FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Sept. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At Fayetteville State University, college students don’t simply sustain with expertise. They set it in movement. While machines deal with the code, Broncos dream larger, turning daring concepts into actual breakthroughs. In these school rooms and labs, the subsequent era of tech leaders is studying to outsmart the algorithms and form what comes subsequent.
The Intelligent Systems Laboratory transforms concepts into improvements. As part of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science on the Lloyd College of Health, Science, and Technology, the lab drives hands-on analysis in synthetic intelligence, knowledge science, and cybersecurity. It additionally connects Broncos with alternatives usually reserved for superior analysis by collaborating with universities, authorities businesses, and business leaders.
“Even though we’re primarily an undergraduate institution, it’s rare for both our undergraduate and graduate students to have this kind of hands-on research access,” mentioned Sambit Bhattacharya, Ph.D., professor of laptop science and director of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory. “I created this lab specifically to give all my students the advanced research opportunities typically reserved for major research universities. I don’t want them to simply learn about technology; I want them to actively create it, innovate with it, and graduate with the practical experience and confidence to make an immediate impact in their careers.”
That imaginative and prescient has pushed ISL’s development. Since its launch in 2017, ISL has steadily expanded its capability, constructing the infrastructure that pulls main federal investments and positioning Fayetteville State University to compete on a nationwide stage.
In 2023, NASA awarded the college $1.3 million for AI and knowledge science analysis, whereas the Office of Naval Research offered practically $600,000 to develop a certificates curriculum in AI for nationwide safety. That momentum now extends to ISL’s function in broader protection analysis partnerships.
Earlier this year, Bhattacharya secured a funded collaborator function for the third consecutive 12 months with North Carolina State University’s Laboratory for Analytic Sciences, contributing to a year-long analysis challenge funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. In this collaboration, ISL college students help Bhattacharya and LAS workers with analysis that addresses nationwide safety challenges, gaining publicity to issues with real-world penalties.
From Campus to the Field
That identical preparation delivered important outcomes this summer season when ISL college students showcased their abilities in internships throughout main analysis establishments.
At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, seniors Sokhna Amar and Rajil Vebe Sajila joined mission groups creating generative AI instruments for early area exploration and atmospheric evaluation. Their work immediately ties into NASA’s imaginative and prescient for deep-space exploration.
“Working on projects like applying generative AI to mission formulation was a remarkable experience,” mentioned Amar. “It not only built my technical skills but also strengthened my excitement about pursuing a research career and graduate studies in the future.”
That identical spirit carried to tasks nearer to house. Paul Rodriguez, a junior laptop science main, utilized his ISL expertise with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, designing superior instruments to sharpen the accuracy of optical character recognition fashions utilized in real-world navy operations.
And the preparation proved simply as helpful after commencement. For Santino Sini, who earned his diploma in May, ISL grew to become a launchpad to a profession at Northrop Grumman, the place he now works as an aerospace and algorithm software program engineer.
“My ISL work, and internship opportunities were the biggest reason I qualified and secured the job,” he mentioned.
Other ISL college students additionally making their mark embrace:
- Anita Amofah, senior, laptop science – MedPro Group in Indiana, IT modernization and cybersecurity shadowing.
- Javon Floyd, senior, laptop science – North Carolina Turnpike Authority, integrating AI into tolling techniques and strengthening cybersecurity.
- Morgan Singleton, senior, laptop science – UNC Health, contributing to biomedical engineering and capital planning, along with her function prolonged into fall 2025.
- Waylon Robinson, junior, laptop science with a cybersecurity minor – The Tulsa Initiative, automating mortgage functions and creating monetary instruments for entrepreneurs.
For Bhattacharya, internships are the place the whole lot comes collectively. He has watched college students return from these experiences not simply with sharper technical abilities, however with confidence, initiative, and a way of function that lifts the whole lab.
“You watch them return transformed—tackling ambitious projects and inspiring their classmates,” he mentioned. “That’s how you measure success. When students become leaders who push boundaries and raise expectations, they elevate the entire academic community.”
That drive to push limits isn’t confined to right now’s college students. It’s an open invitation to the subsequent wave of innovators to step in, take their shot, and form what comes subsequent.
Ready to Launch Your Journey?
To get began, go to the Intelligent Systems Laboratory website at Fayetteville State or electronic mail Bhattacharya at [email protected] to study extra about making use of, internship alternatives, or upcoming tasks. The subsequent breakthrough might have your title on it.
About Fayetteville State University
Founded in 1867, Fayetteville State University is a constituent establishment of the University of North Carolina System and the second-oldest public establishment of upper schooling within the state. FSU is a traditionally black college providing levels on the baccalaureate, grasp’s, and doctoral ranges. With over 7,600 college students, Fayetteville State University is among the many most various establishments within the nation. To study extra about Fayetteville State University, go to www.uncfsu.edu.