AWS Education Podcast
Welcome to "AWS Education Podcast" a groundbreaking podcast series hosted by AWS. In this engaging show, we explore the intersection of technology and education, uncovering how innovative solutions are transforming learning experiences for students and educators alike. Each episode features in-depth discussions with industry experts, educators, and thought leaders who share their insights on the latest trends, tools, and technologies shaping the future of education. From cloud computing and artificial intelligence to data analytics and immersive learning environments, we delve into how these advancements are empowering educators and enhancing student outcomes. Join us as we tackle pressing challenges in the education sector, showcase successful case studies, and provide actionable strategies for integrating technology into classrooms.
Episodes
S1E26: 26: Bridging Academia & Industry; Shaping AI-Ready Talent
In this episode, Pratik Chunawala shares his experience bridging the gap between academia and industry through deep partnerships with NYU Tandon, Carnegie Mellon University, and the City University of New York (CUNY). As a Principal Consultant in AWS ProServe, Pratik discusses how he's helping shape curriculum to prepare students for the AI era, moving beyond tool usage to governance, sec
S1E25: 25: Building Security Champions & Educating Teams for the AI Era
In this episode, Sarah Currey shares her insights on building a culture of security through AWS's Security Champions program and the innovative approaches to AI security in the age of autonomous agents. She discusses the launch of the free Security Champion Knowledge Path on AWS Skill Builder, AWS's partnership with Mido Academy in South Africa, and critical considerations for securing ag
S1E24: 24: Resiliency in Gen AI Applications
Episode Details Date: April 13, 2026Duration: ~26 minutes Speakers: Pranusha Manchala (Host), Joe Chapman (Principal Solutions Architect at AWS) Episode Summary In this episode, Joe Chapman joins Pranusha Manchala to discuss the critical importance of resiliency in generative AI applications for education. Joe shares his expertise on building highly reliable
S1E23: 23: CoTeacher - AI-Powered Support for Inclusive Education
Episode Details Date: March 30, 2026 Duration: ~23 minutes Host: Pranusha Manchala Guests: Darren Kraker, Solutions Architect, AWS Cloud Innovation Center Ryan Maine, Director of Student Services, Walnut Valley Unified School District Jeremy Goins, Deputy Superintendent, Corona Norco Unified School District Sharon Liang, Software Engineer Int
S1E22: 22: Math Fact Lab and its scale on AWS
Episode Details Date: March 16, 2026 Duration: ~26 minutes Host: Pranusha Manchala Guest: Mike Kenny, Owner of Math Fact Lab Episode Summary In this episode, Mike Kenny shares the inspiring journey of Math Fact Lab, a platform revolutionizing how students master foundational math skills. As a former fifth-grade math teacher with 19 years of experience,
S1E21: 21: Instructure's Ignite AI: Transforming Education with Amazon Bedrock
Episode Details Date: 2026-03-02 Duration: ~15 minutes Speakers: Leo Zhadanovsky (Host), Zach Pendleton (Chief Architect at Instructure) Episode Summary In this episode, Zach Pendleton, Chief Architect at Instructure, shares how the company built Ignite AI—an agentic AI solution powered by Amazon Bedrock—to transform educator and student experiences in
S1E20: 20: PowerSchool’s Power Buddy - AI-powered learning assistant
Episode Details Date: 2026-02-16 Duration: ~7 minutes Speakers: Leo Zhadanovsky (Host, Enterprise Technologist for Education at AWS), Gayathri Rengarajan (Guest, Associate Director of Data Science at PowerSchool) Episode Summary In this special re:Invent episode, Gayathri from PowerSchool shares the journey of building Power Buddy, an AI-powered learning assistant
S1E19: 19: University of Cincinnati: Going Digital
Episode Details: Duration: ~29 minutes Host: Bret Pontillo Guests: Bharath Prabhakaran - VP and Chief Digital Officer, University of Cincinnati Josette Riep - AVP of Integrated Data Engineering and Application Services, University of Cincinnati Episode Summary: In this episode, Bret Pontillo sits down with two leaders from the University of Cincinnati to
