CAP: STARTER: South Texas AI Research, Training, and Education Resource

该项目是一个扩展人工智能能力建设试点(CAP)，专注于通过增加人工智能从业者池来在德克萨斯大学里奥格兰德山谷(UTRGV)建立和发展与人工智能相关的活动，以推动人工智能支持的研究和教育的可持续扩张。在研究方面，跨学科的人工智能驱动的项目将产生一个充满活力的南得克萨斯州人工智能从业者社区，这将显著提升人工智能在农业、先进制造业和个性化医疗等领域的影响力。在教育方面，新的人工智能微证书课程和课程增强将向大量学生传授与人工智能相关的技能，考虑到UTRGV学生的构成，他们中的大多数来自代表性不足的群体。值得注意的是，两个新成立的跨学科博士项目将使用人工智能增强课程来培训学生的尖端研究技术。计划扩展到高中和社区大学。五个研究领域已被确定为校园人工智能技术的潜在增长领域，包括纳米材料、先进制造、农业、网络安全和生物医学。例如，在农业领域，研究人员将研究智能农业人工智能工具-使用负担得起的无人机和视频传感器来收集和分析数据，以提高水的利用率和土壤肥力。在生物医学方面，研究人员将使用临床表型、基因型和生物标记物数据集来训练人工智能模型，以改进疾病建模和个性化干预策略，以应对对南得克萨斯州拉美裔人口造成不成比例影响的疾病。计划通过两种方法实现教育转型：(1)开设针对特定领域的微型证书课程，传授使用人工智能工具所需的技能；(2)通过修改课程，将人工智能内容融入本科生和研究生的现有课程。课程既强调使用人工智能工具的实践技能，也强调人工智能的理论方面。扩展人工智能计划支持少数族裔服务机构的人工智能驱动的教育和劳动力发展、基础设施和研究，以加强和多样化美国的研究和教育途径，并在STEM职业生涯中为历史上被边缘化的社区提供新的机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project is an ExpandAI Capacity building pilot (CAP), which focuses on establishing and growing AI related activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) by growing a pool of AI practitioners that will drive a sustainable expansion of AI-powered research and education. On the research side, interdisciplinary AI-driven projects will result in a vibrant South Texas community of AI practitioners that will significantly boost the impact of AI in areas such as agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and personalized medicine. On the educational side, new AI micro-credential courses and course enhancements will impart AI-related skills to large numbers of students, most of whom are from under-represented groups given the composition of the UTRGV student body. Significantly, two newly formed interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs will use AI-enhanced courses to train students in cutting-edge research techniques. Outreach to high schools and community colleges is planned.Five research areas have been identified as potential growth areas for AI technologies across campus including nanomaterials, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, cybersecurity and biomedicine. For example, in the agricultural domain, researchers will investigate Smart Farming AI tools - the use of affordable drones and video sensors to gather and analyze data for improved water utilization and soil fertility. In biomedicine, researchers will use clinical phenotype, genotype, and biomarker datasets to train AI models for improved disease modeling and personalized interventional strategies for diseases that disproportionately impact the Hispanic population of South Texas. Educational transformation is planned through two approaches: (i) creation of domain-specific micro-credential courses for delivery of skills needed to engage with AI tools; (ii) infusion of AI content into existing courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels through curriculum modification. Courses emphasize both practical skills in use of AI tools as well as the theoretical aspects of AI. The ExpandAI Program supports AI-powered education and workforce development, infrastructure and research at Minority Serving Institutions to strengthen and diversify U.S. research and education pathways and provide historically marginalized communities with new opportunities in STEM careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.