University of Nebraska at Omaha Receives 749,894 Dollar National Science Foundation Grant: About 45 Sports-Data Lessons in Artificial Intelligence for Middle School Students
OMAHA, Nebraska — The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) has received a 749,894 dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch SPARK-AI, an interdisciplinary research project that uses sports science to introduce middle school students to artificial intelligence, data science and quantitative reasoning. The project's full name is Sports Phenomena and Authentic Data for Real-world Knowledge and Artificial Intelligence Interest, and the award number is 2607547.
Led by Brian Knarr, associate professor of biomechanics, the project brings together researchers from UNO's Department of Biomechanics, Department of Teacher Education and the STEM TRAIL Center. Researchers will work with middle school science teachers to develop approximately 45 classroom lessons that connect sports-related phenomena and real-world movement data to scientific concepts. The project includes partnerships with the Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium, Omaha Public Schools and Millard Public Schools.
Participating teachers will receive professional development and work with researchers to design and pilot lessons using authentic sports data and AI-supported technologies, aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Knarr said sports give a natural starting point because so many young people already have a passion for them, and connecting that passion to artificial intelligence, data science and biomechanics can help students discover opportunities they may never have considered. Once developed, the materials will be shared openly with educators nationwide. The university notes that participation in youth sports in the United States is at a near all-time high of 58 percent.
Source: University of Nebraska Omaha
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：内布拉斯加大学奥马哈分校校园。经Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: University of Nebraska Omaha campus. Via Wikimedia Commons.
