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Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud computing arm is doubling down on its partnership with George Mason University with a new area of focus to keep up with one of the fastest-growing industries in Northern Virginia.
Amazon Web Services is working with the Fairfax university on developing a new project-based curriculum and course work focused on data centers for engineering students.
Right now, Mason is rolling out data center engineering projects for mechanical engineering students in a senior design program, said Liza Wilson Durant, Mason’s associate provost of strategic initiatives and community engagement at the Volgenau School of Engineering.
The curriculum will officially launch through its bachelor’s degree programs in electrical and mechanical engineering in 2023 at the school's main Fairfax campus, Durant said.
“The purpose is to expose students early on in their engineering education to the roles associated with data center infrastructure,” Durant said in an email. “The requisite engineering skills associated with data centers are not well known and this is an opportunity to expose students to the needs of this rapidly growing tech sector.”
As part of the partnership, Mason will also use AWS’ cloud services to develop a new platform to streamline the transfer process for community college students. That new platform is in the early stages, Durant said.
Finally, AWS and Mason are planning to work with small businesses to research and develop new tech platforms using artificial intelligence, 5G and the physical software products that exchange data (aka, the Internet of Things) for players in the intelligence and defense fields, Durant said. Neither the university nor Amazon provided additional details about those plans.
“This collaboration will be transformative in showing the positive impact technology can have on the education community across the nation, as well as advance research in cybersecurity, defense and military intelligence for public-sector leaders,” Kim Majerus, vice president of U.S. education, state and local government for AWS, said in a statement.
The university declined to share the dollar amount or other details about AWS’ investment.
This isn’t Amazon’s first venture with Mason. In 2019, the university launched a four-year bachelor’s degree program in cloud computing, alongside AWS. And in August, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) sponsored a 10-week virtual hackathon at Mason to address counterfeiting in the online marketplace. AWS recently hosted a “Girls’ Tech Day” at Mason’s Prince William campus to support young girls and women pursuing tech careers.
Out of Mason’s 39,510 enrolled students this fall, 40% are studying STEM fields, the university said.
Mason is currently constructing a 345,000-square-foot Fuse building on its Mason Square campus in Arlington, designed to attract top tech employers like Amazon and to funnel computer science graduates into employment. It will open in 2025.
