It seems not long ago when the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was some fantastical futuristic frontier where robots walked the earth alongside humans. While AI has steadily become part of our lives since Siri and Alexa entered our everyday vernacular, it is now all around us. According to a research study conducted last year by IBM - 35% of companies reported using AI in their business, and an additional 42% reported they are exploring AI. AI adoption is growing steadily, up four points from 2021.
With an eye on a movement that is reshaping the way people live and work, Bronxville High School Principal Ann Meyer knew it was time to bring a program into the school and into the hands and minds of students. Ms. Meyer, who has been at Bronxville High School for 16 years - first as a science teacher and then as an administrator, also knew the best way to test her hypothesis was by using sample data. In this case, her high school seniors. “Artificial Intelligence is an area of growing importance with which our students will need to be familiar in order to enter the job marketplace upon their college graduation. There is great value in providing our seniors with the chance to learn about the field prior to college. Regardless of whether students continue into computer science, knowledge of the fundamentals of AI and its power in various industries will be relevant to their futures,” said Ms. Meyer.
In March of 2022, Ms. Meyer and science teachers Mr. Cornish and Mr. Geidel submitted a grant application to the Bronxville School Foundation for an AI pilot program for up to 25 students to gauge student interest and possible future curriculum ideas. Once approved by the Foundation, the plan went warp speed into action and a partnership with Inspirit AI was formed and a program in place for the fall. “This grant is a perfect case study on how The Bronxville School leverages The Foundation to fund innovative programs that help differentiate the school and prepare our students for a dynamic future. As a parent, I know we are extremely lucky to have such a strong administration and teachers that are insightful, proactive, and able to set a new standard for K-12 education,” said Brian Bodell, Bronxville School Foundation Chairperson.
Inspirit AI is an intensive program designed to guide high school students to initiate AI projects, pursue AI ventures, and prepare for college. The virtual classes are designed and taught by Stanford and MIT alumni and graduate students. With Stanford and MIT ranked amongst the top three universities for Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science degrees, this gives Bronxville’s students the incredible opportunity to learn from the brightest of the bright minds in the field.
While there are some concerns with how AI is being used in the world, with potential ethical considerations, the Inspirit AI program aims to also arm students with knowledge on how it can be used to create good in the world. Students have the opportunity to explore its potential in a diverse range of areas- such as finance, law, education, healthcare, and astronomy through the project-based program. Using data science, mathematical reasoning, creative problem solving, and ethics, the class covers four core technologies: computer vision, recommendation systems, natural language processing, and deep learning.
Bronxville senior William Gottlieb loved the interactive nature of the Inspirit AI course. “We move past the abstract and away from hypothetical applications. There is no "this skill can be used for x, y and z". We actually do it. We are able to manipulate one of humans most powerful and versatile creations to make projects with real world impact. We used neural networks to determine if real photos of tumors were malignant. We learn what the technology buzzwords actually mean and then harness them to make versatile, usable products,” he said. William’s infatuation with computer science was first inspired by the Iron Man movie.”I wanted to be able to create my own proprietary technology systems like Stark's Jarvis,” he said, half joking. “I fell in love with actual computer science after my AP Computer Science A course I took sophomore year. Once I began procrastinating on my other homework, not to watch TV but to do my computer science work, I knew I found my fit. The jump from programming to AI was not very far for me because AI is one of the hottest areas of computer science at the moment, and the ability to make more functional products drew me in,” he added.
On the heels of the success from the pilot program, Ms. Meyer once again reached out to the Foundation with an off-cycle grant proposal for an ‘AI Boot Camp’. This time, the classes will be in person and run for two weeks at Bronxville High School for Senior Shadowing at the end of May. Columbia University graduate students will serve as their instructors. In addition, a two-week summer camp in which students sign up directly through Inspirit AI, will take place at The Bronxville School.
Looking ahead to the 2023-2024 school year, Ms. Meyer has applied for a grant that seeks to provide the current virtual course again next year in its current structure, as well as an advanced course for students who have completed the introduction course or participated in the summer camp offered through Inspirit AI. To borrow from the idiom that was first written in the year 1562- no time like the present: There's no time like the present to be prescient; especially when it comes to preparing Bronxville students for a world that awaits their knowledge.
Photo courtesy of the Bronxville School Foundation.