An Alabama university is working to prepare its students for a changing workforce by spearheading education and research on artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is defined as a scientific field concerned with building computers and machines capable of reasoning, learning, and acting in ways that would normally require human intelligence – or that involve data that goes beyond that. that humans can analyze and understand.
With a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) plans to improve its AI infrastructure and expand its curriculum and research to meet the growing demand for AI expertise.
This concerns fields such as science, engineering, education, environmental sciences and health.
“In light of the growing demand for AI skills across all sectors, AUM is working to strengthen its AI programs to ensure its graduates are prepared to thrive in a technology-driven world,” said said Olcay Kursun, AI researcher and expert in the department. of computer science and principal investigator of the grant.
“These developments align with the university’s commitment to fostering innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and expanding access to AI education for a diverse student body.”
AUM reports that the university has already built a strong foundation in AI research within the College of Science, where faculty and students use machine learning (ML) and deep learning (two areas of AI) to conduct research and projects in areas such as bioinformatics. , structural biology, neuroscience, environmental sciences, mathematics and cybersecurity.
“As part of this new NSF grant, AUM will establish a dedicated ML-Lab that will be designed with student-friendly configurations to provide hands-on experience with AI tools to foster learning across multiple disciplines,” Kursun said. “In doing so, it will augment and expand our existing AI capabilities on campus, such as a previously developed AI lab in the College of Business.”
The two-year NSF grant will support the integration and application of AI across AUM’s five colleges: liberal arts and social sciences, business, sciences, education, and nursing and health sciences. health – with the aim of providing more students with comprehensive practical training. -on the AI learning experience.
AUM faculty members Sutanu Bhattacharya, Benedict Okeke and Randy Russell will serve as co-principal investigators, collaborating with undergraduate and graduate student researchers to support grant activities and research at the colleges .
“The University’s AI initiatives are designed not only to advance knowledge in these areas, but also to ensure that groups currently underrepresented in computer science fields, including African American female students and women, be at the forefront of this crucial research,” said Kursun.
Learn more about how AUM will use the $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation by by clicking here.