ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The National Science Foundation just announced a $20 million five year investment that will fund artificial intelligence research at colleges across the state, including South Carolina State University.
“What you learn today is absolute tomorrow. so our goal is change with the change," said department chair Dr. Nikunja Swain.
Preparing black STEM professionals for an evolving industry. That's part of the vision behind a $20 million grant awarded through the National Science Foundation. The funding will support a team of Clemson-led researchers at 11 schools statewide using AI-enabled biomedical devices.
South Carolina State University is one of them.
“This kind of collaboration helps the HBCU to grow and train their faculty and students and AI is one of the fastest growing fields," said Swain.
According to Dr. Swain, the use of artificial intelligence is a game changer in the fields of math and science. Currently, its cybersecurity students use it for malware analysis which helps them to detect computer viruses.
For healthcare providers, it could be used to provide a more accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for various conditions.
“The doctor types out ‘well I am having these symptoms with this particular patient and certainly it may give you a number of treatment options. It’s not going to say that this is the best one you use, but it gives you a lot of different options," said Swain.
This initiative aims to transform the state's healthcare system. It also aims to build a diverse talent pool in the field of biomedical artificial intelligence, and foster a collaboration among people with different areas of expertise.
The ADAPT initiative will also conduct outreach to encourage K-12 students to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math to provide training to STEM educators.