An Alabama college is working to prepare its students for an evolving workforce by spearheading artificial intelligence (AI) education and research.
AI is defined as a field of science concerned with building computers and machines that can reason, learn, and act in such a way that would normally require human intelligence— or that involves data which exceeds what humans can analyze and understand.
With a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) plans to enhance its AI infrastructure and expand its curriculum and research to meet the growing demand for AI expertise.
This involves across such areas as sciences, engineering, education, environmental science and health.
"In light of the growing demand for AI skills across industries, AUM is working to strengthen its AI programming to ensure that its graduates are prepared to thrive in a technology-driven world," said Olcay Kursun, an AI researcher and expert in the Department of Computer Science and the grant's principal investigator.
"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 the university has already built a strong foundation in AI research within the College of Sciences, where faculty and students are using machine learning (ML) and deep learning — two AI areas of study — to conduct research and projects across fields such as bioinformatics, structural biology, neuroscience, environmental science, mathematics, and cybersecurity.
"As part of this new NSF grant, AUM will establish a dedicated ML-Lab that will be designed with student-friendly setups to provide hands-on experience with AI tools to foster learning across multiple disciplines," Kursun said. "In doing so, it will augment and expand upon our existing AI capabilities on campus, such as an AI lab that was previously developed 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 — with the goal of providing more students with a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience in AI.
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 across the colleges.
"The university's AI initiatives are designed to not only advance knowledge in these areas, but also ensure that groups currently underrepresented in computer science fields, including African American and female students, are at the forefront of this critical research," Kursun said.
Learn more about how AUM will use the $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation by clicking here.
