The University of Hawaiʻi will provide critical training in artificial intelligence (AI) to support economic growth through ocean and coastal sustainability research. The training is a collaboration of academic institutions, and UH’s role includes workforce development, hands-on training and research presentations.
The Blue Economy project includes areas such as marine resource management, renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and maritime transportation. AI tools will help researchers analyze ocean and coastal data, model predictions and make data-driven decisions to support sustainability and economic growth.
“By leveraging national AI resources and engaging coastal communities, we’re not only strengthening Hawaiʻi’s role in the Blue Economy—we’re building a skilled, resilient workforce prepared to tackle the environmental and economic challenges of tomorrow,” said Sean Cleveland, acting director of research cyberinfrastructure for UH Information Technology Services.
Practical AI training
Participants will receive practical AI training using NSF-funded computing systems: Jetstream2 at Indiana University (IU) and Texas A&M’s Accelerated Computing for Emerging Sciences.
“The Blue Economy is a great example of a project enhanced through use of multiple NSF-funded resources,” said David Y. Hancock, IU director for advanced cyberinfrastructure and Jetstream2 principal investigator. “The fundamental mission of Jetstream2 has been to accelerate use of AI technologies and on-demand cloud resources in the lab as well as the classroom.”
Students and faculty can expect targeted lectures, paper presentations and in-person workshops featuring hands-on training and panel discussions. The Hawaiʻi Data Science Institute will post details on these as they become available.
Funded through an 18-month, $300,000 National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot grant from the National Science Foundation, the project brings together four universities—UH, Texas A&M University at College Station (lead), Texas A&M Galveston and Morgan State University.
“This NAIRR workshop award represents an impactful opportunity for the University of Hawaiʻi to lead in applying artificial intelligence to sustainable ocean research,” said Cleveland.
