Brown CS News

"Research in this field," says Brown CS faculty member Daniel Ritchie, "is poised to revolutionize the means of personal expression for everyone: in writing, photography, design, architecture, and more."

He's talking about creative applications of artificial intelligence (creative generative models of visual and textual content, detecting “fake” generated content, AI for game playing, user experience design for creative AI systems, and more) that will be the focus of a nine-week, fully-funded, Brown CS summer residential program. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), "Artificial Intelligence for Computational Creativity" is an NSF Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) that will bring students to the Brown campus from June 1 to July 30 of next year to conduct original research. Led by Daniel and featuring six other colleagues, the program offers a stipend of $6,300, travel costs to and from Brown, and housing on campus. The organizers are encouraging applications from students from historically-underrepresented groups, which includes (but is not limited to) students that identify as women, underrepresented minority (URM), having a disability, first-generation college, low-income, and/or LGBTQ+.

Apply today! Applications are due by February 3, 2027: https://aireu.cs.brown.edu.

Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled in a degree program leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the summer may participate. High school graduates who have been accepted at an undergraduate institution but who have not yet started their undergraduate study are also eligible to participate. Students who have received their bachelor's degrees and are no longer enrolled as undergraduates are generally not eligible to participate. Prospective students should at minimum have completed an introductory computer science course sequence as well as mathematics courses covering calculus, linear algebra, and probability. Additional advanced coursework in areas related to the Site's theme (for example, computer vision, machine learning) are helpful but not strictly required. Prior research experience is helpful but also not strictly required.

Participants will be paired with a faculty mentor and a graduate student mentor who will help guide them through a nine-week research project. This includes a weekly study group that walks students through the process of conceiving, developing, and presenting an original research proposal. In addition, the summer begins with crash courses on research methods, artificial intelligence and machine learning principles, and working with modern software tools for AI/ML.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in Leadership Alliance-sponsored events, including faculty and alum panels on careers in research, graduate student panels on pathways to graduate school, group dinners, and more. Extracurricular and social activities in the local area may include visits to the RISD museum, excursions to Newport and Rhode Island's beaches, and Saturday night visits to Providence's WaterFire celebration.

For more information, click the link that follows to contact Brown CS Communications Manager Jesse Polhemus.