation structures, engaging visuals, and intentional delivery strategies to inform, entertain, and persuade audiences.

Stay tuned to TEDxUGA’s social platforms for details and dates to be announced soon!

Xpert Hours:  Fri 11:30A – 12:30P

Sidhant Dash is a third-year student majoring in computer science. He is currently pursuing the New Media Certificate Dev Track and has been with the New Media Institute since last year.

Sidhant specializes in Native App Development, working with Swift in Xcode. He also has experience in web development and software engineering, having built numerous projects ranging from simple programs to complex, full-stack platforms.

On campus, Sidhant is the Marketing Chair for ACM (Association of Computing Machinery). With his role, Sidhant creates weekly graphics that advertise industry guest speakers and technical workshops targeted towards a wide audience of Computer Science and Engineering students. He is also involved with the Game Builder Club and has assisted in building various video games in the past semesters.

Outside of school, Sidhant enjoys playing a variety of different video games. Also, he likes to do graphic/logo design as well as video editing from time to time.

Spark Awards provide funding for out-of-classroom learning and open doors for students to pursue new experiences. Since Spring 2024, the NMI has been building opportunities for the Spark community to network and collaborate in all new ways. Within the NMI, Spark funding directly supports the Georgia on Your Mind podcast. Awarded annually, more than 100 students from 9 different majors have received funding from the Spark Awards.

Our social events give current Spark Students the opportunity to have some fun and deepen connections with their cohort. We gathered for dinner before the opening puck drop, and then the gloves were off! On the rink, at least. In between slap shots and fights, students shared details about their Spark projects and passions. 

It was a great experience that earned a thumbs up (or claws up?) from Spark-ers!

Through the program, John will be redesigning assignments in Emerging Media Capstone track courses to more deeply integrate Creative Engagement Wing spaces like the Presentation Collaboratory, Digital Media Lab, and Podcast Studio. For students, that means more realistic presentation rehearsal, expanded audiovisual production capabilities, and opportunities to experiment with emerging tools like video podcasting.

John’s goal is to give students more chances to practice, iterate, and communicate the value of their work in professional contexts. At a slightly nerdier level, it’s about using space and technology to make active learning even more effective.

We’re looking forward to seeing how John’s work shapes the EM Capstone experience in the semesters ahead.

After an hour of lively conversation, we transitioned into a guided feedback session where our industry friends shared what worked, what stood out, and how students can level up their networking game.

A couple standout takeaways?
Say yes to opportunities, even the unexpected ones.
Remember that confidence grows when you stay present.
Those small moves can turn a quick hello into a real, lasting connection.

A huge thank you to our alumni, industry partners, and students who showed up ready to engage. The energy in the room and the genuine connections forged are what make the NMI community so special. We are especially grateful to Brooke MacLean and Marketwake for helping bring this event to life.

Couldn’t make it to the event or want to relive the moments? Check out our 2026 Small Talk 101 album!

We teed off the visit exploring the PGA Tour Studios, which is responsible for capturing each moment of a golf tournament as well as producing content for social and streaming platforms. Thursday through Sunday on tournament weekends, an army of videographers and photographers are filming every stroke. We had the good luck to be visiting during a tournament, so we got a peek at how the producers package all that raw footage into a compelling narrative for viewers. And, with 8 built-out studios onsite, commentators and analysts can go live on a moment’s notice and film regular shows for PGA Tour platforms. 

Over lunch, we chatted with members of the Tour’s digital media team before meeting with a larger panel who represented roles that included project managers, web and app developers, product managers, and a lead UX/UI designer. Through a series of quick presentations and a Q&A, our students gained first-hand exposure to the development life cycle, tools, and applications employed by a large-scale organization.

After our visit with the PGA Tour, we made our way to St. Augustine to enjoy the sunshine before heading back to Athens. We explored the historic city via trolley, enjoying local seafood, lore, centuries-old architecture, and even hung out with peacocks. This site visit was (dare we say it) a hole in one!

Xpert Hours:  Sun 11:00A – 12:00P

Madeline has been involved with the NMI since Fall 2024, when they began exploring web development and digital storytelling through coursework and hands-on projects.

Madeline is a fourth-year student at the University of Georgia, majoring in Cognitive Science, with a New Media Certificate. In addition to their work with the NMI, Madeline is involved with Pamoja Dance Company and enjoys collaborating with peers across creative and technical disciplines.

As an NMIXpert, Madeline is comfortable helping with HTML and CSS, as well as design tools like Canva and AI platforms. Over the past 2 years, Madeline has grown from experimenting with basic layouts to building interactive, creative web experiences, learning through trial and error, and solving a lot of problems along the way. Madeline is always happy to troubleshoot alongside others and brings curiosity, patience, and good vibes to every Xpert shift.

Xpert Hours:  M 12:00P – 1:00P / 2:00P – 3:00P

Hello! My name is Amaya Powell and I am a third-year honors Psychology major, with a minor in Spanish. I’ve been involved with the NMI for two and a half years now, getting the chance to go on fun site visits and create innovative projects. The experiences that I have gained in my time at the NMI immensely helpful in broadening and strengthening my skills as an aspiring UX designer.

I am excited to help students with all things design, like working in Figma, Photoshop, WordPress, or just being an extra set of eyes on something cool you’re working on! I also have foundational programming knowledge and can help with coding in HTML/CSS and JavaScript.

I’m truly looking forward to working with students to find new solutions and think outside the box. I am currently a User Experience Intern at a remote startup and a research assistant for two HCI labs on campus. In my free time, I love to watch movies and tv (yes, I do unfortunately have a letterboxd account), and I love to journal and sketch. Happy creating!