With support from the AI Tennessee initiative — founded and led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville — a team of elementary students from Alcoa Intermediate School in Alcoa, Tennessee, will represent the state next week in Washington, DC. Their success brings a classroom-driven vision for artificial intelligence in education to the national stage.
The fourth- and fifth-grade students will be competing in the national finals of the Presidential AI Challenge June 7–10 after winning state and regional elementary competitions. The AI Tennessee initiative assembled faculty from UT and collaborating institutions to support K–12 students and teachers participating in the challenge, designed to foster AI interest and competency by inspiring students and educators to develop AI tools and methods addressing community challenges.
“AI Tennessee is considering how artificial intelligence is used across age groups, not just adults or college students,” said Emily Holtz, assistant professor of elementary education in UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. By facilitating professional internships for UT’s preservice teachers, she has built close working relationships with local teachers. For the Presidential AI Challenge, Holtz collaborated with Alcoa Intermediate School teacher Hope McDonald, who recruited 35 students to form a new AI club.