In partnership with a digital consultant company, the Mark Cuban Foundation is looking for high school students interested in AI. Photo via Getty Images

The Mark Cuban Foundation is partnering with digital consultant company Perficient’s Houston office to bring a one-of-its-kind, free artificial intelligence camp to high school students in Houston.

Applications, which are open now online, will close September 30.

“With the proliferation of AI, it’s more important than ever to increase AI education – especially among today’s youth,” Bill Davis, senior vice president at Perficient, says in a news release.

The curriculum will focus on the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI. The camp — held at Perficient’s Houston office on November 2, 9 and 16 — will provide students with necessary tools and technologies to help inspire a new generation of AI users and professionals. The camp aims to help underserved high school students with a focus on recruiting students of color, first generation college students, girls, and those from lower to moderate income households.

“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” Cuban says in the release. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with Perficient, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

Students can select from six tracks in the course that include healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. The AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in ninth through 12th grade with an interest in technology without any prior computer science experience. Transportation, resources and food will be provided.

As classes like STEM increase in popularity more programs have been created to help increase interest. More than 233,000 high school students in Texas took Career and Technical Education courses focused on STEM from 2020-2021.

“We’re proud to partner with the Mark Cuban Foundation to educate the next generation of technology leaders, mentoring students in AI, and ensuring the future of STEM,” Davis said in a news release.

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Axiom Space-tested cancer drug advances to clinical trials

mission critical

A cancer-fighting drug tested aboard several Axiom Space missions is moving forward to clinical trials.

Rebecsinib, which targets a cancer cloning and immune evasion gene, ADAR1, has received FDA approval to enter clinical trials under active Investigational New Drug (IND) status, according to a news release. The drug was tested aboard Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). It was developed by Aspera Biomedicine, led by Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI).

The San Diego-based Aspera team and Houston-based Axiom partnered to allow Rebecsinib to be tested in microgravity. Tumors have been shown to grow more rapidly in microgravity and even mimic how aggressive cancers can develop in patients.

“In terms of tumor growth, we see a doubling in growth of these little mini-tumors in just 10 days,” Jamieson explained in the release.

Rebecsinib took part in the patient-derived tumor organoid testing aboard the International Space Station. Similar testing is planned to continue on Axiom Station, the company's commercial space station that's currently under development.

Additionally, the drug will be tested aboard Ax-4 under its active IND status, which was targeted to launch June 25.

“We anticipate that this monumental mission will inform the expanded development of the first ADAR1 inhibitory cancer stem cell targeting drug for a broad array of cancers," Jamieson added.

According to Axiom, the milestone represents the potential for commercial space collaborations.

“We’re proud to work with Aspera Biomedicines and the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, as together we have achieved a historic milestone, and we’re even more excited for what’s to come,” Tejpaul Bhatia, the new CEO of Axiom Space, said in the release. “This is how we crack the code of the space economy – uniting public and private partners to turn microgravity into a launchpad for breakthroughs.”