LEWISTON, Idaho – The Idaho State Board of Education selected Lewis-Clark State College’s “Project AI-RISE” to receive an AI Innovation Award, the board announced last week.
Project AI-RISE (Artificial Intelligence – Rural Innovative Secure Education) received a $150,000, four-year award under Track 2 of Accelerated Idaho: An AI-Powered Future for Teaching and Learning. LC State’s project aims to “build secure, rural-ready AI computing infrastructure” to extend dual-credit AI and cybersecurity courses to 16 school districts in Region 2, according to the SBOE.
LC State information technology instructor Joshua Tyler, who will oversee the project, said the goal of AI-RISE is to start educating students early so they can learn to use it responsibly.
“Everything is going to use AI, so we really need to get it in front of students,” Tyler said. “This grant is going to give us the means to be able to reach out to these communities and Workforce Training students who wouldn't have access otherwise. It's not this big, scary monster. It's a tool that we can use ethically and effectively to help us do our jobs.”
The project will support improvements to LC State’s AI lab and online infrastructure to expand the controlled, secure online environment used for AI instruction and exploration among remote students. The grant will fund licensing for software upgrades and engineers to implement those improvements.
Once the upgrades are complete, Tyler said, remote dual-credit and Workforce Training students will be able to access LC State’s AI technology safely, with appropriate filters and firewall rules in place.
Accelerated Idaho, which began in January 2026 and runs through December 2029, supports AI literacy and responsible AI use at Idaho’s eight post-secondary institutions, according to the SBOE. The initiative features two tracks: Track 1 delivers AI Catalyst Fellows, General Education Matriculation (GEM) Microgrants, and student-facing technology to all eight institutions; and Track 2 allows colleges and universities to apply for the competitive AI Innovation Awards.
The grant is funded by a $4 million grant to the SBOE from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
A total of 16 proposals were submitted for Year 1 of the AI Innovation Award funding; the seven award winners received a total of $645,197. In addition to LC State, Boise State University, College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University, and University of Idaho also received funding.
“These projects are well-aligned with Board priorities,” said Liza Long, Idaho State Board of Education Director of Digital Learning and AI. “I'm also delighted to see the humanitarian goals reflected here. This work enhances learning for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; promotes hands-on experience for undergrads; enhances faculty engagement and experience; extends high-demand programs and future career opportunities into rural Idaho; and improves teacher education.”
A call for proposals for Year 2 AI Innovation Awards is expected in the coming weeks, according to the SBOE.