Salisbury University is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to solve problems for local agencies, businesses and nonprofit partners thanks to a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant through the “Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity” (EPIIC) program.
Dr. Clifton Griffin, dean of graduate studies and research; Dr. Xiaohong “Sophie” Wang, chair of SU’s Computer Science Department; and Michael Jensen, executive director of entrepreneurship, received a three-year, $380,000 NSF grant to lead the project “Rural AI Solutions and Engagement (RAISE).”
“The idea of ‘artificial intelligence’ tends to conjure up all sorts of suspenseful, and sometimes concerning, thoughts,” said Griffin. “We hope to demystify and ‘deglorify’ AI and re-imagine it as a set of powerful tools that SU faculty can develop to help solve problems for local partners.”
SU’s Computer Science Department, in the Henson School of Science and Technology, and Dave and Patsy Rommel Center for Entrepreneurship, in the Perdue School of Business, will play roles in AI readiness reviews, AI research capacity and partnership building, external partnerships, rural workforce development, and collaborative networking in research development.
Students explore AI solutions at SU’s 2024 Entrepreneurship Competitions.
“The Perdue School is an established community resource for local businesses and organizations through entrepreneurial mentorship, economic outreach and a connected network of experts in business operations,” said Dr. Christy Weer, dean of the Perdue School. “This grant enhances SU’s outreach efforts across disciplines to meet the growing technological and networking needs of our partners.”
“The RAISE project is designed to help our local economy remain competitive in the face of a rapidly changing technological landscape,” said Jensen. “AI has the potential to transform how we work similar to the changes we experienced with the adoption of the internet, but, potentially, at a much more aggressive pace. We want to help companies and organizations in our region keep ahead of those changes.”
Using essential capacities in partnership building, and research administration, development and leadership, the project institutions, often central to innovation in their regions, will be able to integrate AI within multidisciplinary frameworks to advance practical solutions in various fields such as agriculture, energy, education and health care. This integration directly addresses local needs, improving community services and industries.
Latest AI development and applications are transforming many industries and changing the world,” said Wang. “Our rural communities on the Delmarva Peninsula should not be left behind in this technology revolution. Through participating in the NSF EPIIC program, SU can bolster its AI research and education capability, train a skilled workforce, and hence, promote regional economic prosperity for this region.
The RAISE project is designed to help our local economy remain competitive in the face of a rapidly changing technological landscape”
Michael Jensen
“SU already has the impressive undergraduate research capabilities, high-level curriculum and faculty expertise to find these businesses solutions through the work they are already capable of doing and for less than if the businesses did this alone.
There are many jobs that AI may replace, so we have to make sure our curriculum is always evolving so our students remain competitive in the everchanging technology industry. Students working on projects like this proves they can take what they’ve learned and apply it, which will show future employers they are prepared for these careers.”
The project team has begun working with business partners to explore efficiency and operations enhancements AI could potentially provide. Computer science faculty and students will then collaborate to create algorithms and programming solutions to improve essential business management pillars such as production, quality control, planning and organization.
“While the computer science faculty and students have a long history of working with local businesses to develop innovative solutions to thorny computational problems, this new funding and partnership with the Rommel Center will accelerate and expand that reach, further cementing SU’s role as a ‘force multiplier’ for the regional business community,” said Dr. Michael Scott, dean of the Henson School.
SU’s project is part of a larger cohort of universities that include Valdosta State University and the University of Alaska – Anchorage. The universities represent institutions in rural areas that have demonstrated strength in the use of AI technologies and seek to build connections with local partners to help solve problems.
This spring, computer science students working on the project have the opportunity to take a new course, “How to Start a Startup,” with Jensen to learn entrepreneurship basics and more about the Rommel Center’s work.
“Ideally, we could be seeing faculty and student businesses spinning out of the University because they are inventing things and they are doing the work in real time through their own research and coursework,” said Jensen. “There’s a real opportunity for harnessing intellectual property, whether that’s licensing to local businesses or patents to the creators themselves. This grant is helping us invest in these ideas now and bridge those gaps so that in a few years, the groundwork is laid for true entrepreneurial incubation that streamlines innovation and research at SU.”