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

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.