NC State’s Data Science Academy Is Now the Data Science and AI Academy

NC State’s Data Science Academy will now be known as the Data Science and AI Academy (DSA), to better reflect its focus on and national leadership in AI. The DSA was established in 2021 as a universitywide interdisciplinary effort to enhance a historic strength of the university and meet the growing needs of data science research, education and expertise in North Carolina and beyond.

“As a leading land-grant and R1 university, NC State is paving new ground with the Data Science and AI Academy,” said Executive Vice Provost and Chancellor Warwick Arden. “Our integration of AI into interdisciplinary education will generate groundbreaking scholarship and prepare undergraduate and graduate students to become field leaders of the future.”

The renamed academy will work with colleges on initiatives already underway related to foundational and applied AI and continue to offer courses on data science and AI. The course prefix, however, will change from DSC to DSA. Other continued efforts include the second year of offerings in the AI @ NC State “Hot Topics” series, among others.

“The Data Science and AI Academy is excited to continue supporting NC State and beyond to lead interdisciplinary innovation in data science and AI,” said Data Science and AI Academy Executive Director Ray Levy. “While AI is not new, it has entered the public sphere in new ways. NC State is committed to preparing our community, North Carolina and beyond for the learning, workforce and research environments of the future.”

New activities and initiatives planned for NC State include an AI Revolution online panel series, membership in the International AI Alliance, professional development opportunities for NC State staff, and new courses and credentials across colleges. Additionally, the DSA will provide proposal writing support for career awards, training grants and centers.

“The temptation in thinking about data science and AI at universities is to fit them into stand-alone departments or schools. But, data science and AI will impact nearly every job, innovation and application in the coming years. NC State will lead not by having a singular department in this area, but by infusing data science and AI throughout the curriculum, research and application. It is everywhere,” said Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs Rob Dunn. “The Data Science and AI Academy — the university’s first academy — reflects that approach. Data science and AI are as integral to the future of philosophy as they are to agriculture, engineering or molecular innovation.”

Colleges from around NC State have already created interdisciplinary opportunities to engage the university community in learning more about AI and its role in various disciplines. This includes the College of Engineering, which will host an Applied AI in Engineering and Computer Science Symposium on Sept. 18.

Jim Pfaendtner, Louis-Martin Vega Dean of the College of Engineering, discussed how his college is building on its strengths to become a preeminent hub for Applied AI: “Our recently formed Applied AI in Engineering and Computer Science faculty advisory group has proposed an initial set of strategic goals to infuse AI into our research and curriculum. To further shape those goals, provide input on objectives and help identify next steps, we are inviting faculty to participate in facilitated sessions during our symposium.”

Additionally, the Plant Sciences Initiative (P.S.I.) at NC State is integrating AI into applied agriculture to help growers increase their yields, efficiency and sustainability. Two new tools are part of this effort — a robot named BenchBot 3.0, a data-gathering device, and the NC P.S.I.’s supercomputer, the NVIDIA Grace Hopper 200, which will create AI for agricultural use. The varied uses of AI coming out of academia showcase the importance of AI across all disciplines.

The Data Science and AI Academy helps to connect these investments, while also leveraging the extraordinary expertise at NC State in the disciplines that are core to these endeavors, such as statistics, mathematics and computer science. NC State is one of the top two universities in the country in training in Statistics and Data Science at the graduate level.

To assist in generating momentum for the further development of the DSA, Director Ray Levy recently presented a report on AI at the university to the NC State Board of Governors. She is also currently co-leading the NC State AI Advisory Group with Jill Sexton, the associate director for digital and organizational strategy with the NC State University Libraries.

To get connected, subscribe to the DSA newsletter. For questions about the renamed DSA and what’s coming up next for the academy, please contact Data Science and AI Academy Executive Director Ray Levy at datascienceacademy@ncsu.edu.

This post was originally published in NC State News.