According to a news release this month, the private university’s new lab will serve as a “central hub” for training relating to AI, and will provide opportunities for collaborative research between faculty and students. It added that lab activities will focus on the New York tech community and the latest industry developments, with meetups and other networking opportunities for local professionals and students.
“Pace has had a critical mass of influential talent amongst all of the sub-genres that are coming together as AI today,” Jonathan Hill, dean of the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, said in a public statement. “I am delighted to see us at the forefront of this historic time when artificial intelligence is part of every conversation.”
The launch of the new AI lab comes as universities across the country in recent months have increased their investments in AI-centered education and research, such as the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester, which both launched new degree programs focusing on AI last month, among many others.
“Pace is exceptionally positioned as a leader in AI research and development,” Katie Todd, co-director of the lab, said in a public statement. “We’ve been doing it for a long time. Seidenberg alumni are working at some of the hottest AI companies — and our students are consistently building and launching their own AI-driven apps.”
In addition, the news release said, the university is planning two new graduate programs in artificial intelligence for next year: a Master of Science in artificial intelligence, which will focus on theory and the development of AI applications, and a Master of Science in applied artificial intelligence, which will provide hands-on AI training opportunities.
“The AI Lab at Pace University will permit us to consolidate, strengthen and extend the existing AI initiatives and create exciting new ones in education and research leveraging partnerships within and outside the university,” Christelle Scharff, lab director and associate dean of computer science at the Seidenberg School, said in a public statement.
