AUM students gain hands-on AI training through NSF-supported course

AUM students recently gained hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI tools and skills through a new training course, offered as part of the educational component of a $400,000 NSF research grant on AI.

Held on July 18 in the Taylor Center, the course, titled “NVIDIA Deep Learning Training and Certification,” introduced students to the fundamentals of deep learning models and data workflows. Participants received hands-on training in AI, accelerated computing, and data science, using high-powered computing systems. The course also provided students with an industry-recognized certification, which typically costs around $500.

The session was led by Olcay Kursun, assistant professor of computer science and principal investigator of the NSF grant. He is also a certified instructor with the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, which offers the training.

“Our students are earning this certification free of charge because I serve as an NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute ambassador,” Kursun said. “This course offers a valuable opportunity for AUM to expand access to AI education and for students to develop skills in a field that is shaping the future.”

Students who successfully complete the training will also earn bonus credit toward the Department of Computer Science’s machine learning course offered in the fall, Kursun added. A second session of the training course is scheduled for October.

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries worldwide — from healthcare and retail to automotive manufacturing — by helping solve complex problems. Deep learning, a subset of AI, uses multi-layered neural networks to achieve high accuracy in tasks such as image recognition, speech processing, and machine translation. It enables computers to identify patterns in data that are too complex for traditional software approaches.

Awarded to AUM last spring, the NSF grant supports a two-year initiative that integrates AI into academic programs across all five of the university’s colleges and supports AI research conducted by the team of four grant investigators. The goal is to offer students hands-on learning and training opportunities that prepare them for careers in an AI-driven world.