Colleges and Universities in Nampa Region Keep Students Soaring

Dale Hamilton

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly reshaping industries such as health care, finance, transportation and manufacturing. And colleges and universities in the Nampa, ID, region are tapping into AI for research and developing training programs to better prepare students for successful high-tech careers. 

Teaching Marketable Knowledge 

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is exploring artificial intelligence through a project spearheaded by Dale Hamilton, associate professor of computer science. Hamilton is the primary investigator for the university’s NASA-funded FireMAP project, which is using artificial intelligence, or machine learning, to map wildland fire extent and severity. 

“We started the project using drones, but quickly realized it was difficult to get data imagery for very large areas. That’s where our partnership with Planet Labs in San Francisco comes in; they have a constellation of satellites,” Hamilton says. “We’ve been looking at ways to map where a fire burns, the severity of the burn and the effects of the fire. But we’re also looking at fire prevention, for example, looking at the type of vegetation in the area that could lead to wildfire.” 

The university offers a bachelor of science degree in computer science with concentrations in areas including cybersecurity, programming and data science. In fact, NNU was the first university in the Northwest to offer an undergraduate program in data science, which encompasses data management, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Hamilton says the program’s students gain the knowledge and experience that make them highly marketable. 

“They’re getting very well-paying internships, and many of them are getting job offers from those companies while they are still interns. We’ve found that over the last five years, the vast majority of our computer science graduates already have a job lined up when they finish their degree requirements. These jobs are in extremely high demand, and the compensation they’re getting is very lucrative,” he says. 

Adapting to a Changing Economy 

As part of its $15 billion investment in the Treasure Valley, Micron Technologies Inc., one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies and the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory cards, partnered with the College of Western Idaho (CWI) to train students and expand its workforce. 

The company is accelerating its adoption of AI, and students who receive training through CWI’s advanced mechatronics engineering technology program have a chance to pursue career opportunities in a booming tech sector. The partnership also includes an apprenticeship program with Micron and a three-day summer camp for eighth and ninth graders, where they participate in hands-on, STEM activities and explore engineering, physics, chemistry and computer science topics. 

With the largest engineering college in the state, known for producing the most STEM majors, Boise State University has taken on the mantle of Idaho’s “tech university.” 

“With one of the largest computer science programs in the region, we have numerous faculty already engaged in AI research, and all our computer science students are being trained in a suite of AI concepts and tools; these students will empower Idaho’s tech economy going forward,” says Shawn Benner, dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State. 

The university’s professors are also working on research projects focused on artificial intelligence, including the Speech, Languages and Interactive Machines (SLIM) project, which draws inspiration from linguistics and psychology to help guide theoretical research and develop computational models of all aspects of spoken dialogue. 

“The SLIM project is a great example of how meeting the challenges of AI will require disciplinary expertise that extends from engineering to linguistics and psychology,” Benner says. 

With the release of ChatGPT, the university immediately formed an AI task force to guide its response. The initial focus was on addressing the challenges these tools pose to assessment and academic integrity, but Benner says the new goal is ensuring every Boise State graduate is competent in using AI tools within the career they are pursuing. 

“Skills in AI are not just essential to computer programmers; AI is likely to transform all sectors of the economy. AI tools will be an essential part of almost all jobs and will have positive and negative impacts on society, shaping our economy and our politics,” he says.