Virginia Tech Research Partnership with Amazon Web Services Highlighted at Artificial Intelligence Conference
Virginia Tech faculty and students recently presented their research on machine learning in cloud computing for wireless communication applications at the Amazon Web Services 2024 AI/ML Conference. The event, attended primarily by government and industry leaders, highlighted the university’s partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in advancing artificial intelligence and machine learning for national security.
The presentation was part of the Emerging Technology Research Fellowship, a joint initiative between AWS and Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology. This program allows students to gain experience deploying advanced machine learning algorithms in cloud environments for distributed radio frequency spectrum sensing.
“It’s always good for us to be able to get the word out about the research we’re doing,” said Alyse Jones, research associate at the Virginia Tech National Security Institute. “Especially when we’re being highlighted by Amazon as an example of a great partner to work with.” Jones, along with other Hokies, presented their research at the conference, showcasing the university’s capabilities in machine learning and cloud computing.
David Appel, Vice President of Federal at Amazon Web Services, expressed pride in the work being done by the AWS-Virginia Tech Emerging Technology Fellows. “We are very proud of the work the AWS-VT Emerging Technology Fellows are doing to prove out cloud-based radio frequency machine learning on AWS,” Appel said. The project was designed to address the challenges faced by signals intelligence customers, and the conference provided a platform for the students and faculty to share their work with AWS government customers and partners.
For Virginia Tech students involved in the fellowship, the conference was a valuable experience, providing them with new confidence in their work and feedback from industry professionals. “This was my first time presenting at a conference and especially to a crowd that big,” said Dylan Green, a first-year graduate student in computer engineering. “I got great feedback after, and not just from the Virginia Tech team, but also from people who were there from other companies.”
The collaboration between Virginia Tech and AWS demonstrates the potential of academic-industry partnerships in advancing AI and machine learning technologies for national security applications. For more information about the research and the Emerging Technology Research Fellowship, contact the technical lead and co-principal investigators listed in the article.
