Dr. Azizi Seixas, an associate professor at the University of Miami, and Andrew Williams, dean of the School of Engineering, and the Louis S. LeTellier chair at The Citadel School of Engineering, were selected by Amazon Web Services (AWS) as two of 10 Education Champions in the U.S.

The inaugural cohort of 10 AWS Education Champions was honored last week at IMAGINE 2022 for their innovative work using cloud computing technology and their advocacy for improving education.

The science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) leaders were recognized as innovators in education driving digital transformation with cloud technology for teaching, learning, research, and academic medicine. Honorees receive access to grants and opportunities to expand the impact of their work.

Andrew Williams, Ph.D., who took up his most recent position as the dean of engineering at The Citadel School of Engineering last year, is an experienced practitioner in artificial intelligence (AI), human-robot interaction, and humanoid robotics. He has successfully incorporated AWS AI, AWS Cloud, Alexa, and DeepRacer into curricular and co-curricular activities.

Dr. Williams has led AI and robotics education and research collaborative efforts in alliances between Research I, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI).

Azizi Seixas, MD, is a thought leader in precision and personalized population health, digital health technology and innovation, and novel analytical tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning to tackle our most vexing public health issues.

Dr. Seixas is the founding director of The Media and Innovation Lab and associate director for the Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences Program at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and leads a research project to create a “digital twin” for patients. The study looks at the link between poor sleep and chronic illness.

The inaugural cohort of 10 AWS Education Champions was honored last week at IMAGINE 2022 for their innovative work using cloud computing technology and their advocacy for improving education.

Along with recognition, AWS Education Champions receive professional development and thought leadership opportunities, increased visibility in a vast network of peers and other education leaders, and access to travel grants to attend industry events to present their experiences and lessons learned.