As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms industries and education, Miami Dade College is expanding its AI footprint to prepare its students to seize the opportunities.
This week, the college is opening an AI Innovation Hub at its Kendall Campus, with an official ribbon-cutting with the community on Tuesday. The new hub, over 7,000 square feet, is designed to provide students with hands-on training in emerging technologies and applied AI, and it joins substantial AI centers already open on two other MDC campuses.
The new hub features specialized labs and learning environments including a Cognitive Applications Lab, an AI Applications Studio, a Metaverse Arch Studio, a Cybersecurity Classroom, a Network Solutions Lab and a RoboTech Lab, along with The Nook Huddle, a dedicated collaboration space for interdisciplinary engagement. At its entrance is an interactive AI installation, which demonstrates real-time conversational intelligence using live audio capture, AI processing, and visual rendering.
The AI Innovation Hub prepares students for careers in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, networking infrastructure, robotics engineering, and immersive technologies for architecture and design.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, and our responsibility is to make sure those opportunities are accessible across our entire county, not limited to the urban core or to a select few,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, in comments to Refresh Miami.
“What excites me most is that this space was intentionally designed for applied learning. Students aren’t just studying AI, they’re building, testing, and collaborating in an environment that mirrors how these technologies are actually used in the workplace,” she continued. “That kind of experience is critical for students who may not see themselves reflected in traditional tech pipelines.”
MDC, with eight campuses across Miami-Dade County, has two other AI Centers – on its North Campus, opened in 2022, and on its Wolfson Campus, opened in 2023. To date, MDC has equipped more than 4,000 students with in-demand AI skills while more than 1,000 faculty have been trained to integrate AI across disciplines. Its AI programs, part of the College’s School of Engineering and Technology (EnTec), offer certificates, an associate in science degree and Florida’s first bachelor’s degree in applied AI.
All of this work is made possible through collaboration with leading technology organizations, including Intel, Google, Microsoft, IBM, OpenAI, the National Science Foundation, and the Mark Cuban Foundation, giving students hands-on experience with the same tools and platforms used by global technology leaders, Pumariega said. In October, for example, MDC announced Google invested $2 million to strengthen an MDC program to train educators, enhance digital infrastructure and develop AI-centered curriculum resources for faculty. And there’s more to come, Pumariega said.
She adds: “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the skills, mentorship, and confidence to succeed in a rapidly changing economy, and that Miami-Dade’s tech future is built by the people who call this community home.”
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
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- Google invests $2 million on AI readiness at Miami Dade College
- The future of tech came together at Miami Dade College’s first AI Student Showcase, with talent shining all night
- At MDC, the future is now, with new AI courses, AI Centers and a Metaversity
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