Xperience Students Lead Key Campus Event on Gun Violence Prevention
Driven by their personal connection to gun violence, xFoundry Xperience students successfully organized, emcee'd, and supported the recent PROGRESS Teach-In, including members of DefenX, winners of the School Safety Xperience Competition.
The PROGRESS Teach-In, which took place on Monday, December 8, was facilitated by former School Safety Xperience Competitor and xFoundry Student Ambassador, Kaushal Jatti. Teach-Ins are designed to engage students, faculty, and community members in meaningful discussions about gun violence prevention.
Topics addressed included discussions on the best ways for students to get involved in prevention research, how to coordinate efforts among university and community organizations, and how gun violence is being addressed across disciplines.
PROGRESS Co-Director, Dr. Woodie Kessel, explained that these Teach-Ins are “open forums designed to empower UMD students to lead a dialogue and exchange views on salient issues pertaining to gun violence.” He noted: "Broad participation is strongly encouraged, and we were honored to welcome representatives from leading campus organizations like xFoundry.”
The event featured presentations from Srinidhi Gubba and Arnav Dadarya, the co-founders of DefenX, who recently secured a $250,000 xFoundry investment for their AI-driven detection solution. Their participation showcased how innovative work at xFoundry applies to challenges in gun violence reduction.
Reflecting on the experience, Gubba noted the importance of participating in open discussions regarding gun violence and policy:
"It was great hearing different perspectives and specifically hearing from students of different disciplines and majors. I think students could learn a lot about this topic and the teach-ins feel like a safe space to express concern or address stress related to gun violence."
xFoundry is honored to be welcomed by PROGRESS alongside other leading campus organizations working toward violence reduction, including the Black Health Research Lab, UMD Students Demand Action, and the UMD Violence Reduction Center.
To learn more about these initiatives, please visit PROGRESS.
Driven by their personal connection to gun violence, xFoundry Xperience students successfully organized, emcee'd, and supported the recent PROGRESS Teach-In, including members of DefenX, winners of the School Safety Xperience Competition.
The PROGRESS Teach-In, which took place on Monday, December 8, was facilitated by former School Safety Xperience Competitor and xFoundry Student Ambassador, Kaushal Jatti. Teach-Ins are designed to engage students, faculty, and community members in meaningful discussions about gun violence prevention.
Topics addressed included discussions on the best ways for students to get involved in prevention research, how to coordinate efforts among university and community organizations, and how gun violence is being addressed across disciplines.
PROGRESS Co-Director, Dr. Woodie Kessel, explained that these Teach-Ins are “open forums designed to empower UMD students to lead a dialogue and exchange views on salient issues pertaining to gun violence.” He noted: "Broad participation is strongly encouraged, and we were honored to welcome representatives from leading campus organizations like xFoundry.”
The event featured presentations from Srinidhi Gubba and Arnav Dadarya, the co-founders of DefenX, who recently secured a $250,000 xFoundry investment for their AI-driven detection solution. Their participation showcased how innovative work at xFoundry applies to challenges in gun violence reduction.
Reflecting on the experience, Gubba noted the importance of participating in open discussions regarding gun violence and policy:
"It was great hearing different perspectives and specifically hearing from students of different disciplines and majors. I think students could learn a lot about this topic and the teach-ins feel like a safe space to express concern or address stress related to gun violence."
xFoundry is honored to be welcomed by PROGRESS alongside other leading campus organizations working toward violence reduction, including the Black Health Research Lab, UMD Students Demand Action, and the UMD Violence Reduction Center.
To learn more about these initiatives, please visit PROGRESS.