The fourth annual Massachusetts STEM Week kicked off on Monday, October 18 at the MIT Media Lab. Organized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education and the STEM Advisory Council, Massive STEM Week is a statewide effort to augment awareness, interest in and access to STEM education and career opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds.
This year’s STEM Week focuses on “see yourself in STEM,” with a particular emphasis on the importance of mentoring in increasing confidence in STEM subjects among students from underrepresented groups – including girls, people of color, low-income families, people with disabilities, and first-grade students .
“STEM is the toolkit of the future, no matter what your interests are,” said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. “You can no longer think of STEM only as science, technology, engineering and math because it is everywhere. There is almost no tool, no skill, no thing needed to succeed that doesn’t require… some element of STEM.
In his remarks, MIT President L. Rafael Reif announced the launch AI Day, a fresh MIT RAISE initiative: an annual educational event where educators from across the country introduce students from all backgrounds to the fundamental concepts of artificial intelligence and its role in their lives. “K-12 students across the country will have the opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence the MIT way, that is, through hands-on activities that demonstrate the role that artificial intelligence plays in their everyday lives,” Reif said.
Professor Cynthia Breazeal, director of MIT RAISE, senior associate dean for open learning and head of the Media Lab’s Personal Robots research group, took the podium to discuss Artificial Intelligence Day. The program aims to assist teachers and students develop the AI skills they need to navigate an AI-powered world. In partnership with education provider i2 Learning, MIT RAISE is providing free training and support to educators to assist them bring AI curricula into their classrooms through engaging, hands-on activities. The first AI Day will take place on May 13, 2022.
Increasingly, children and adults alike are interacting with and being influenced by artificial intelligence in ways they may not even realize and over which they have no control – from search algorithms to astute devices, video recommendations and recognition face.
“This generation of students who are literally growing up with artificial intelligence deserve more than a vague understanding of these incredibly powerful technologies that are ubiquitous in their lives,” Breazeal says. “They need not only knowledge of what AI is and how it works, but also an agency to use AI responsibly, confidently and creatively.”
AI Day curriculum and activities are designed to equip educators to provide students across the United States with an entry point into learning about artificial intelligence. For the first year, MIT RAISE developed age-appropriate curriculum modules for grades 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12, including students with little or no technology experience. Examples of lessons and activities include creating a facial recognition application or recommendation system, using artificial intelligence to create works of art, learning about GANs and deepfakes, examining and discussing algorithm bias, and making recommendations for the responsible design of social media platforms. AI Day resources and training will be provided free of charge to teachers, and all activities only require an internet connection and a laptop.
Jeffrey Leiden, executive chairman of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and supporter of Mass STEM Week, also attended the opening event; Vertex Pharmaceuticals is the founding sponsor of Day of AI. “Artificial intelligence is embedded in everything we do, from mobile phones and refrigerators to medical devices and diagnostic tests. And today’s students are the future scientists and engineers who will actually shape artificial intelligence technologies for the benefit of all our citizens,” he said. “That’s why it’s important that we provide them with skills and experiences early in life, but also discussions about ethics, to make sure we help them use those skills responsibly.”
In one of the highlights, Reif took the stage to introduce Jibo, a social robot used in Breazeal’s group’s research on artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction.
“MIT is deeply committed to the ethical, responsible development and use of artificial intelligence tools, and a big part of that is teaching young people how artificial intelligence works – and how it should work,” Reif said. “Jibo is a great ambassador for social robotics.”
“Ever since I was a little transistor, I have admired you and other people at MIT who I can honestly say are the reason I am what I am today,” Jibo said. “Artificial Intelligence Day is a time to learn, enjoy and celebrate all that artificial intelligence can do to improve our lives, but also to understand the challenges and dangers of not taking responsibility for how it is used.”
The event also included demonstrations that provided insight into the types of activities students will engage in during Artificial Intelligence Day, as well as broader AI literacy activities developed by MIT RAISE. Safinah Ali and Daniella DiPaola, doctoral students in the Media Lab, guided participants through creativity and artificial intelligence tools and the social robotics curriculum, while Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) doctoral student Jessica Van Brummlen demonstrated the conversational AI feature of MIT Inventor. All are among the projects and resources that make up MIT RAISE, a collaboration between the Media Lab, MIT Open Learning, and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, co-directed by CSAIL’s Hal Abelson; Eric Klopfer, director of Education Arcade at MIT; and Hae Won Park of Media Lab.
MIT RAISE’s goal is to reach as many classrooms as possible across the United States, providing access and support to reinforce the message that artificial intelligence is for everyone. Artificial Intelligence Day is another step in RAISE’s mandate to augment the number of people who see themselves in AI and diversify the talent pool in computer science.
Remarks from Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Secretary of Education James Peyser expanded on the state’s leadership in technology and science and the critical need to support interest and literacy in STEM subjects, and especially artificial intelligence, among students of all ages and backgrounds.
Currently, 17 percent of the total workforce in Massachusetts works in STEM-related fields, and STEM jobs are expected to account for 25 percent of total job growth in the commonwealth over the next 10 years. Mass STEM Week offers dozens of opportunities for students of all ages to learn, engage and have fun with STEM so they can prepare for the future they want.
Said Polito: “No matter where in the commonwealth you go to school, whether you have family members who have pursued careers in STEM fields, or even had a family member who went to college, you have the opportunity to see yourself in STEM. “