This April, faculty members, research staff and IT support staff from across all 12 colleges gathered at the William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation for an AI research development workshop hosted by ORI and the DSA. Throughout the session, they compared ideas, identified connections and began shaping work that could grow into larger, coordinated AI research efforts going forward. Countless thought-provoking conversations were held over the course of the day, ranging from new AI innovations in classrooms to bias, responsible use and ethics in AI.

Early this June, the NC Department of Health and Human Services hosted the DSA for an on-the-road AI Hot Topics session, including a DHHS AI Literacy Kickoff led by Robin Jones and a discussion of AI Without the Hype: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why DHHS Cares, led by Dr. Sarah Rhea. A fireside chat and Q&A were held afterward, covering topics such as workforce readiness, division engagement and responsible use. A huge thanks goes out to NC DHHS for this wonderful collaboration!

This summer, DSA continued its work to expand data science education opportunities for K-12 students and educators across North Carolina. Through the Student Data Discovery Challenge, middle and high school students explored real-world datasets, built mathematical models and learned alongside mentors in a hands-on data science experience. At the same time, educators from across the state participated in the CS30 Curriculum Building Collaborative, working together during writing sprints to develop lessons, activities and instructional resources that support the growing implementation of CS30: Introduction to Data Science across the state of NC.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural NC State deans and Data Science and AI Academy AI Fellows Program at NC State! This cohort will streamline collaboration, leadership and interdisciplinary research in AI by bringing together specialized researchers from across all colleges.

Need data help? The NC State University Libraries, in partnership with the Data Science and AI Academy, offers one-on-one data science consulting to all NC State affiliates at no cost to them. The Data Science Consulting Program supports research and learning across disciplines, including help with coding, data cleaning, statistical analysis, machine learning, visualization and more. Appointments are available at Hill Library, Hunt Library or virtually via Zoom. 

Have questions? Contact getdatahelp@ncsu.edu

The DSA wants to congratulate our Communications Lead, Sarah Whichello, on receiving a nomination for an NC State Provost’s Unit Excellence Award for outstanding service to the university community this spring! Congratulations to all of the other talented nominees and winners!

This semester, the DSA’s very own Hannah Carpenter was appointed to the NC State Staff Senate! Through this position, Hannah will be able to help NC State staff realize their highest potential and contribute to advancing the university’s excellence. Huge congratulations are in order, and we can’t wait to see what Hannah accomplishes in the future!