S1E18: 18: Building the Future of Education with TrackIt
Episode Details:Duration: ~32 minutesDate: 2026-01-26Speakers: Bret Pontillo (Host), Ludo Francois (CEO & Founder, TrackIt), Brad Winett (President & Partner, TrackIt)Episode Summary:In this episode, Bret Pontillo sits down with TrackIt's leadership team to explore how system integrators are transforming education through AWS cloud solutions. Ludo Francois and Brad Winett share th
S1E17: 17: Move First, Align Fast - Building Trust in AI Implementation
Episode Details: Date: 2026-01-19Duration: ~27 minutes Speakers: Host - Bret Pontillo, Guest - Deepika Chopra (CEO & Founder of Alpha U AI, Author) Episode Summary: In this episode, Deepika Chopra, CEO and founder of Alpha U AI and author of "Move First, Align Fast," shares her insights on organizational alignment and AI adoption. Drawing from 15+ years in financia
S1E16: 16: Building AI Apps with Amazon Q Business
Episode Details:Date: 2026-01-12Duration: ~20 minutesSpeakers: Pranusha Manchala, Bret Pontillo Episode Summary:In this episode, Pranusha and Bret dive deep into Amazon Q Business, AWS's most capable generative AI-powered assistant. They explore how educational institutions can quickly build custom AI applications using natural language, leverage Q Apps for personalized learning experienc
S1E15: 15: Web3, Stablecoins & the Future of Education
Episode Details:Date: 2026-01-05Duration: ~32 minutesSpeakers: Brett Pontillo (Host), Nico Menciere (Guest - Senior Startup Solution Architect at AWS) Episode Summary:In this episode, Brett Pontillo sits down with Nico Menciere, a Senior Startup Solution Architect at AWS specializing in Web3 and FinTech companies. Nico provides an in-depth exploration of stablecoins, decentralized financ
S1E14: 14: Leading Innovation in EdTech
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-12-29Duration: ~20 minutesSpeakers: Pranusha Manchala (Host), Bret Pontillo (Co-host), Vanitha Sugumaran (AWS Solution Architect Leader)Episode SummaryIn this special episode recorded at the AWS DC Summit, Vanitha Sugumaran shares her inspiring journey from manufacturing at John Deere to leading AWS's Solutions Architect team. She discusses her leadership philoso
S1E13: 13: How AI is transforming education
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-12-22Duration: ~25 minutesSpeakers: Pranusha Manchala (Host), Brett Pontillo (Host), James Kuhlke (Principal Solution Architect at AWS)Episode SummaryIn this special episode recorded at the AWS DC Summit, James Kuhlke, a Principal Solution Architect at AWS, shares his insights on how AI is transforming education. With 6 years of experience working with strategic
S1E12: 12: Personalized Learning Meets AI in K-12
Episode Details:Date: 2025-12-15 Duration: ~20 minutesSpeakers: Bret Pontillo (Host), Brett Berman (Solution Architect Manager at AWS)Episode Summary:In this episode of the AWS Education Podcast, host Bret Pontillo sits down with Brett Berman, Solution Architect Manager at AWS, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming personalized learning in K-12 education. Brett shares ins
S1E11: 11: Ethical AI & Procurement Innovation in Higher Ed
Episode Details:Date: 2025-12-08Duration: ~20 minutesSpeakers: Bret Pontillo (Host), David Gendle (Senior Manager of Solutions Architecture)Episode SummaryIn this episode of the AWS Education Podcast, host Bret Pontillo sits down with David Gendle, Senior Manager of Solutions Architecture for AWS's Southeast region, to discuss the critical challenges faced by higher education and state/lo
S1E10: 10: University of Pittsburgh's AI Transformation
Episode Details:Date: 2025-12-03 Duration: ~16 minutesSpeakers: Host : Shane Kalil (AWS Higher Education Lead, Northeast), Guest : Joseph T. Yun (Director of AI & Professor at University of Pittsburgh, CEO of Blue Fox Labs)Episode Summary:In this special DC Summit edition, Shane Kalil sits down with Joseph T. Yun, who brings a unique dual perspective as both a professor of electrical
