SkAI Postdoctoral Preceptors Program
Credit:NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), R. Cool (University of Arizona) and WIYN
Bringing Astro-AI to the Classroom
A strong professional workforce starts with excellent teaching faculty. Outstanding AI teaching faculty are scarce, creating a significant barrier to access and interest in this critical field. Programs like the UC–City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Preceptors in Data Science partnership, which embeds postdocs as instructors within CCC community colleges, contribute to developing a highly qualified teaching faculty. The SkAI Preceptor Program will build upon this program, and will also bring research-driven Astro-AI content into partner college classrooms while training a cohort of expert Astro-AI educators, and contribute to building out the interdisciplinary aspect of the program.
As part of this existing partnership, the SkAI Institute will:
- Support the recruitment and training of postdoctoral teaching fellows;
- Support the onboarding of the first preceptor cohort and provide training materials;
- Map out a mentoring plan for each preceptor and provide logistical support.
Dr. Lindsay House, PhD (Postdoctoral Preceptor from 2025–2029)
Lindsay is the project lead for Dark Energy Explorers, where her research sits at the intersection of AI and public engagement. She is a former community college instructor and continued to prioritize education throughout her graduate career. Lindsay has also spent time developing her science-communication skills as a writer for Astronomy Magazine and has worked at numerous informal education institutions, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Adler Planetarium, Fiske Planetarium, and Morehead Planetarium.
TBD
Under construction . . . return soon for details.
Funding Partners
The SkAI Institute is one of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Simons Foundation.
SkAI Institute
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