New University of Texas AI4ALL Program Will Reach High School Students in El Paso
AI4ALL announces new program sites, new sponsorship from SAS, and new advisory board members on the organization’s third anniversary
Every year on March 8, AI4ALL takes time to reflect on International Women’s Day and on the anniversary of the founding of our organization. AI4ALL celebrated our third anniversary this year with gratitude for our community of Changemaking high school and college students, our brilliant and growing staff, and our sponsors and supporters around the world.
AI4ALL programs and alumni have impacted over 9,250 young people with approachable AI education since our inception — the majority being young women of color. Eighty-one percent of alumni are interested in a career in AI, and many are already making significant impacts in the field through research that includes using AI to diagnose dyslexia, to examine inequities in the criminal justice system, and to detect the spread of wildfires. AI4ALL alumni research has won alumni hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and scholarships, the “best paper” award at Machine Learning for Health workshop at NeurIPS, and coverage in media outlets including USA Today, Forbes, and The Atlantic. We are honored to support our students on their journey to becoming emerging leaders who positively influence the direction of AI.
In order to ensure that AI is used equitably, it’s crucial that we continue to expand opportunities in AI for youth who belong to groups that are underrepresented in AI. In addition to the 4 new Summer Program sites announced last month, we’re excited to add the University of Texas, El Paso to our summer 2020 program roster. Like all AI4ALL Summer Program participants, UTEP AI4ALL students will gain exposure to AI fundamentals, learn from role models and mentors, and get the chance to use their new skills in a hands-on way through an AI research project. In addition to creating pathways for high school students to build future-looking leadership skills like technical AI knowledge, critical thinking about emerging technology, and awareness of the social impacts of AI, AI4ALL is working with sponsors to create local employment pathways for AI4ALL alumni to become emerging AI leaders in the region. For UTEP AI4ALL, one such sponsor is Prudential Financial.
Applications for most AI4ALL Summer Programs are currently open. Summer 2020 programs will serve over 500 high school students and will run at 16 universities around North America, including UT El Paso and UC Berkeley.
SAS extends new support and new advisory board members join the AI4ALL community
To support the growth and reach of our organization, AI4ALL is pleased to announce new sponsorship from SAS. We are grateful to sponsors like SAS who recognize the importance of investing in the diverse AI leadership of tomorrow.
Alongside our new Summer Program sites and new funding, we’re proud to announce the addition of two new members to our Advisory Board: Kimberly Nevala, Strategic Advisor & Advisory Business Solution Manager at SAS, and Daphne Luong, Director of Software Engineering, Research at Google AI. AI4ALL’s advisory board brings a diversity of perspectives and experience into the development and direction of the organization.
In her role at SAS, Kimberly Nevala helps businesses understand how to meaningfully incorporate technologies like AI and machine learning into their processes, culture, and organization. “AI has focused the spotlight on diverse ethical issues. Many see this as a threat, but I believe this is AI’s true value,” Nevala shared. “By forcing us to examine and challenge the status quo, AI allows us to rethink how we engage collectively: professionally, socially and globally. I look forward to seeing AI’s promise for all become available to all.”
About AI4ALL
AI4ALL is an Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit that opens doors to the artificial intelligence industry for underrepresented talent through education and mentorship. We nurture a global community of students who learn AI fundamentals and who then apply those principles to solve society’s most pressing problems in deeply innovative and ethical ways. By telling a new story about who can be a maker in AI, we’re creating tomorrow’s AI leaders and changing technology’s future. AI4ALL has received funding from Melinda Gates/Pivotal Ventures, Jensen and Lori Huang, Google.org, Prudential Financial, Microsoft, EY, and The Micron Foundation, among others.
