NSF Org:	CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems
Recipient:	BROWN UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	February 28, 2022
Latest Amendment Date:	April 13, 2024
Award Number:	2150184
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Vladimir Pavlovic vpavlovi@nsf.gov  (703)292-8318 CNS  Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE  Direct For Computer & Info Scie & Enginr
Start Date:	March 1, 2022
End Date:	February 28, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$313,333.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$320,533.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2022 = $313,333.00 FY 2024 = $7,200.00
History of Investigator:	Daniel Ritchie (Principal Investigator) daniel_ritchie@brown.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Brown University 1 PROSPECT ST PROVIDENCE RI  US  02912-9100 (401)863-2777
Sponsor Congressional District:	01
Primary Place of Performance:	Brown University RI  US  02912-9002
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	01
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	E3FDXZ6TBHW3
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	RSCH EXPER FOR UNDERGRAD SITES, Smart and Connected Health
Primary Program Source:	01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	9150, 9250
Program Element Code(s):	113900, 801800
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.070

ABSTRACT

This REU site will enable a diverse group of undergraduates to participate in the production of original, interdisciplinary research on artificial intelligence for computational creativity. It will help individual students build critical computer science research capacity, communication and professional skills, to increase their confidence and gain a greater understanding of the research process. They will gain understanding of pathways to graduate degrees and prepare for the application process. More generally, this project will develop a multi-year pipeline of diverse student researchers, helping to improve diversity in the fields of AI and visual computing. While students may be new to AI research, creativity applications in this field can help bridge the gap and get students excited about computer science by helping them realize the intersection of their personal creative visions and AI research.

This site will bring together the well-established network of Leadership Alliance minority-serving and undergraduate-focused institutions with multiple AI research opportunities to produce cohorts of diverse students highly-qualified for graduate degree programs. The research projects encompass the AI disciplines of machine learning, reinforcement learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics, plus adjacent disciplines such as graphics and human-computer interaction. Areas of interest include creative generative models, evaluating generated content, and user experience design for creative AI. Students will be closely mentored by faculty and graduate students in their research labs, and supported by surrounding research groups and the resources provided by the Leadership Alliance. They will receive technical training in AI and machine learning fundamentals, including deep neural networks. They will be trained in reading, writing, and presenting their work and will put these skills into practice at research symposia and workshops.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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