Amanda V. Cabral

Amazon develops data center engineering curriculum with Mason

Colleen Rich — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:09:51 +0000

Amazon develops data center engineering curriculum with Mason Colleen Rich Wed, 07/26/2023 - 13:09

In This Story

��AV is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a course in data center engineering and expand the opportunities in its senior capstone courses.

Photo by Getty Images

Faculty in Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing are developing the ME/ECE 499: Data Center Engineering course, which will be offered for the first time this fall. The course, which will be crosslisted in the Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments, will introduce students to data center infrastructure design, operations, efficiency, cooling, and decarbonization.

Students will learn to design, operate, and maintain the hardware required for complex data center systems. The instructor will bring real-world industry experience into the classroom, and the class will have the opportunity to tour nearby data center facilities.

“We are happy to partner with ��AV and look forward to utilizing this collaboration to help students engage in critical research,” said Nicholas Lee-Romagnolo, program manager of Workforce and Economic Development at AWS. “Our goal is that the program helps prepare students to enter the tech field after their time at Mason, equipped to create solutions to the challenges faced by data center engineers.”

Through the course, students will gain hands-on experience and learn from experts in the field, such as guest speakers who will discuss data center career paths.

Across the Washington, D.C., metro area, there is a greater need for both mechanical and electrical engineering talent. The data center engineering course will help students gain experience, build on their skills, and prepare to enter the workforce as part of Mason’s commitment to feeding the ever-increasing tech talent pipeline for Virginia and beyond.

Kammy Sanghera, executive director of the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), is coordinating the effort with Liza Wilson Durant, associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement in the College of Engineering and Computing.

“The data center engineering job market is exploding in Virginia, and our partnership with Amazon to provide real-world, hands-on training in this new area will position Mason engineers with the skills and knowledge to move out and lead in this emerging technical discipline,” Durant said. “Mason's strategic alliance with Amazon is enabling us to embed the skills and knowledge required of the engineer of the future and position our graduates for success.”

“We are excited to introduce the data center course and are looking forward to our continued partnership with Amazon,” Sanghera said. “This is another opportunity for Mason and its industry collaborators to provide unique experiences for students to engage in cutting-edge research and obtain the skills necessary to be successful in the ever-growing tech and engineering fields in Virginia and beyond.”

Earlier this year, AWS challenged Mason engineering students to create an evaporative cooler and test the effectiveness of evaporative media. AWS funded students for their design implementation of capstone project. This AWS capstone project was the first of its kind at Mason, and two similar capstones projects are planned for this fall—one in mechanical engineering, another in electrical engineering.

The two projects will be mentored by CEC professors Nathan Kathir and Tolga Soyata respectively, and students will have an opportunity to gain expert technical advice directly from Amazon engineers. The electrical engineering capstone project will give students a hands-on experience building a data center power monitoring system.

“We are looking forward to the Mechanical Engineering capstone this fall,” said Mason professor Leigh McCue, chair of Mason’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “These courses provide our students with opportunities to expand upon what they have learned in class and apply the skills they’ve learned to creating important solutions to real-world problems.”

“We are excited to partner with Amazon and to bring more opportunities for our students to learn, grow, and prepare to become part of the expanding data center engineering industry in Virginia,” said Mason professor Pelin Kurtay, associate chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, who is leading the effort for ECE.

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Campus News

Amazon Web Services

College of Engineering and Computing

innovative classes

Strategic Direction

mechanical engineering

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

New summer program teaches AI tech to Arlington high school seniors

Colleen Rich — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:31:52 +0000

New summer program teaches AI tech to Arlington high school seniors Colleen Rich Wed, 07/19/2023 - 13:31

Eighteen Arlington Public School seniors got an in-depth look into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) this summer thanks to ��AV’s new AI Scholars program. The two-week session offered at Mason Square provided students with hands-on learning opportunities, projects, lectures, guest speakers, and $750 scholarships.

AI Scholars was open to all seniors in Arlington Public Schools. Photo by Sai Preeti Pantangi

The program, taught by Tolga Soyata, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Mason, was open to all seniors in Arlington Public Schools.

Mason faculty members Missy Cummings, director of Mason's Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC), and Leigh McCue, chair of Mason’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, joined Erik Blasch, program officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Les Laurell, a supervisor at Robins Air Force Base, in providing valuable real-world insights to the students.