S1E9: 9: Vocareum: Personalized Learning with AI
Episode Details:Date: 2025-10-27Duration: ~27 minutesSpeakers: Host - Bret Pontillo, Guest - Sanjay Srivastava, CEO and Founder of VocareumEpisode Summary:In this episode, Sanjay Srivastava shares his entrepreneurial journey from semiconductor design to education technology, discussing how Vocareum is revolutionizing hands-on learning through virtual labs and cloud sandboxe
S1E8: 8: Anthology digital transformation journey using Amazon Connect
DescriptionEpisode Details:Date: 2025-10-06Duration: ~15 minutesSpeakers: Host - Pranusha Manchala, Guest - Richa Batra, Senior VP of AnthologyEpisode Summary:In this episode, Richa Batra shares Anthology's digital transformation journey, particularly focusing on how they're leveraging AWS and AI to revolutionize student support services in higher education. She discusses their transition
S1E7: 7: Demystifying GenAI in Education
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-10-1Duration: ~20 minutesSpeakers: Host - Pranusha Manchala, Guest - Leo Zhadanovsky (Ent Technologist EDU/SLG)Episode SummaryThis episode explores the transformative impact of Generative AI in education technology, featuring insights from Leo Zhadanovsky. The discussion covers practical applications of AWS's GenAI tools, including Q for Business, Amazon Bedrock,
S1E6: 6: Power of Data in Education
Episode Details:Date: 2025-08-15Duration: ~25 minutesSpeakers: Pranusha Manchala (Host), Craig Jordan (Principal SA at AWS)Episode Summary: This episode of the AWS Education Podcast focuses on the importance of data strategy in higher education. Craig Jordan, a Principal SA in the AWS education team, discusses how institutions can unlock the power of data to improve various aspects of the
S1E5: 5: Evolution of Hied Analytics
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-08-01Duration: ~34 minutesSpeakers: Brett Pontillo (Host), Dallas Maddox (AWS Higher Ed Data Analytics Strategy Lead)Episode SummaryThis episode explores the evolution of data strategy in higher education, featuring insights from Dallas Maddox, who brings experience as both a former university Chief Data Officer and current AWS Higher Ed Data Analytics Strategy L
S1E4: 4: DevOps Culture & Operational Excellence in Education
Episode Details:Date: 2025-08-18Duration: ~38 minutesSpeakers:Host: Pranusha Manchala (AWS Education Podcast Host)Guest: Leo Zhadanovsky (Enterprise Technologist at AWS)Episode Summary:Leo Zhadanovsky shares insights from Amazon's 20+ years of software development and operational excellence, discussing the transformation from monolithic to microservice architectures. He explores how educa
S1E3: 3: AI Agents & The Future of Education
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-08-04Duration: ~51 minutesSpeakers:Host: Bret Pontillo (AWS Education Podcast Host)Guest: Nate Ober (AI Strategist at AWS)Episode SummaryIn this engaging episode, Nate Ober shares his journey from education technology to AI strategy at AWS, exploring the transformative potential of AI agents in education and daily life. The discussion covers practical application
S1E2: 2: AI Knowledge Graphs for Education
Episode DetailsDate: 2025-07-21Duration: ~38 minutesSpeakers:Host: Bret Pontillo (AWS Education Podcast Host)Guest: Mary Strain (AI Strategist for Education at AWS)Episode SummaryIn this insightful episode, Mary Strain shares her journey from classroom teacher to AI strategist and explores how AI Knowledge Graphs are revolutionizing higher education. The discussion covers the current chal
S1E1: 1: Trends In EdTech
Episode 1: Trends in EdTechEpisode DetailsDate: 2025-06-20Duration: Approximately 45 minutesSpeakers: Bret Pontillo (Host), Mike Lombardi (EdTech Vertical Leader at AWS)Episode SummaryMike Lombardi discusses his role leading the EdTech vertical at AWS, the impact of AI on education technology, and how AWS is supporting customers in developing innovative educational products. He shares ins
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