Supported by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s AI Tennessee initiative, a team of fourth- and fifth-grade students from Alcoa Intermediate School in Alcoa, Tennessee, won their age group in the national Presidential AI Challenge in Washington, D.C. First Lady Melania Trump presented the students with their award at a White House ceremony on June 9.
The team was selected for the national competition after winning state and regional elementary contests for their project proposal, Homework Helper. The AI tool is designed to reduce homework-related anxiety by helping students manage their time and guiding them through problem-solving without providing answers. The Presidential AI Challenge aims to foster AI interest and skills by encouraging students and educators to develop AI tools and methods that tackle issues in their community.
AI Tennessee brought together faculty from UT and partner institutions to assist K-12 students and teachers involved in the challenge. UT, the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University and Fisk University provided workshops, training sessions and mentorship for participating schools.
Emily Holtz, assistant professor of elementary education in UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, collaborated with Alcoa Intermediate School teacher Hope McDonald to support the winning students, helping them understand what generative AI is, its capabilities and limitations and the ethical considerations involved in using it. These fundamental concepts equipped the team to think critically about local community challenges, their underlying causes and possible solutions.
For the national finals, the students presented their proposal to the judges in person and answered questions. They were required to describe a real-world community problem, use research and evidence to justify their proposed solution, demonstrate how AI could be leveraged to address the challenge and outline a plan for scaling their innovation to serve a larger population.
“It was incredible to see this group of students compete on a national level,” Holtz said. “Not only did they meet the requirements of the Presidential AI Challenge, but they demonstrated amazing teamwork, leadership and presentation skills. This project was about so much more than AI — it was about supporting students to think critically about real, local community problems and then organize and present their research in meaningful ways. I could not be more proud of this phenomenal group of students.”
Working with academic, industry and community partners, UT is committed to helping Tennessee communities and organizations through AI research, education and application. As a leader in the AI-powered knowledge economy, the university works to shape the future of the state and be a bold voice for the future of AI in education.
“I think these kids initially joined their school’s AI Club and participated in this national challenge mostly thinking that it would be a fun opportunity to learn,” said Anne Ho, director of AI research development at UT. “I’m sure they had no idea that they’d become role models for kids around the country. I am incredibly proud of them. We have already started making plans at AI Tennessee to get more students and teachers involved in the next challenge, and I can’t wait to see the next round of thoughtful and creative AI ideas from across the state.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Johnson (865-974-4448, [email protected])
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