Preparing students for an AI

Artificial intelligence is becoming an important part of teaching, research and workforce development at Missouri S&T, with Kummer College playing a key role in preparing students to work with the technology in various ways.

One example is the Kummer Colloquium course recently taught by Dr. Daniel Reardon, professor of English and technical communication and associate dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, in collaboration with Dr. Rachel Kohman, assistant dean of entrepreneurship education.

During the four-week course, a classroom full of Kummer Vanguard Scholars learned how to create AI-powered avatars for marketing and business communication.

“The goal of the course was not simply to teach students how to use AI tools, but to help them think critically about how emerging AI technologies can be used to communicate ideas, tell stories and engage audiences,” Reardon says.

Reardon’s course explored how AI tools can support business communication, marketing and storytelling.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the potential of AI and how that could assist us not only in higher education, but in business,” he says. “As a former small business owner, I saw a lot of possibilities.”

Beyond the classroom, Reardon continues to incorporate AI into his courses and conversations about the future of teaching and learning.

“I do require my students in my courses to learn to work with AI,” he says. “We still want our students to think critically, but there are ways to use generative artificial intelligence that can boost our thinking or augment our thinking.”

Data centers in Missouri: joining the conversation

Beyond the classroom, S&T continues to contribute to statewide conversations about artificial intelligence and its impact on industry and infrastructure.

On June 18, Gov. Mike Kehoe hosted the Governor’s Forum on Data Centers and Artificial Intelligence at S&T, bringing together state leaders, experts and community members to discuss the future of AI and data centers in Missouri.

Among the university experts featured at the event were Dr. Amaury Lendasse, professor and chair of engineering management and systems engineering, and Dr. Genda Chen, the Robert W. Abbett Distinguished Chair in Civil Engineering and director of the Center for Intelligent Infrastructure.

Their presentation, Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers 101, explored the technologies driving AI innovation and the infrastructure needed to support continued growth.

In his presentation, Lendasse says AI is not a future concept; it’s already here.

“I tell my students every day: Ai is not good or bad,” Lendasse says. “It’s just powerful. It’s like the internet. It depends on how we design it, regulate it and use it.”

The presentation also went over what the community gains when a data center is built, from tax revenue to high-paying jobs and a whole technology ecosystem.

“Data centers mainly need skilled workers: network engineers, security specialists, facility managers and construction workers. This is the reason why communities are competing for these data centers,” Lendasse says. “We predict that at least 50,000 jobs will be created around data centers in the next couple of years. The question is not whether AI infrastructure will be built. The question is: will it be built here?”

Lensasse concluded his presentation by repeating a phrase he says every week to his students at S&T.

“AI is not magic. AI is not human. AI is a powerful tool trained from data. It means we need to understand AI, we need to learn the basics and we need to guide AI regulations,” Lendasse says.

Read more about Lendasse’s AI expertise from the former Q&A session, The frontier of AI benchmarks.

As AI continues to evolve, Reardon says universities have an important role in helping students understand how to use the technology effectively and responsibly.

“S&T needs to remain a regional and national leader in science and technology research and education, and one aspect of that leadership is developing critical pathways toward understanding and using generative artificial intelligence,” Reardon says. “We need to teach our students AI competencies and how to use AI effectively and ethically. Our institution should be a leader in developing AI competencies for students.”

Watch the presentations from the Governor’s Forum online at ai.mst.edu.