IRES: AI-PROWIL: US-Swedish Research Experiences on AI in Production Technology and Work-Integrated Learning

Recognizing that AI is transforming how workers and managers learn, perform tasks, and innovate in areas such as manufacturing, production control, and other industrial domains that operate on global scales, this three-year International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program will enable 18 US STEM IRES student scholars from Rochester Institute of Technology to experience research at University West, Sweden, under a convergent research theme focused on AI-enhanced automation, automatic control, and management for industry. The AI and industry-focused IRES theme benefits society by developing science that enhances industrial sectors, and by growing US-Swedish research collaboration.

Additionally, the program aims to promote the IRES scholars’ research and AI knowledge, skills, and abilities, intercultural and international awareness, and teamwork capabilities, and to foster new educational practices for preparing the AI research workforce. The three IRES cohorts will spend eight weeks at University West’s research environment, which has advanced facilities for conducting future-of-work-centered fundamental scientific research.

The research projects and professional development components are integrated across a preparatory pre-phase, the international phase, and a continuation post-phase, enabling the participants and faculty mentoring teams, which pair University West and RIT co-mentors, to develop impactful projects and disseminate research findings. The evaluation considers the outcomes of IRES students, faculty mentors, research projects, and the program.

This IRES project advances fundamental scientific research on AI-enhanced automation, AI-enhanced automatic control, and AI-enhanced management for future human-centered and sustainable workplaces. The research involves innovative machine learning algorithms and architectures or new AI interface prototypes and sensor methods. In addition to IRES scholars presenting, publishing, and releasing research products with mentors, the research team will propose a journal special issue on the IRES program’s theme.

The project enables the IRES scholars’ growth as future leaders through impactful research guided by faculty mentoring teams and professional development events, integrated into all three of the program’s phases. A post-workshop will be a springboard for research dissemination in publications and talks at prominent conferences, and interactions with University West-matched peers will nurture intercultural skills and strengthen networking competency.

The project team will investigate the IRES model outcomes and disseminate findings to the computing education community, as well as in STEM education roundtables or workshops.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.