University of North Texas 
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence is changing work across a range of industries — from transportation and health care to retail and manufacturing. Employees will not only need to understand AI tools but also be prepared to lead efforts that will shape the technology’s future use.
The University of North Texas already has academic programs focused on AI such as its master’s degree in artificial intelligence and AI certificate programs as well as courses across colleges that are integrating AI into their curriculums. However, with a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, faculty in the UNT Department of Computer Science and Engineering are planning a new AI Scholars program to equip undergraduate students with AI knowledge and skills through mentorship and hands-on research experiences. The funding comes from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM), which is designed to help enable students to pursue STEM careers.
“AI has been dominating many aspects of our lives from new technologies to new products, which means there are very high demands for AI-savvy employees in the workforce,” says Xiaohui Yuan, UNT associate professor of computer science and engineering and principal investigator for the NSF grant. “We want to make sure our students are well prepared with the knowledge and skills they need to be competitive in the job market.”
As part of the AI Scholars program, selected undergraduate students in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering will take specialized STEM courses and earn an AI certificate along with their respective degrees. Through paid research opportunities, students can apply the theoretical knowledge gained from their courses to real-life projects while also developing practical skills in the lab such as working as a team, time management and communicating about their work.
Faculty across UNT have many ongoing AI-related research projects. In computer science and engineering, their work mostly falls under three main topic areas — computer vision, bioinformatics and cybersecurity. Yuan — along with his computer science and engineering colleagues Xuan Guo, David Keathly, Amar Maharjan, Kirill Morozov, and Gergely Záruba — will welcome the undergraduate students into their labs to help further their research and spark their curiosities toward taking on projects of their own.
“AI has been dominating many aspects of our lives from new technologies to new products, which means there are very high demands for AI-savvy employees in the workforce.”
-Xiaohui Yuan, associate professor of computer science and engineering
“With computer vision, our research is basically applying AI to either recognize or differentiate objects in a given area,” Yuan says. “Then, with bioinformatics, we have one investigator who is using AI to identify genes related to certain diseases. We have another faculty member who is working on the security aspect, particularly detecting intrusions to security. So, we hope to get these students involved in all these projects and many others.”
The NSF grant in part will be used for scholarships renewable up to three years for the selected undergraduate students. Yuan says they hope to support at least 10 students per year, but it could be more based on individual award amounts. Eligible students must be undergraduates in computer science and engineering who are U.S. citizens, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have a financial need.
Through the financial support, as well as intentional engagement in research and mentorship, Yuan hopes it will help with student retention and introduce students to possible STEM careers. He says faculty are currently talking with potential industry collaborators where students may be able to earn summer internships and be exposed to specific career pathways.
“Proactive mentorship will be very important in this program,” Yuan says. “We’ll have regular check-ins with the students to make sure they’re on track with their education and address any concerns or areas where they may need some extra support. I believe if we give students the care and help they need, then they will grow.”
The first cohort of AI Scholars will be named this spring and the program will officially begin in Fall 2025.
To learn more about the AI Scholars program and apply, contact Xiaohui Yuan via email at xiaohui.yuan@unt.edu.