What is RAISE at MIT?

RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) is a new MIT-wide initiative headquartered in the MIT Media Lab and in collaboration with the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and MIT Open Learning. They focus on using innovative teaching methods to prepare the future generations for participating in an AI-powered society.  

Note. While they do have activities for all ages (including activities for elementary students and post-secondary students!), we will primarily be covering activities for high school students, such as BeaverWorks! 

What is BeaverWorks? 

The Beaver Works Summer Institute is a 4-week program that teaches STEM skills through project-based, workshop-style courses. The program consists of 2 online programs from January to May, followed by the 4-week summer program. While the online program is open to all, the summer program is limited to a select group of students. 

For AI/ML enthusiasts, you should look at the Autonomous Cognitive Assistance (CogWorks) course. Through this 4-week course, you will learn how to apply foundational technologies of AI to build cognitive assistants. After the online course, successful students will be considered for participation in the summer program, where you will leverage professional cognition services (e.g., Amazon Alexa/Echo) and open-source tools to develop cognitive systems. At the end of the program, your project will compete against other participants!

Location: Remote + MIT Campus (Note. Certain courses are in-person, while others are remote. You can look here for more details!) 

Application Deadline (2023): Rolling Admissions (Note. You must apply to the online course to receive the application link for the summer program!) 

Program Dates (2023): February 1st, 2023 - August 6th, 2023 (This includes the online course commencement). 

Eligibility: 

• Must be a student attending high school in the U.S.

Why Should You Join RAISE at MIT

1. It is free of cost.

Similar to RSI or MITES, BeaverWorks is completely free of cost! Moreover, since most courses are virtual, you most likely won’t have any transportation cost as well. If cost is a barrier, BeaverWorks is an excellent program that still adds value to your application. 

2. It is open to everybody! 

The virtual component of the program is open for everybody, at no cost! You can benefit from the tutorials, lectures and activities which are taught and created by MIT faculty. However, do note that some courses have prerequisites such as a fundamental knowledge of Python. 

3. It is a prestigious program

You might be wondering - how can a prestigious program be open to everybody? BeaverWorks addresses both issues by having 2 different components. The first online program from January to May is open to everyone, at no cost! However, the summer program is limited to a select number of students, which is based on your performance in the online program. Moreover, its association with MIT increases the prestige of BeaverWorks and RAISE as a whole. 

4. You will gain practical experience through these courses

The core component of BeaverWorks is allowing students to explore real-world problems in tech and find practical solutions. For example, in the Embedded Security and hardware hacking course, students in the summer program will examine the submissions from real college teams and hunt for security flaws!

5. You’ll be able to keep up with the latest innovations in tech

As BeaverWorks’ mission is to prepare students for an AI-powered society, the course catalogue reflects new fields in tech, such as game development with AI or quantum software. You can gain real-world experience in these newer fields and this can set you apart from other students!

6. There are a variety of courses to choose from

BeaverWorks offers many courses from Autonomous RACECAR Grand Prix to Cyber Operations. You can find the course listings for 2023 here! 

Since there are 13 courses to choose from, you can definitely find a course that aligns with your interests and your future area of study! 

7. You can learn from MIT’s faculty and industry leaders.

BeaverWorks courses are taught by MIT faculty, and the summer program also gives you the opportunity to be mentored under their guidance. You can take advantage of this opportunity for future research projects or even letters of recommendation!

8. It can help you choose an area of focus for university! 

Since BeaverWorks covers topics that are not commonly covered in classrooms, participating in this program can help you narrow down your area of interest in university. You can use this area of interest to tailor your college applications, from the activities you conduct to your essay itself! 

Strengthen your foundations before you apply to BeaverWorks with Horizon

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

Image Source - RAISE Logo