Artificial intelligence isn’t just in the classroom—it’s also the focus for several student projects and clubs. At MSOE, students are passionate about expanding their learning beyond the classroom to showcase their skillsets. Whether it’s solving a problem in the annual Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge or competing in a hackathon, students put their passions into practice.
The MSOE Artificial Intelligence Club exists to connect students to opportunities related to AI. The club provides educational activities and presentations, connects students to mentors in the MSOE faculty and Milwaukee community, and hosts community outreach events to increase public awareness of AI concepts. Visit the A.I. Club website.
Each year, MSOE Regent and alumnus Dr. Dwight Diercks challenges MSOE students to make use of Rosie, MSOE’s NVIDIA GPU-powered supercomputer and number-crunching behemoth. The Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge enables students to take their course work to the next level to solve a problem, improve a process or answer a difficult question.
Students share their best work each spring for a chance to win amazing prizes, ranging from $2,000-$5,000 and an NVIDIA GPU.
A sampling of the topics that students have tackled using Rosie:
Visit the Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge webpage.
The inaugural Hacksgiving: Generative A.I. for Good competition in 2023 challenged students to develop an innovative A.I.-driven solution that would streamline the patient screening process for Next Step Clinic. The hackathon began with a kick-off event presenting the problem statement, followed by a two-day in-person hackathon in the Cove in Viets Tower.
Next Step Clinic helps families in Milwaukee who have concerns about the mental health and developmental health of their children, including family navigation, screening and evaluation for autism, therapy services, training and more. The clinic was looking for an A.I.-driven solution that could enhance operational efficiency, minimize wait times and provide educational value to patients. Students were challenged to develop a tool that would support health care staff by predicting the level of care required, offering preliminary guidance and preparing patients for their appointments, thereby improving overall patient flow and satisfaction.
Hacksgiving was developed and supported by Dr. Jeremy Kedziora, PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence. Ben Paulson, computer science major and president of the A.I. Club, helped develop and organize the event.
The Hacksgiving task force is aiming even higher for year two in 2024. For more information, visit the Hacksgiving webpage.
