The NSF ExpandAI Leadership (EXAIL) Workshop was held alongside the 2024 Summit for AI Institutes Leadership (SAIL) conference and AI Institutes Expo Day, which occurred October 7–10 in Pittsburgh, PA.
“The SAIL conference was paramount for Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) program participants to build potential collaborations with AI Institutes, network with other ExpandAI PIs, and understand the revolutionary AI applications in a variety of domains.” said Dr. Vibhuti Gupta, who was part of the planning committee for EXAIL. Gupta was thrilled to have helped organize EXAIL and facilitate ExpandAI PIs attending SAIL and AI Institutes Expo Day.
During the inaugural EXAIL Workshop on October 7, ExpandAI Capacity Building Pilot (CAP) grant awardees shared their lessons learned and best practices in a panel session.
David Lockett, M.Ed., Co-PI and Grants Proposal Development and Awards Management Specialist, School of Applied Computational Sciences, Meharry Medical College, moderated the panel. Panelists included:
- Xishuang Dong, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) – a member of a member of the Texas A&M University (TAMU) system
- Vibhuti Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Data Science, and Lead PI for the NSF CAP Award, Meharry Medical College
- Jeong Yang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Computational, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and Lead PI for the NSF CAP Award, TAMU San Antonio
Dr. Gupta shared his key highlights during the session: “Our ExpandAI CAP project, Capacity Building for Trustworthy Medical Systems, focuses on improving the reliability of AI tools in medical settings by examining the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies, working to reduce bias in AI systems, and increasing the security and privacy of AI medical systems. This award facilitates Meharry building capacity for trustworthy AI by incorporating research and advancing education, broadening participation, and preparing future AI experts through exciting new programs.”
The panel discussed:
- Day-to-day management of their CAP projects
- Examples of successful collaborations
- Ways they collaborate on joint activities
- Their efforts to develop a partnership with an AI initiative
- How minority serving institutions (MSIs) benefit from partnering with an established AI Institute and what types of new resources MSIs can access through a partnership
- How partnerships create mutual value for both their institution and the AI Institute and the key areas where both parties benefit
- Organizational hurdles when building up their capacity
- How their home institution helped in overcoming these hurdles in building capacity and what support systems were most effective
- How they advocate for resources to be allotted for their CAP
- What kinds of support are crucial in maintaining and strengthening their project
About the 2024 EXAIL Workshop
Leaders from the NSF programs, ExpandAI and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes (AI Institutes), gathered to connect and collaborate for the advancement of AI research and education! At EXAIL, attendees had the opportunity to explore the ExpandAI program by:
- Networking with AI Leaders – Connecting with fellow ExpandAI leaders and AI Institute leaders.
- Showcasing Successes – Sharing achievements and learning from the experiences of others.
- Innovating Together – Discussing challenges and exchanging groundbreaking ideas.
- Strengthening AI Capabilities – Enhancing strategic planning for future AI initiatives.
Learn more about the ExpandAI program on the AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AIVO) website.
