NCW Tech Alliance expo showcases AI uses

WENATCHEE — Artificial intelligence has found a place in North Central Washington classrooms, farms and more, NCW Tech Alliance demonstrated at the sixth annual AI Expo in Wenatchee Aug. 11.

Wenatchee teacher Sheena Zacherle took home $4,000 from Microsoft for her educational program Sheena Town, which uses artificial intelligence to give students hands-on experience with financial decision-making, according to a release from NCW Tech Alliance Marketing Director David Mabee.

Sheena Town was selected as the Fan Favorite in NCW Tech Alliance’s AI in Action: Use Case Showdown. The competition gave four finalists an opportunity to demonstrate how AI technology is being applied to real-world problems. 

“Zacherle developed Sheena Town to give students hands-on experience with financial decision-making and the real costs of living,” Mabee wrote. “For nearly 10 years, she managed versions of the simulation through spreadsheets, printed resources and other manual processes. She has now used AI to help develop the concept into a web application that moves more of the student experience online.”

The AI Expo gathered together leaders from all corners of society – education, ag, business, high tech – to explore the possibilities artificial intelligence presents for their work in north central Washington.

Zacherle’s simulation plunges students into a full-day simulation of real life, according to the Wenatchee School District’s website. The students are given a paycheck and learn to allocate the money for rent, insurance, groceries and the other constants of adulthood.

“Then life happens,” WSD wrote. “A sick pet. A car accident. A broken ankle. Students have to figure out how to handle the unexpected just like they will after graduation.” 

The other three finalists demonstrated the use of AI in medicine, mental health and agriculture, according to Mabee. 

“Franco Lopez III of Vanguard Metabolic Nutrition presented how AI is helping translate more than 14 years of clinical expertise into personalized care tools and standardized workflows,” Mabee wrote. “Dean Lester of Behavioral Tech Institute demonstrated AI-powered, high-fidelity avatars that allow therapists to practice difficult clinical interactions before working with high-risk clients. Steve Mantle of innov8.ag presented HarvestReplay™, which uses agricultural and labor data to help growers understand how decisions made throughout a season affect farm performance.”

The expo also explored how AI can be a friend or an enemy to students, depending on whether they rely on it to feign learning or use it as a self-teaching tool, according to the expo’s website. 

“Throughout the day, workshops covered AI fundamentals, Spanish-language AI education, governance and responsible use, business decision-making, Microsoft Copilot and other AI tools, enterprise implementation, personalized AI assistants and practical applications for everyday work,” Mabee wrote. “The AI Expo is part of NCW Tech Alliance’s broader effort to build practical technology knowledge and create opportunities for organizations and community members to learn from one another as emerging technologies develop.”

    A cross-sector panel discusses AI applications at the NCW Tech Alliance AI Expo last week. From left: Chanel R. Hall of the Technology Alliance; Aaron Parrott of SkillSource; C. Becket Mahnke, M.D., of Confluence Health; Heather Hunter of Chelan County PUD; James Richmond of the city of Moses Lake; and Dr. Nik Bergman of Quincy School District.