Casey Kennington, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been named an inaugural fellow of the National Science Foundation (NSF) NAIRR AI Education Fellowship hosted by the Computing Research Association (CRA).

Kennington, who is also the Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Computer Science, has been an active advocate for curriculum development, including development of new courses relating to data science, machine learning, natural language processing and AI. He was a pioneer in establishing Boise State University's Bachelor of Science in AI Science, which launched in 2025.

"It is wonderful to see Dr. Kennington's work in AI science become recognized on a national level," College of Engineering Dean Amy Fleischer said. "This newly created fellowship will only continue to amplify his impact."

The CRA recognized Kennington as a fellow to help lead AI education for his contributions to spoken dialogue systems on robotic platforms and machine learning language models.

The inaugural class of fellows represents 23 states across the United States spanning public and private universities, community colleges and a wide range of higher education. The fellows will help expand access to high-quality AI education resources and foster a national community of practice focused effective AI teaching.

"Receiving this fellowship is an honor, though I recognize the responsibility that accompanies it," Kennington said. "There are so many open questions about AI education that we as a society need to come to grips with, and the goal of this fellowship team is to bring us closer to answering some of those questions."

Funded by the NSF, the NAIRR AI Education Fellowship at CRA brings together faculty champions committed to strengthening undergraduate AI education. Together, these fellows will pilot and adapt courses through the fellowship program's resources to help shape faculty support nationwide.

"Due to Casey's expertise and foresight, Boise State University has been at the forefront of AI education, becoming one of the first institutions in the nation to offer a BS in AI Science," Department of Computer Science Chair Jerry Fails said. "This recognition highlights Casey individually and Boise State Computer Science collectively as national leaders in advancing AI education. It also continues Boise State's tradition of being one of the nation's most innovative universities."

Kennington's research in the College of Engineering at Boise State has been supported by multiple federal grants, including a NSF CAREER Award in 2022. The research examined the ability to bring emotionality into spoken dialogue systems on robotic platforms and language models. In this same time, Kennington's mentorship to students has also contributed to two Barry Goldwater Scholars.

The fellowship term runs from March 2026 to February 2027. Fellows will lead monthly seminars that amplify strategic working meetings and champion the adoption of AI education resources at Boise State and beyond. For the full 2026 inaugural fellow class, visit the CRA website.

Share This

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share through Email