AI Insights
UW-Stevens Point launches new undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence
STEVENS POINT – The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is launching a new bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence this fall, blending technical programming instruction with real-world application and ethical training.
The new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence aims to prepare students for the evolving workforce demands in industries increasingly shaped by AI, including healthcare, manufacturing, and cybersecurity.
“It’s a new undergraduate program in computing, so there’s quite a bit of overlap with our existing computer information systems program,” said Associate Professor Tomi Heimonen. “But then we are offering completely new courses in AI. We’re covering everything from deep learning and neural networks to AI for security and natural language processing.”
The curriculum includes machine learning, cloud environments, AI-driven cybersecurity, and a senior capstone project that connects students with local partners. This fall, one project involves building a chatbot to help a local agency’s customer service team access internal policy information.
“I think the hallmark of all our courses is that it’s not just theory,” Heimonen said. “There’s a pretty heavy application emphasis in all of them.”
Students will also complete coursework in programming, data analytics and mathematics. A core component of the program emphasizes ethics in AI design, including fairness, transparency and human oversight.
“We’re not building terminators,” Heimonen said. “AI are systems that try to imitate human intelligence by taking in data, learning from it and then recommending actions or producing outcomes based on that data.”
The university’s decision to offer the program was influenced by market demand and workforce development trends. The program is backed by state funding and is one of only a few of its kind in the region.
“There’s definitely a gap between the number of trained professionals and what the workforce needs,” Heimonen said. “UWSP saw a chance to be one of the few institutions in the state training students specifically to work with AI straight out of their undergraduate and deliver talents to the needs of Wisconsin employers.”
Graduates will be equipped for roles such as software developers, computer systems analysts, and information systems managers. While “AI developer” may not yet be a common job title, Heimonen said employers increasingly value applicants with AI knowledge and skills.
“There has to be some guardrails,” Heimonen said. “If we’re going to trust AI to make decisions, we need to make sure those decisions are accurate, fair and conveyed in a way that can be explained to the user.”
More information about the program is available at uwsp.edu/programs/degree/artificial-intelligence.
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AI Insights
Tampa General Hospital, USF developing artificial intelligence to monitor NICU baby’s pain in real-time
TAMPA, Fla. – Researchers are looking to use artificial intelligence to detect when a baby is in pain.
The backstory:
A baby’s cry is enough to alert anyone that something’s wrong. But for some of the most critical babies in hospital care, they can’t cry when they are hurting.
READ: FDA approves first AI tool to predict breast cancer risk
“As a bedside nurse, it is very hard. You are trying to read from the signals from the baby,” said Marcia Kneusel, a clinical research nurse with TGH and USF Muma NICU.
With more than 20 years working in the neonatal intensive care unit, Kneusel said nurses read vital signs and rely on their experience to care for the infants.
“However, it really, it’s not as clearly defined as if you had a machine that could do that for you,” she said.
MORE: USF doctor enters final year of research to see if AI can detect vocal diseases
Big picture view:
That’s where a study by the University of South Florida comes in. USF is working with TGH to develop artificial intelligence to detect a baby’s pain in real-time.
“We’re going to have a camera system basically facing the infant. And the camera system will be able to look at the facial expression, body motion, and hear the crying sound, and also getting the vital signal,” said Yu Sun, a robotics and AI professor at USF.
Yu heads up research on USF’s AI study, and he said it’s part of a two-year $1.2 million National Institutes of Health grant.
He said the study will capture data by recording video of the babies before a procedure for a baseline. Video will record the babies for 72 hours after the procedure, then be loaded into a computer to create the AI program. It will help tell the computer how to use the same basic signals a nurse looks at to pinpoint pain.
READ: These states are spending the most on health insurance, study shows
“Then there’s alarm will be sent to the nurse, the nurse will come and check the situation, decide how to treat the pain,” said Sun.
What they’re saying:
Kneusel said there’s been a lot of change over the years in the NICU world with how medical professionals handle infant pain.
“There was a time period we just gave lots of meds, and then we realized that that wasn’t a good thing. And so we switched to as many non-pharmacological agents as we could, but then, you know, our baby’s in pain. So, I’ve seen a lot of change,” said Kneusel.
Why you should care:
Nurses like Kneusel said the study could change their care for the better.
“I’ve been in this world for a long time, and these babies are dear to me. You really don’t want to see them in pain, and you don’t want to do anything that isn’t in their best interest,” said Kneusel.
MORE: California woman gets married after lifesaving surgery to remove 40-pound tumor
USF said there are 120 babies participating in the study, not just at TGH but also at Stanford University Hospital in California and Inova Hospital in Virginia.
What’s next:
Sun said the study is in the first phase of gathering the technological data and developing the AI model. The next phase will be clinical trials for real world testing in hospital settings, and it would be through a $4 million NIH grant, Sun said.
The Source: The information used in this story was gathered by FOX13’s Briona Arradondo from the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital.
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