Sid Salter is Chief Communications Officer for the university. He said the school has a long history of supporting degrees in advanced computing. “We offered the first Bachelor of Science and Master of Science AI degrees in the state. We have stood up an AI hub on our campus that guides responsible AI use across the campus,” said Salter.
MSU has often ranked among the top schools for some of the most powerful supercomputers at any public university. Since the early 90’s, experts have helped plan flight trajectories for space missions, map out areas affected by major disasters, and more.
Professors at Mississippi State advise state lawmakers on policies that relate to AI, according to Salter. The university is also home to the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network used by schools throughout the state to train teachers and students.
“We are uniquely positioned to give our students that opportunity, and we think students [are] aware of what we have, what we can do, and what their place in the research process will be,” said Salter.
Earlier this month, the White House hosted a summit titled Science: A New Golden Age where the formation of the Southeastern AI Computing Consortium was announced.
Scott Willard, MSU interim vice president for research and economic development, said, “We are confident that this consortium will foster a new age of scientific discovery and research translation that will maintain U.S. dominance in the global innovation economy.”
