MSAI Students to Gain Unique Experience with AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud-based platform used by millions of companies around the world. The company boasts it has more services and features than any other cloud provider, including emerging technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), data lakes, and Internet of Things.

This January, students in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program will get a behind-the-scenes look at all AWS has to offer and a unique opportunity to apply what they've learned in MSAI into a project that leverages the cloud-based platform during a two-day event.  

On day one, AWS staff will offer an all-day training session for students. Day two will feature an all-day hackathon, where students will work in groups to brainstorm, develop, and execute a project of their choosing. The day will conclude with presentations from each group.

“The most important thing the students will walk away with is a peek at what it takes to conceive, develop, and deploy a project in AI, especially one that uses machine learning, and how to do it with AWS, a key skill to have these days when working in the AI industry,” MSAI deputy director Mohammed Alam said. “While a one-day project cannot give a full view of what an AI project may look like in the industry, the students will have exposure to enough aspects of such a project to appreciate the complexity of deploying an AI product or service.” 

Another key lesson the students will take away from the experience is the value of collaboration, MSAI associate director Krzysztof Kozubski said.

"There is a cohort building aspect to hackathons," Kozubski said. "Put these people in a pressure-cooker environment for a short amount of time and they have to perform and help each other out. Some people are stronger with programming, some are stronger with mechanics, and they start helping each other out. That will continue throughout the entire program.”

Alam agreed. The AWS training and hackathon is only for two days, but the lessons students learn and the experiences they have should carry on with them throughout their time in MSAI as well as their professional work.  

“I think the students will find it easier to do any projects in subsequent courses during the rest of their time in MSAI after the hackathon,” Alam said. “Having such practical training with using an industry-standard solution such as AWS will go a long way for the students, in and beyond school. That training is not common in other educational institutions and puts our MSAI students at an advantage when they enter the job market.”