The U.S. National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT) is preparing for a summer packed with hands-on programming, teacher development and strategic outreach aimed at expanding artificial intelligence education from high school classrooms to state legislatures. These efforts are part of the institute’s comprehensive mission to empower students, educators, faculty and policymakers with the tools and understanding needed to thrive in an AI-driven future.

Seth Bonder Camps: Building AI Foundations for High School Students

At the heart of AI4OPT’s summer programming are the Seth Bonder Camps in Computational and Data Science for Engineering. These weeklong summer programs provide a training for high school students covering everything the fundamentals of Snap! to generative and agentic AI.

The camps are designed to grow with students, encouraging them to return each year and take on mentoring roles as they advance. Since 2022, AI4OPT has hosted 15 camps and served more than 500 students. With support from the SSF and the Seth Bonder Foundation, AI4OPT is currently transforming the camp curriculum into Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to broaden access across the U.S.

Equipping Educators: Teacher Training and High School Curriculum Development

AI4OPT recognizes that empowering educators is critical to increasing AI literacy. To date, the Institute has hosted four weeklong teacher training sessions in tandem with the Seth Bonder Camps, helping educators bring AI concepts into their own classrooms.

In partnership with Drew Charter High School, AI4OPT has co-developed an engineering module that teaches deep learning through hands-on projects, such as building AI-powered image recognition systems. Building on this success, the Institute will launch its new High School AI Teacher Training Program in summer 2025. More than 200 teachers have expressed interest in the initiative, which will train an inaugural cohort of educators and support the development of full high school AI courses.

To scale this nationally, a CSforAll grant proposal is under review with the NSF to support the creation of new teaching materials, including a high school textbook and an interactive MOOC for students.

Extending Impact to Higher Education

AI4OPT’s Faculty Training Program brings together 18 professors from community colleges and universities in a three-year professional development initiative. Since 2022, the program has already led to:

• A data science program at Moreno Valley College in California
• A new AI and Machine Learning concentration at Texas Southern University

Through the NSF ExpandAI program, AI4OPT is also working with Clark Atlanta University and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to build AI capacity on their campuses. Clark Atlanta has launched a data science minor and submitted a proposal for a master’s program in AI.

Engaging Policymakers: Laying the Groundwork for Informed AI Legislation

AI4OPT is also shaping how government leaders understand AI. AI4OPT director Pascal Van Hentenryck served on the bipartisan Georgia Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and recently hosted an AI workshop for Georgia’s incoming state legislators, providing foundational insights into the opportunities and limitations of current AI systems.

This summer, the Institute is also launching a new series of events for parents, focused on demystifying AI, highlighting career opportunities, and equipping families to support young learners in a world increasingly shaped by intelligent systems.

Looking Ahead: AI Career Fair to Bridge Students and Industry

When fall semester rolls around, AI4OPT will participate in the AI Career Fair hosted by Georgia Tech. The event will connect students and job seekers with workforce opportunities in AI and related technologies. AI4OPT will host a booth alongside other NSF AI Institutes, highlighting research, educational tools, and career pathways.

With a robust slate of camps, trainings, collaborations, and outreach events, AI4OPT continues to lead the charge in making AI education accessible, inclusive, and impactful from the classroom to the Capitol.