The University of Florida has entered into an Education Partnership Agreement, or EPA, with the National Security Agency in efforts to enhance science, technology, engineering and math education through technical exchanges and the sharing of educational materials and equipment. As a result, UF students and faculty will have access to a wide pool of resources and expertise – all while gaining valuable work experience.
"This partnership will cultivate a wellspring of talent and innovation, bridging the gap between academic research and practical applications in intelligence and cybersecurity. It is one of multiple FINS initiatives to empower the next generation of leaders in national security." -- Damon Woodard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering
A key player in this engagement from UF will be the Florida Institute for National Security, or FINS, led by Damon Woodard, Ph.D., a professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This partnership will complement several of FINS’ key workforce development initiatives, including the Clearable Talent Pipeline.
Kicked off this spring semester with a diverse cohort of 15 students from various UF departments within the College of Engineering, the initiative seeks to cultivate a cohort of top-notch, domestic undergraduate students with backgrounds in AI research to help address the human-talent deficit in this arena, as detailed in The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Final Report from March 2021.
FINS is an interdisciplinary, cross-curricular entity that is galvanizing the robust research, education, and professional development efforts in AI already underway at UF toward the development of deployable, applied AI and data science-based solutions in support of the most prevailing national security challenges.