Preparing AI informed leaders and decision makers to serve the Pacific Northwest and the world

As artificial intelligence and machine learning reshape our world, many universities are struggling to keep their curricula up-to-date. Even before its official establishment in 2023, faculty from Willamette's top-rankedSchool of Computing & Information Sciences (SCIS) prioritized AI and machine learning education, ensuring students are well-prepared for the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

"When we started Willamette's Data Science program five years ago, we were already teaching advanced machine learning concepts in the curriculum, but it wasn't until a couple of years later that large language models really captured the popular imagination," shares Associate Professor and Dean of SCIS Jameson Watts. "We are ahead of most peer institutions."

Now, the program is staying relevant in this rapidly-changing landscape by engaging with Oregon's technology sector, teaching in-demand AI skills to the current workforce, and implementing the skills and knowledge industries say they are looking for into Willamette students' programs of study.

One of the first public events at the brand-new Willamette Graduate & Professional Center (GPC) in the Portland's Pearl District was a session hosted in partnership with the Technology Association of Oregon on modernizing the workforce with AI, where Watts was a panelist amongst other thought leaders in business and technology.

SCIS faculty are often called upon to share their machine learning expertise in various events and discussions relevant to their field, and alumni are leaving a mark of their own, such as Justus Eaglesmith BA'21, MBA/MS'23, who was recently appointed as a Board Member of Oregon's State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council.

In turn, faculty use relationships with local business and tech communities to prepare students to meet the specific needs of the workforce. "Our faculty and staff have cultivated relationships with a set of professionals, located mostly in the Portland area, who advise on curriculum to keep us relevant," says Watts, who, with Senior Director of Graduate and Professional Programs Hillary Patterson, "work with companies to try to understand what their issues are and develop and modify curriculum to fit those needs." Graduate students in programs designed for working professionals especially benefit from this model, allowing them to upskill and take what they learn back to their organizations.

Continuing to lead the way in preparing its students to become AI-informed leaders and decision-makers, SCIS is offering several upcoming courses that train undergraduate and graduate students in cutting-edge machine learning skills.

Rachel Brown, SCIS's newest assistant professor of computer science, is teaching a course on computer vision, a rapidly growing field in artificial intelligence. Rather than using language to compress information, this field applies theories of visual processing to accomplish a similar task. Among other skills, students will learn how real-world light and geometry translates into pixel values in digital images and the basic building blocks of modern computer vision like artificial neural networks

"Our goal has always been to anticipate and adapt to emerging technologies," says Watts. "By doing so, we've given our students a significant advantage in their careers."