Equipment: Building AI and Cybersecurity Talent Pathways Through Enriched Student Learning Experiences

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Educational Instrumentation (EI) project aims to acquire cutting-edge computing equipment to strengthen Computer Science (CS) education, empowering students at New Mexico State University (NMSU) to pursue successful careers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity. With NMSU serving a diverse student body—58% women and 59% Hispanic/Latino—the equipment will support over ten specialized CS courses, benefiting approximately 200 students. It will integrate course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and enable faculty to design materials that cultivate proficiency in modern computing hardware. This initiative promises year-round access to resources for student projects, homework, and research, enhancing their practical skills and readiness for careers in AI and Cybersecurity. This project will equip virtual and in-person classrooms with state-of-the-art (SOTA) servers and robots to support education in five key domains: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Cybersecurity, Human-robot Interaction, and Introductory CS. As AI and Cybersecurity gain global prominence, the demand for high-performance servers and GPUs intensifies due to complex computational tasks and system vulnerabilities. This project will procure advanced servers, some equipped with GPU cards, robots, security gateways, and AI accelerator cards. These resources will be strategically deployed across multiple educational domains: (i) Servers featuring high-performance GPU cards will support courses in AI and ML. (ii) Servers without GPU cards and dedicated security gateways will be tailored for hands-on cybersecurity training. (iii) Advanced robots will be utilized in courses focusing on human-robot interaction. (iv) Servers without GPU cards and AI accelerators will be dedicated to introductory CS courses. By integrating these cutting-edge technologies into the curriculum, students will gain practical experience alongside theoretical knowledge. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims. 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.