Virgin Islands University is proud to announce its choice as one of 35 colleges and universities across the country to participate in the Amazon Machine Learning Universitas Consortium, a groundbreaking initiative with groundbreaking web services aimed at promoting artificial intelligence and machine learning education through higher education.
Through this collaboration, UVI faculty and administrators will have access to world-class training, curriculum development resources, and cutting-edge AWS cloud technologies, as part of a national effort to build AI/ML education capabilities, particularly at historically black colleges and universities.
“We are honored to be part of this transformational initiative with Amazon Web Services,” said Dr. Safiya George of UVI. “As we continue to prepare students to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital economy, it is essential that our faculty members have the tools and training they need to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into instruction.
“We are pleased to be able to support faculty and staff embracing innovation and new modalities to improve teaching, learning and research using AI/ML.
“This opportunity has attracted our attention through our strong relationships and networks in higher education and philanthropy,” said Michael Morseberger, vice president of facility promotion at UVI. “We would like to thank Amazon Web Services for our comprehensive approach to AI/ML Education and we are proud to connect UVI with an initiative that empowers students and faculty.”
Released in February 2025, the Amazon Machine Learning University Editablement Program currently supports 200 faculty members and 25 executive administrators nationwide, working with over 250,000 students. The program includes:
- Two intensive 4-day summer boot camps focusing on machine learning and generation AI
- Continuous technical training in AWS AI/ML services
- Curriculum development resources and support
- Access to the AI/ML community of industry studies community of practice
- Year-round professional development including pedagogy labs, techtalc, AI/ML science exchange roundtables
- UVI participation includes both faculty researchers and executive administrators. Teachers will participate in the Amazon-MLU Educator Consortium and engage in monthly activities to enhance AI/ML pedagogy and research. Senior Leadership will be participating in Amazon-MLU
- The Transformation Alliance is a leadership cohort focused on building long-term institutional capacity.
UVI faculty selected to participate in the consortium represent dynamic cross-sections of fields, including mathematics, computer science, marine science, and institutional research. This year's cohort includes Dr. Benjamin Walter, an associate professor of mathematics. Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes, Research Assistant Professor Ecology. Dr. Lauren Olinger, an instructor and researcher in marine science. Dr. Matthew McCurdy, assistant professor of mathematics. Resa Berkeley, a research and public services data specialist. Dr. Robert Stoltz, professor and chairman of the Department of Mathematics Science. Dr. Shamerward, an assistant professor of computer science. Together, these educators bring a deep expertise and a shared commitment to integrating AI and machine learning into teaching and research across UVI's STEM field.
“We are excited to see our work at Virgin Islands University to provide students with a high-quality, practical AI experience, a kind of productive collaboration we wanted when we founded Amazon's Machine Learning College Educator.
Enablement Program (MLU-EEP). I look forward to the impact UVI students will have throughout their careers. said Scott Wiltamuth, Director of Database & AI Leadership at Amazon Web Services.
This collaboration represents a major advance in UVI's commitment to academic excellence and innovation in science and technology education.
Although the initial cohort of UVI is named, individuals interested in future opportunities are encouraged to contact the President's Office at uvipresident@uvi.edu.
For more information about UVI's academic programs and strategic initiatives, please visit www.uvi.edu.
