"30 High School Students Complete AI Modeling Program Focused on Mathematics"

"Hands-on Learning Through Mentoring and Projects"

'POSTECH Mathematical AI Youth Academy (3rd Cohort) Successfully Concluded'

On June 7, the 3rd POSTECH Mathematical AI Youth Academy successfully concluded with a completion ceremony. This program was jointly organized by the POSTECH Department of Mathematics (POSTECH Minds, led by Professor Jaehoon Jung), Pohang City, and the education and culture planning company Mondodihana.

A total of 30 high school students residing in Pohang participated and completed the program. The academy has established itself as a highly immersive and engaging educational opportunity for local youth.

Unlike typical AI programs for teenagers, this academy stood out with its advanced curriculum centered on mathematics. Participants learned to design AI models by understanding and applying mathematical principles, setting this initiative apart in terms of depth and rigor.

Over the course of four weeks, from May 17 to June 7, classes were held every Saturday at the POSTECH Mathematical Sciences Building. The curriculum covered fundamental AI concepts and principles, Python programming, and core machine learning algorithms such as SVM, MLP, and CNN.

Mathematics played a central role throughout the sessions. Students first learned the mathematical foundations behind AI techniques and then applied them in hands-on modeling projects. The course content, while based on university-level material, was carefully tailored by Professor Jung and POSTECH instructors to suit high school learners’ understanding.

During the latter half of the program, students engaged in practical projects such as MNIST handwritten digit recognition and probabilistic classification tasks. They experienced the full process of exploration, model design, experimentation, and feedback. All sessions were conducted in an interactive, feedback-driven environment, with instructors and TAs providing personalized 1:1 guidance.

One participant, Jihoo Hong, shared: “Through in-depth lectures and mentoring, I was able to break through my learning limits and recognize new possibilities for combining life sciences with AI. When I asked a question about SVM decision boundaries, the instructor explained using Lagrange multipliers at a college level, which made learning even more exciting.”

Communication between students and mentors continued even after class hours, with discussions naturally extending to university admissions and career guidance.

Professor Jung remarked, “The goal of this academy was to help young students develop the ability to understand and express their world mathematically through AI. I hope this experience serves as a meaningful foundation for their creative problem-solving and self-directed learning skills.”

All participants received official certificates issued by POSTECH. Recruitment for the 4th cohort is scheduled to begin in the second half of the year. In addition, Mondodihana and the research team are planning to further develop the curriculum with a humanities-based approach. This unique academy, built on math-centered AI education, world-class instruction, and problem-solving learning, is rapidly becoming a future-oriented thinking platform for youth.

Source: (인더뉴스)