DoD AI Literacy Curriculum Project

FSU awarded by ONR to develop a curriculum designed to teach skills for advancing Department of Defense (DoD) missions that rely on data and AI.

Funded by ONR

About the award

Fayetteville State University (FSU) has secured a significant three-year, $598,707 award from the Office of Naval Research to develop a certificate-granting curriculum focused on data and artificial intelligence (AI) skills for enhancing Department of Defense (DoD) missions. This initiative "Data and AI Literacy for National Security," will strength FSU's connection with the military community and solidifies its status as a Naval STEM partner. The project, led by Dr. Sambit Bhattacharya, aims to enhance collaboration between FSU and Fort Liberty, building on their existing ties. The primary objective is to address the rapid evolution in AI and its increasing importance in national security through creating a and comprehensive curriculum. The first two courses set to be available in spring 2024 and most of the instruction will be delivered online to accommodate to working professional. The curriculum will introduce students to technologies like Python programming, cloud-based computing, and AI software tools. It will also offer additional training opportunities to deepen technological competencies. Dr. Bhattacharya's vision is to leave students with the ability to comprehend data, critically assess data-driven materials, and ask valuable questions. The project's ultimate goal is to provide professionals, particularly within the DoD, with the knowledge and expertise needed for AI and data-driven decision-making. Valentin Milanov, Ph.D., is the co-principal investigator and an instructor for the curriculum project. With his extensive experience teaching and doing research in Statistics and Data Science, use of industrial statistical software like SAS in his projects, Dr. Milanov emphasizes the significance of making the Navy and other national security partners data centered organizations. The curriculum's quality will benefit military personnel, the civilian workforce, and others interested. See ONR award announcement