The second batch of the Institutional Multidisciplinary Paradigm to Accelerate Collaboration and Transformation (IMPACT) Awards recipients was announced last autumn by the University of Kentucky Office of the Provost.
Launched in 2023 to support innovation and transformation within UK’s colleges, the IMPACT Awards project is an internal funding program run by the Office of the Provost. The honors honor the innovative work done by staff and faculty members throughout the university and provide chances for multidisciplinary cooperation among UK community members to support the institution’s goal of promoting Kentucky. .
UKNow is spotlighting the academic members directing the 2024-25 IMPACT Award projects this spring. Fifteen colleges in all—including UK Libraries and the Graduate School—are collaborating to push fresh ideas forward on methods of state advancement.
Today’s lessons center on the initiative known as “University of Kentucky Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Hub.”
The UK Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) Hub links, develops and empowers AI/ML consumers, practitioners and developers across campus, at other universities and throughout the Commonwealth. Built on three key pillars, the Hub offers student experiential learning opportunities that immerse students in transdisciplinary, hands-on experiences using AI to enhance their degree programs and prepare them for the workforce; delivers practical training through nontechnical seminars and an annual campus-wide symposium; and acts as a concierge for projects and applications, linking subject matter experts with a broad network of AI expertise to foster cooperative innovation.
The group is under direction from:
- Katie Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Zeya Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor of statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Chenglong Ye, Ph.D., assistant professor of statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Jiawei Zhang, Ph.D., assistant professor of statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- James Brusuelas, Ph.D., associate professor of classics in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Yuanyuan Su, Ph.D., assistant professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences;
- Svetia Slavova, Ph.D., professor and associate dean for research in the College of Public Health;
- Carlos Lamarche, Ph.D., director of graduate studies and Gatton Endowed Professor in the Gatton College of Business and Economics;
- Zongming Fei, Ph.D., professor of computer science in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering;
- Brent Harrison, Ph.D., associate professor in the Pigman College of Engineering;
- Katsutoshi Mizuta, Ph.D., assistant professor of computational agricultural and environmental sciences in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE); and
- Akinbode Adedeji, Ph.D., associate professor in Martin-Gatton CAFE: and
- Yuha Jung, Ph.D., professor and director of graduate studies in the UK College of Fine Arts.
How has the IMPACT award inspired innovation at UK with your research?
Under a collaboration of professors spanning seven colleges and the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), the UK AI/ML Hub is an active and lively gathering place for campus members and the larger Commonwealth to interact with AI. Launched the UK AI/ML Hub in its inaugural year by the IMPACT grant through an annual AI/ML conference, continuous research workgroup and pilot project possibilities. The current IMPACT funding has enabled us to grow the UK AI/ML Symposium and extend the UK AI/ML Hub to provide UK students with immersive experiential learning prospects. Events hosted by Open UK AI/ML Hub support academic and outside collaboration as well as training.
Why did you choose this specific research field or topic?
The UK AI/ML Hub is a forum for AI/ML activity supporting university and beyond training, teamwork, and innovation. Through open events and linking participants to support partnerships, the UK AI/ML Hub links students, teachers, staff, and community members by emphasizing the central principle that everyone has a space for interacting with AI.
Kentucky and beyond will benefit from your research in what ways?
The UK AI/ML Hub Student Experiential Learning Program offers chances for AI/ML student training in a range of fields for real-world data projects. Among the several initiatives are:
- Two graduate students from UK King’s Daughters Hospital underwent immersive multidisciplinary training using ML models in a team of researchers from the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Public Health to identify Kentucky patients at great risk for missing colorectal cancer screenings.
- utilizing images from researchers at the Martin-Gatton CAFE and data analysis in association with the College of Arts and Sciences, one graduate student and MS graduate is utilizing AI/ML models to forecast abundance of tall fescue possibly hazardous for pregnant mares and foals.
What comes next for your research?
First, projects benefiting not only the students but also Kentuckians showed the success of such a paradigm in the first transdisciplinary training groups for immersive student learning experiences. By formalizing the project submission process and extending similar initiatives, UK students will have more chances to interact with artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques in readiness for the workforce.
Second, there has been demand in raising the frequency of the Nontechnical Workshop and Annual UK AI/ML Symposium. More regular open events, like the next UK AI/ML Symposium and AI/ML Nontechnical Workshop, both scheduled for Nov. 17, 2025, are under organization by the UK AI/ML Hub.
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