HBCU Program Empowers Students to Innovate with AI and Analytics

Students at Alabama A&M University and Bowie State University are in the first-ever FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge. The program created for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in data science, engineering and technology fields.

This program presents students with a real-world analytic challenge to identify and mitigate bias in data and decision models using historical housing data. Students will also learn how AI guardrails and Responsible AI are needed to protect and safely advance analytic practices.

The fall semester-long program features remote mentoring from FICO data scientists and in-person lectures by FICO’s Chief Analytics Officer, Dr. Scott Zoldi.

“One of the biggest challenges of building predictive models is identifying and handling inherent biases in the data,” said Dr. Scott Zoldi at FICO. “To help further inclusion by fighting biases in models, we are training and supporting a diverse and talented group of young people to drive the future of AI innovation and propel Responsible AI practices forward. I am pleased to be able to meet with students at their schools to both share ideas at lectures and engage in informal mentoring conversations.”

The pilot program allows students to work in teams to sharpen their analytics skills and provides access to FICO analytics subject matter experts for technical/project support and mentoring opportunities. The project also provides financial support to enhance analytics study for each participating HBCU and creates potential career opportunities for students for employment after graduation.

“Being a part of the educational analytics program launch is extremely important to us as it provides our students with experience in solving a real-world problem, and encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion in data science,” said John D. Jones, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alabama A&M University. “We are committed to teaching skills and challenging our students to empower the next generation of innovators and social justice seekers driven to stamp out analytic bias. Our data science network is thankful to be supported by Dr. Scott Zoldi and FICO’s team of mentors.”

More: https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom/fico-partners-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-launch-educational-analytics