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VMI Graduate Presents Paper on Artificial Intelligence

Nicholas Schaefer ’23 presented his paper, “AI Concepts and Applications,” at the 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Las Vegas, Nevada.—Photo courtesy VMI Communications & Marketing.

Nicholas Schaefer ’23, who graduated VMI in May with a degree in international studies, recently presented a paper remotely to the 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ICAI serves researchers, scholars, professionals, students, and academicians who are looking to both foster working relationships and gain access to the latest research results. It was held jointly with a number of other research conferences, namely the 2023 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Applied Computing.

Artificial Intelligence is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines and systems capable of simulating human intelligence to perform tasks and solve problems. Schaefer’s paper titled, “Defense of Military Installations from UAV-Borne Attacks Using Machine Learning” focused on protecting military bases from drone attacks. “This project is the foundation of one use for machine learning that can keep our troops safer on the battlefield through enhanced situation awareness and protection,” stated Schaefer.

The paper was part of an honors course called “AI Concepts and Applications” offered during the spring semester by Lt. Col. Jaafar Alghazo, Ph.D., former associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. According to Alghazo, who advised Schaefer with the paper, the conference has an acceptance rate of 19-24% for submitted papers. “We were thrilled that the paper was accepted as a full regular research paper,” said Alghazo.

Schaefer, from Leesburg, Virginia, is the son of Caroline and David Schaefer. He is currently serving in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer with a military intelligence branch detail.