MIT and LRCC Run Four-Week AI and Math Pilot for 16 High School Students

MIT and Lakes Region Community College launched a four-week Gateway to AI pilot for 16 New Hampshire high school students; LRCC is one of two host sites nationwide. An MIT faculty team designed the curriculum, with linear algebra and statistics in the first two weeks. Students then built projects on crop recognition, breast-cancer screening scheduling, and a financial-health chatbot. An Inter-Lakes High School teacher taught the course, MIT students served as on-site teaching assistants, and MIT will fund a student visit to its laboratories.

The course connects linear algebra, statistics, and AI applications to agriculture, health, and finance while prioritizing students with fewer opportunities for extended STEM study. With only 16 students and four weeks of instruction, there are no pre/post assessments, completion data, or evidence about later education choices. Students can apply mathematics to three real projects and visit MIT laboratories to explore further study and research. Community colleges may provide regional access to advanced AI courses for rural and small-town students.