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Kammy Sanghera, executive director of global engagements and tech talent development and professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology at George Mason University, received a grant from the Griffiss Institute to lead the AI4Defense program—an innovative incubator that empowers high school and early undergraduate students to explore artificial intelligence (AI) applications in national defense.
Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the grant supports AI4Defense, a month-long, hands-on experience designed to immerse students in real-world problem-solving. Participants collaborate with mission partners—including the Department of Defense (DoD) and agencies such as the Space Force and the Defense Digital Service—to develop AI-driven solutions to national security challenges.
The Griffiss Institute, a leading STEM accelerator for the DoD and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), help expand the program's reach and impact. “A very important element happened last year,” said Sanghera. “DIU joined forces with the same mindset—build the talent pipeline, engage mission partners to solve real-world problems, and use AI to create efficient and secure solutions. These three elements were perfect for the design of the program.”'
With support from academic and industry mentors, the program has grown into a public-private partnership that Sanghera and her team aim to scale further this summer. Students not only gain technical and communication skills but also engage in customer discovery—working directly with mission partners to define problems and tailor AI solutions accordingly.
In 2024, one student team developed a proof-of-concept AI agent for the U.S. Air Force to automate the creation of Self-Assessment Checklists (SACs). Traditionally a manual and time-intensive process due to regulatory complexity and frequent updates, the AI solution was able to extract key phrases from regulations and generate relevant questions, significantly improving the speed, accuracy, and consistency of SAC creation.
Sanghera emphasized the program’s multilevel impact: undergraduate and graduate students served as mentors to high school participants, gaining leadership experience and exposure to the defense innovation ecosystem. “Many of our graduate students are international students, so it was also a valuable opportunity to work alongside early undergraduate students and with unclassified data and explore career pathways in the defense sector,” she said.
The program was promoted across Fairfax County, Arlington County, and Loudoun County public schools and culminated in a final symposium. Students pitched their AI solutions to a panel of judges, received feedback, and were recognized with awards. Several teams chose to continue collaborating with their mission partners beyond the summer program.
This year, the program will begin in June, and Sanghera is enthusiastic about the possibilities. “We’re excited to see what creative, impactful solutions students bring forward.”
Associate Professor Mihai Boicu—Co-PI with Sanghera on the AI4Defense initiative—will lead efforts to guide students in presenting their work through a continuing research lens. He will also oversee the development of peer-reviewed publications based on students’ projects, which will be cataloged as part of the program’s scholarly output and shared broadly to promote AI learning and innovation in future cohorts.
Sanghera and Boicu will continue collaborating with Caitlin Bowers, a Defense Innovation Faculty Fellow at George Mason University. Together, Sanghera’s strategic vision, Boicu’s research expertise, and Bowers’ experience in defense innovation projects form a strong team that will provide students with the opportunity to gain practical skills and apply them to real-world challenges relevant to the defense sector.