This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award under the STEM Education (CFDA 47.076) program provides $354,936 to the University of Kansas Center for Research Inc. to engage approximately 500 high-school students and 25 teachers from under-resourced communities in the design and application of AI-enabled microelectronics technologies.
The project aims to broaden access to microelectronics and AI education by developing and disseminating an open-source, hands-on curriculum that integrates computer science and engineering concepts. The curriculum focuses on real-world applications of microelectronics and AI that have direct implications for improving quality of life in local communities, making the learning relevant and place-based. This design-based implementation research project will systematically examine the effectiveness of this approach in fostering students' engineering identity development and conceptual understanding of edge AI and microelectronics. The award period runs from September 2024 through August 2027.