UCF launches new program meant to help low-income students seeking education in AI

ORLANDO, Fla. — A team of five in The University of Central Florida’s College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, led by their Center for Research in Computer Vision, recently received a National Science Foundation grant to help low-income students seeking education in artificial intelligence.

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The grant is for nearly $2.5 million over five years to serve as resources for the STRONG-AI (STEM Opportunities for Nurtured Growin in AI) initiative.

The mentorship program is an effort to help struggling undergraduate students “anticipate and navigate the intersections of STEM careers and AI”

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According to UCF, the team has already received more than 150 applications. They will ultimately select 10 to 15 students per year to participate, based on financial aid eligibility, academic success, and interviews with faculty.

“We are looking for the students who are really interested to do well in STEM majors, and particularly AI,” UCF Trustee Chair Professor of Computer Science and founding director of the CRCV Mubarak Shah said.”They need to have a good GPA and be expressive in their interviews as we’ll have some questions for them.”

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Nazanin Rahnavard, a professor in UCF’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a STRONG-AI mentor and co-investigator, says he’s seen the “transformative potential” of previous NSF mentorship programs at UCF.

“Our scholars may come from low-income families and may have many challenges outside of the classroom. This program is specifically designed to help those students who, without this program, might not find success,” Rahnavard said. “If there are students interested in pursuing a career in AI who think they might not have financial resources, we encourage them to apply.”

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Although the application period for the inaugural STRONG-AI cohort has closed, students considering applying in the future can check back as soon as early spring here to apply for the next cohort.

For more information, including minimum requirements and how to apply, click here.

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