Vol. 5 [UT Stories] Jackson School of Geosciences Expands AI Integration Through New Hires and Coursework

• UT Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences is working to weave artificial intelligence more deeply into its academic programs, with new faculty and undergraduate courses set to roll out this fall.
  
• Two newly appointed assistant professors in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences — Dapeng Feng and Fa Li — both apply AI to the study of earth processes and will each lead a new undergraduate course.
  
  - Li will cover Python and machine learning techniques, while Feng will take over an existing geoscience data course.
  
  - Feng's work centers on hydrology and the water cycle, with practical applications in flood and drought monitoring and water resource management. Li focuses on land environments and the effects of climate change on them.
  
  - Both rely on a "hybrid" approach that merges physical modeling with machine learning to analyze earth processes — a methodology that reflects a wider trend in the field toward handling large datasets more efficiently.

• Interim Dean Danny Stockli stressed the urgency of making geoscience data actionable for decision-makers, noting that stakeholders need that information now, not years down the line. He also highlighted the school's commitment to translating frontier research into teaching, pointing to an existing graduate certificate in machine learning and data science as evidence of its established track record in the area.
  
• Beyond individual courses, the Jackson School is pursuing a joint professorship in computational geosciences with the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering & Sciences, and is strengthening ties with the College of Natural Sciences.
• The school is also hosting HydroML in May, a symposium on machine learning and hydrology that Feng is co-chairing, which is expected to draw leading AI and geoscience researchers to campus.

(Source: Daily Texan)