Turning experimentation into shared direction for teaching, research, and operations.
IDEAS: Establishing and Sharing Strategic Guidance for DS/AI Across Academic Mission
Universities are awash in experimentation with AI and data science—but too often, lessons stay siloed within individual courses, labs, or units. HAIL’s IDEAS goal focuses on transforming distributed innovation into shared, actionable guidance that helps Pitt move forward with clarity, responsibility, and impact.
- RDS Scholars Program
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The RDS Student Scholars Program is an extracurricular, interdisciplinary initiative led by HAIL that engages undergraduate students in exploring the ethical, societal, and practical dimensions of data science and technology. Through facilitated discussions, readings, and team-based projects, scholars co-develop responsibility-focused frameworks and apply them to real-world contexts, building skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and data storytelling.
Scholars present their work at Data Science and AI Day and receive stipends for participating across the academic year.
Learn more and related highlights:
The program is organized collaboratively by:
- Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership (HAIL) (Office of the Provost)
- Sara Fine Institute (School of Computing and Information)
- Research, Ethics, and Society Initiative (Office of Research)
- HAIL Graduate Awardee Program
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The HAIL Graduate Student Awardee Program is a new interdisciplinary learning opportunity for doctoral and master’s students at the University of Pittsburgh, building on the success of the undergraduate RDS Student Scholars Program. Participants explore responsible data and AI use and development across disciplines, engage with readings and guest speakers on principles like transparency, privacy, and accountability, and work toward identifying Responsible Data Science Opportunities (RDSOs) in their own research and professional contexts. The spring–summer 2026 cohort meets regularly to share insights and in Summer 2026 collaborates on a reflection white paper documenting interdisciplinary learning and responsible practice. Awardees receive a stipend upon completion.
Pathways to Engage
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Faculty & Researchers |
Students |
External Partners |
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Turning experimentation into shared academic guidance. |
Turning learning experiences into guiding insights. |
Turning applied use cases into institutional direction. |
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HAIL Advisory Board |