Michigan Technological University's influence on artificial intelligence education and workforce development took the national spotlight as faculty members traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus.
Alex Sergeyev and Vinh Nguyen represented Michigan Tech at the nonpartisan, education-focused event on Sept. 19, discussing their $999,930 three-year NSF Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) grant, titled "Beginnings Track: Experiential Learning for the Mechatronics Workforce in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan." The two-hour event brought together AI experts from academia and government to inform policymakers about the technological, economic and social impacts of advances in AI, along with the implications and opportunities the rapidly advancing technology creates.
Sergeyev is a Department of Applied Computing professor and director of Tech's mechatronics engineering graduate program. Nguyen is a Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering assistant professor and director of the Michigan Tech Center for Artificial Intelligence.
Michigan Tech's Beginnings Track project aims to increase interest in careers and continued education in advanced manufacturing among community college and university students, working professionals and others. It focuses on mechatronics, a branch of engineering central to smart manufacturing and other high-tech industries. Mechatronics integrates mechanical, electrical, electronic and software engineering skills. Workers with this powerful, interdisciplinary skill set are in high demand by employers.
Launched this summer, the three-phase Beginnings Track project involves three cohorts of up to 20 students each, who will complete 120-150 hours of work. Training includes a set of self-directed learning modules, experiential learning on state-of-the-art equipment at Michigan Tech, and visits to industrial companies to gain firsthand knowledge of complex mechatronics systems. The first group of students completed the training this summer.
Sharing Tech's Approach to AI-related STEM Education
Co-organized by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Artificial Intelligence Caucus showcased exemplary AI-related research projects from each major STEM education-related unit of NSF, and opened with introductory remarks from NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.
"The AI Caucus event was an excellent opportunity to showcase and further Michigan Tech's national presence in terms of AI education," said Nguyen, who is a co-principal investigator of the Beginnings Track project. Nuygen developed the AI-related curriculum for the project.
"Among the things we discussed was workforce development and how AI will shape the future national workforce," he said. "There was also interest in Michigan Tech's rural location and how that shapes the University's work in advanced technologies, in contrast with universities located in urban areas."
In addition to Michigan Tech, 15 other universities were represented, including Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, Oklahoma State University, University of Washington and University of Florida.
Sergeyev, the principal investigator of the grant, demonstrated a project-related teleoperated robotics work cell at Michigan Tech. Accessible from anywhere in the world through an internet connection, the remote work cell allows students to complete the same operations as a user physically present in the lab.
"The developed technology for teleoperation of industrial robots captured significant interest among attendees at the AI Capitol Hill event," Sergeyev said. "The NSF director noted the transformative potential of this innovation, stating that it could fundamentally reshape the way industrial robotics training is delivered in the future."
Building on this momentum, Sergeyev is working closely with NSF leadership to fully harness the capabilities of the cutting-edge technology.
"We aim to establish a state-of-the-art remote training hub for industrial robotics at Michigan Tech. The hub will provide students and professionals with hands-on, real-time training opportunities from any location, setting a new standard for how skills in advanced robotics are taught and developed."
Sergeyev said that by embracing teleoperation, geographical barriers can be bridged, making high-quality robotics education more accessible to a global audience and positioning Michigan Tech at the forefront of industrial robotics training and innovation.
"Vinh and I were both very proud to represent Michigan Tech on Capitol Hill," said Sergeyev. "We're thankful for this rare opportunity to share the work we're doing to facilitate education in advanced manufacturing in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula."
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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