YOUNGSTOWN An associate professor at Youngstown State University has received his fourth National Science Foundation grant, bringing his total NSF funding to roughly $1.6 million.

The latest $320,000 award to Corey Brozina positions YSU at the forefront of AI education and research, particularly among universities of similar size, according to a media release from the university.

Brozina, who is also the associate director of the Rayen School of Engineering, received the grant for a three-year project titled “Developing Artificial Intelligence Literacy Among Undergraduate Engineering and Technology Students Through Case-Based Instruction.” The initiative, funded through the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education, aims to integrate artificial intelligence into the university’s engineering curriculum.

The project, which begins Oct. 1, focuses on preparing students to use AI as a professional tool while also addressing its societal and ethical implications. Brozina is collaborating with Aditya Johri, a professor at George Mason University, to design a curriculum using case-based instruction.

“Our goal is to equip students with both the technical skills to effectively use AI tools and the awareness to evaluate their societal and ethical impacts,” Brozina said.

The curriculum, to be introduced in YSU’s first-year engineering program, will allow students to role-play scenarios demonstrating the responsible application of AI in real-world settings. These ready-to-use cases will expose students to situations they might encounter early in their careers, from automated hiring systems to sustainability issues in AI computing.

Brozina’s previous NSF grants include the largest in YSU history, awarded in 2020. The latest award comes at a time when less than 12 percent of NSF applications nationwide are approved.

After the AI literacy case studies are piloted and refined at YSU, they will be shared and implemented in first-year engineering programs at other universities. Brozina and Johri will work with partners at various institutions, including the University of Florida, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Texas A&M, Case Western, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Iowa State.

“This work not only strengthens opportunities for YSU students, it puts us in a position to share how AI education is taught across the country,” Brozina said.

The $320,000 grant will also provide resources for research opportunities at YSU, including funding for undergraduate researchers, a two-year master’s student, and a one-year postdoctoral position. Brozina’s leadership helps position YSU to shape the conversation on AI literacy across higher education.