AI Club
Do you have an interest in artificial intelligence, or you interested in learning more about the important ways that AI affects our lives, our world and our future? AI Club is a unique organization that leads teens (and exceptional MS students) through projects that help kids understand how the technology works, including its strengths and weaknesses. AI is becoming increasingly relevant to near every aspect of our daily lives. This is a great opportunity for STEM-focused teens, as well as for curious people who want to learn about this incredibly relevant and fast-developing area. Even more interesting, AI Club is now running a research program in which teens with a deep interest in the area can take their experience to the next level (and sometimes even get published).
“In the AIClub Research Program, high school students and advanced middle school students work under the guidance of experienced Ph.D mentors to create unique research projects using applied Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science. Our mentors have significant research and industry experience (over 100 research publications, 200 patents, and founded several successful startup ventures). Past students have performed innovative research to address problems in healthcare, climate change, computer science, literature, music, sports, and dance, to name a few. Since 2019, AIClub Research students have won over 75 awards in national and international competitions, including publications in professional technical conferences, wins in prestigious high school research conferences, science fair and innovation competition wins, and filed patents.”
How do I get started? Click here.
How do I expand this narrative arc? There are some really interesting opportunities in CS and CS-adjacent areas:
Join other high school students in an effort to identify software vulnerabilities in the Cyber Defense Competition.
Spend a summer in the rigorous Wharton Data Science Academy.
Get involved with Gamers Gift, a non-profit organization created by high school students that aims to use video games and other electronic media to alleviate some of the psychological stress caused by prolonged hospital stays, loneliness, or poverty.
Think about some of the practical elements of data science and then craft solutions at your school. Better yet, organize a hackathon where other teens with coding skills come together to hack solutions to common challenges.
HOT TIP: Deep research, especially research that is ultimately published, is a fantastic way to show commitment and engagement with an area in your narrative arc. AI touches almost every field, and, increasingly, almost every aspect of our daily lives. This intersectionality is not lost on colleges. The right project with AI Club could really stand out on a college application!