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Artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies are increasingly prevalent in society. Many teens interact with AI devices on a daily basis but often have a limited understanding of how AI works, as well as how it impacts society more broadly. It is critical to develop youths’ understanding of AI, cultivate ethical awareness, and support diverse youth in pursuing computer science to help ensure future development of more equitable AI technologies. Here, we share our experiences developing and remotely facilitating an interdisciplinary AI ethics program for secondary students designed to increase teens’ awareness and understanding of AI and its societal impacts. Students discussed stories with embedded ethical dilemmas, engaged with AI media and simulations, and created digital products to express their stance on an AI ethics issue. Across four iterations in formal and informal settings, we found students to be engaged in AI stories and invested in learning about AI and its societal impacts. Short stories were effective in raising awareness, focusing discussion and supporting students in developing a more nuanced understanding of AI ethics issues, such as fairness, bias and privacy. 

The first examples of a CNC pincer ligands with a central pyridinol derived ring were recently reported.  The differences in catalytic reactivity between CNC ligands with a central pyridine ring vs. a pyridinol derived ring are substantial and highly active and robust catalysts have been synthesized and studied.  In these pincer ligands, the 4-substituent can be OMe, OH, or O-, and these latter two options allow for altered catalyst properties as a function of proton concn.  Catalytic studies have used ruthenium(II), nickel(II), and other transition metals.  We have made metal complexes that can be protonated or deprotonated reversibly in situ to switch on or off the photocatalytic performance towards CO2 redn.  Furthermore, the methoxy group on the pyridine ring offers unique catalysis advantages not seen with the unsubstituted analog.  Our best catalysts offer selective CO formation, >300 turnover cycles, and a 40 h lifetime.  Steric and electronic ligand effects are being studied with these catalysts by exptl. and computational methods.