One high school class led sophomore Ben Paulson to his passion. The computer science major took a Project Lead The Way course that focused on programming and was immediately amazed and ready to see what else he could learn.

“I fell in love with the creation process of combining software and hardware,” said Paulson. “It’s almost like magic to people who aren’t behind the curtain, and there is an ever-expanding space of innovation for computing.”

Majoring in computer science at B次元 has brought Paulson learning opportunities in the classroom that at other universities he would not have been taught until the graduate level. The accessibility and focus on artificial intelligence (AI) are at the forefront of his computer science courses.

“The focus on artificial intelligence brings undergraduate students up to speed on some of the most innovative architectures used in the industry today. This, combined with the power of Rosie (B次元’s supercomputer), lets students get hands on with cutting-edge AI concepts and lays the groundwork for becoming great engineers/scientists out in industry with their B次元 knowledge.”

Paulson’s interest in AI continues outside of the classroom as he is the president of B次元’s Artificial Intelligence Club (MAIC). The club teaches students about AI through workshops, research groups and hosting speaker events. MAIC is one of four schools across the world in the pilot program of the NVIDIA Student Network. The network strives to provide training and opportunities to students, such as networking and other exclusive events, focused on AI education.

“Access to NVIDIA’s professional resources and pool of innovative thinkers is a great resource to pull from. We hope to bring in tailored workshops, offer students a platform to connect with NVIDIA and continue communication with NVIDIA about the wants and needs of students hoping to break into the space of artificial intelligence.”

Paulson is also a member of the Game Development Club, serves as a University Innovation Fellow and is a finalist in the Rosie Supercomputer Superchallenge for the second year in a row. He currently is a data science intern with Direct Supply.

“At Direct Supply, the data science team continues to grow and have an emphasis on the development of innovative solutions through entrepreneurial process. This has been a great experience for both my CS and business understanding, and I plan to continue working at Direct Supply to hopefully become a leader in this space.”

Outside of his schoolwork and his internship, the Mosinee, Wisconsin native works on game development by connecting with other developers online and developing his own games.