LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - As students get older, often times they have a clearer idea of what type of career they want to pursue after high school. For those looking into a career in STEM, the Rhodesology camp offered pre-college summer programs that connected 8th graders through juniors in high school with industry professionals to get a look at local opportunities in STEM.
One group of students learned about applying artificial intelligence apps, getting a look at what the curriculum with AI is like at Rhodes State College, from the dean of technology, Dr. David Haus.
Dr. Haus says as the world of AI continues to adapt and expand, giving students a chance to explore AI early on is critical.
"Some of the classes we teach here include generative AI, AI for manufacturing, AI for healthcare, and we also teach the rudiments, so machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing," said Dr. Haus. "Knowing those fundamentals is important, but also being able to make students who can go out and create AI models and solutions for companies, not just relying on off-the-shelf products."
These students had the chance to complete projects using AI models and learned about those different applications. The main takeaway of the program was that AI is a tool and has to be used properly to avoid misinformation.
"The AI field is rapidly changing and developing, so I just wanted to learn more about it," said Taylor Wall-Fergerson, a 9th grader. "You need to fact check a lot, because sometimes it won't always be right, so you need to make sure that your sources are right."
"AI is not necessarily a scary thing, that it's a tool like any other tool that we have, but like any other tool, it needs to be used responsibly, and also we need to get a conception of the ethics involved in its use," said Dr. Haus. "Just because we can do something doesn't necessarily mean that we should."
Other programs in the pre-college Rhodesology sessions included surgical technology, industrial automation, and learning about food production and manufacturing.