In addition, students learned about various aspects of AI and gained practical experience, controlling liquid crystal displays with Python software, managing power-hungry hardware with Raspberry Pi, and receiving an introduction to programming with OpenCV.

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), Trenchant Analytics, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) provided funding for the program. The AI Scholars program is part of the Trenchant Analytics STEMx project, supported by the CDAO, and aims to help students begin a STEM career by providing relevant kits, tutorials, and a skill tree that tracks progress toward a scholarship and internship. Kammy Sanghera, executive director of Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), led the effort to establish the program and was the principal investigator on the grant.

“We are happy to support this program that brings more opportunities to seniors in our county,” said John Ferry, CEO of Trenchant Analytics. “It is important to us to encourage interest in fields like AI and educate students on the opportunities they have in STEM fields.”

AFOSR program manager Kim Jacob told the high school students about the different careers and opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs in the Air Force Research Laboratory. “It’s an honor to speak to students as they are finishing high school and make them aware of the opportunities they have in STEM-related fields as they are preparing for college and deciding on a potential career path,” she said.

Photo by Sai Preeti Pantangi

“We are excited to collaborate with organizations like Trenchant Analytics, ��AV, CDAO, and the AFOSR,” Pamela Nagurka, partnership coordinator for work-based learning at Arlington Public Schools, said. “It is important to introduce students to these fields and show them the opportunities they have in college and beyond.”

Sanghera said Mason plans to expand the program next year. “We are very pleased with the first year of our AI Scholars grant and are looking forward to expanding the program to Fairfax County Public Schools and D.C. Public Schools next year,” Sanghera said. “The IDIA’s mission is to help connect our students, faculty, industry, and community, and this program is a prime example of how collaboration between these groups creates wonderful opportunities for students to learn and experience STEM fields.”

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Students

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Mason Square

Artificial Intelligence

Amazon partners with Mason and NOVA for workforce development

Colleen Rich — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:48:18 +0000

Amazon partners with Mason and NOVA for workforce development Colleen Rich Wed, 05/24/2023 - 14:48

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Kamaljeet Sanghera

Liza Wilson Durant

Students from ��AV and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) will participate in the AmazonNext x CodePath 2023 Summer Cohort June 5 to August 19.

More than 200 Mason students applied for the cohort. Selected participants will complete CodePath Org’s Technical Interview Prep course where they will engage with real-world software topics and practice technical interviewing.

The 10-week program is a unique opportunity for students in the greater Washington, D.C., region who want to pursue tech careers. In addition to coursework, students will have opportunities to participate in Amazon workshops, receive guidance from Amazon mentors, and attend events at Amazon HQ2. Students will receive a $5,000 scholarship upon program completion.

“We look forward to welcoming this new cohort over the summer and using our resources to help educate students on the possibilities open to them in tech careers,” said Tiffany Blacknall Benjamin, senior manager, DEI higher education strategy and partnerships at Amazon. “It is important to us to help students develop critical skills that will give them a competitive advantage as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

The partnership between AmazonNext, CodePath, Mason and NOVA will expand and benefit the tech talent pipeline in the region and support regional universities and two-year colleges participating in the program.

"Amazon’s investment in George Mason and NOVA accelerates the development of a diverse work-ready talent pipeline for Virginia,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost of strategic initiatives and community engagement at Mason. “The AmazonNext program serves as a model for industry and academic partnership to deliver the workforce of the future, with technical and professional skills that respond to the demands of emerging technologies and an interdisciplinary workforce." 

Kammy Sanghera, executive director of the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), is leading Mason’s effort in the program. “Part of the IDIA’s mission is connecting students with industry members and our partnership with Amazon helps students to learn the skills necessary to be successful in the tech field after college,” she said. “By making these connections, we are supporting the growth of the tech talent pipeline that is already becoming prominent in our region.”

As part of the partnership, Amazon will sponsor technical programming, infrastructure, and strategy on campus, giving students in the Mason and NOVA communities additional opportunities for tech-related education and events.

“Our partnership with Amazon is an incredibly valuable resource for our students and campus communities,” said Chad Knights, vice president of information and engineering technologies (IET) and college computing at NOVA. “By expanding the tech-related opportunities available to students, we are helping to build critical skills and knowledge that will help students stand out as they begin their search for internships and employment opportunities in tech and innovation-related fields.”

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Students

workforce

College of Engineering and Computing

Northern Virginia Community College

Amazon

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Strategic Direction