M.S. AAI Capstone Chronicles 2024

Dear Reader,

It is with great pleasure that we introduce the inaugural edition of Capstone Chronicles , a collection of outstanding Capstone projects from the MS in Applied Arti cial Intelligence program at the University of San Diego (USD) in 2024. This publication serves as a testament to the dedication, creativity, and analytical expertise of our students as they tackle real-world challenges through AI-driven solutions. The University of San Diego’s innovative online AI master’s degree program is committed to training current and future arti cial intelligence professionals for the important and fascinating work ahead. The strengths of our program include a signi cant emphasis on real-world applications, ethics, moral responsibility, and social good in designing AI-enabled systems, and has been developed by AI experts in close collaboration with key industry and government stakeholders to provide in-depth practical and technical training. Each graduating cohort (Spring, Summer, and Fall) included in this magazine consists of 25-30 students. In the Capstone course, students apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the program to develop AI-enabled systems. Working in teams, they identify a problem or research question, develop a project proposal outlining an approach to solving it, implement their solution, and test or evaluate the result. Students must identify and cleanse a dataset, choose appropriate tools and algorithms, and ensure that at least one neural network or deep learning-based model is developed and trained from scratch. The work must be original, going beyond pre-built model architectures and tutorials to demonstrate a deep understanding of AI techniques. We hope that Capstone Chronicles serves as both an inspiration and a resource for future students, researchers, and practitioners in the eld of arti cial intelligence. By sharing these exemplary projects, we aim to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and contribute to the broader discourse on applied AI. We extend our gratitude to the students whose hard work is showcased in these pages, as well as to the faculty and mentors who have guided them throughout their journeys. Thank you for your interest in Capstone Chronicles and the MS-Applied Arti cial Intelligence program at the University of San Diego.

The 2024 Capstone Chronicles Editorial Team ​ Anna Marbut ​ Ebrahim Tarshizi

This letter was composed with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

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