CICS Alumna McGovern to Head New NSF AI Institute

College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) alumna Amy McGovern MS’98, PhD’02 was selected to lead the National Science Foundation (NSF) AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography, part of a $100 million initiative by the NSF to establish five new AI research institutes nationwide.

The new institute, which received $20 million of the NSF funding, will assemble researchers in artificial intelligence, atmospheric and ocean science, and risk communication with the intention of developing “user-driven, trustworthy AI,” specifically focused on “pressing concerns in weather, climate, and coastal hazards prediction.” In addition, the institute will have artificial intelligence certificate programs aimed at workforce skills and providing the research and training necessary to address forecasting and prediction challenges.

McGovern received her doctorate from CICS in 2002 under the supervision of Professor Emeritus Andrew Barto. She currently works as a professor at the University of Oklahoma with dual appointments in the School of Computer Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering and in the School of Meteorology in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences.