Tennessee State University receives National Science Foundation grant

Tennessee State University’s College of Engineering and TSU SMART AI Innovation Technology Center have received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support the initiative entitled “Implementation Project: Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Research-Based Experiential Learning into STEM Curriculum to Enhance Education and Student Retention.” The initiative seeks to transform undergraduate STEM education through the implementation of a stage-based engineering pathway.

According to an article on Tennessee State University’s website, Dr. Lin Li, who serves as the dean of the College of Engineering, was quoted as saying of the project, “The project is expected to serve more than 1,000 undergraduate engineering students and approximately 80 high school students annually, build long-term faculty capacity in AI-supported and culturally responsive instruction, and produce a scalable model for improving engineering retention and workforce readiness at HBCUs and beyond.”

Dr. Li is leading the project alongside Dr. Robbie Melton, who is the vice president for SMART Applied Technology Innovations, and Dr. Jin Yan, the associate professor of STEM Education in the College of Engineering.

The five-year initiative will run from 2026 to 2031 and will build a stage-based engineering pathway that will provide pre-freshman through senior year students with workforce preparation, math skills, and course success skills. The initiative will make use of artificial intelligence in diagnostic platforms, adaptive tutoring, and design simulations. More hands-on tools will be utilized, as well, including the Engineering Exploration Program, Extreme Winter Break Program, Rising Engineering Institute, course-embedded research, and a capstone-aligned Certificate Program in Applied Engineering Practice.

Dr. Melton noted, “The collaboration anchors the NSF project in ‘AI in Action,’ immersing engineering students directly in the hands-on exploration and innovation of AI as an active, lived experience. Through the Center’s labs and studios, students engage with adaptive tutoring, design simulations, robotics, and immersive technologies, actively experimenting and creating alongside AI tools.”

The initiative will recruit students from Martin Luther King High School, Gallatin High School, and Republic High School to join the TSU Engineering Concept Institute (ECI)  Engineering Exploration Camp (EEC), where AI is embedded into learning.

Dr. Quincy Quick, the university’s associate vice president of Research and Sponsored Programs, said, “This AI grant award further supports and strengthens our research capacity and capabilities in AI at Tennessee State University by bridging basic and applied AI. Additionally, this project aligns with Tennessee’s statewide AI Initiative and enables TSU to contribute to the national and global competitiveness in AI.”

Speaking to the expected impact of the project, Dr. Yan said, “Findings will inform scalable, technology-enhanced engineering curricula, faculty development, and national dissemination through scholarly publications, professional conferences, and partnerships with other institutions.”

Sanaiya Choute, who is a senior architectural engineering major, noted that the grant project will provide students with more valuable research opportunities. She said, “I think this grant will give students more opportunities to get involved in research and gain experience with technology that we will use in our careers. Having access to more hands-on research and new resources will allow us to learn outside of the classroom, build our technical skills, and work on projects that can have a real impact.”

For more information about Tennessee State University, visit the school’s website.