JANUARY 2021

Grant Opportunities

Tec de Monterrey - UofA Collaborative Projects and Workshop

UAlberta and ITESM, wishing to further their partnerships in Energy, Artificial Intelligence and other areas of mutual interest, have established a competitive seed grant program to encourage and catalyze collaborations between the two universities.
UAlberta and ITESM will each commit CAN $90,000 per year in funding for the seed grant program. Proposals may request up to a maximum of CAN $45,000 for one year (with up to CAN $22,500 provided from each institution).
A workshop was held on December 15 between AI researchers in the two institutions to explore opportunities for collaboration and proposal development. If you need information about this event, presenters, contact information, etc please contact us at ai4s@ualberta.ca.
At this point, the application process is open, and it will remain open until the deadline on March 1st, 2021.
Full information here

Call For AI Instructional Materials

The AI4Society Signature Area calls for proposals to create instructional materials, for modules on artificial intelligence and its social/ethical impact. Proposals will be funded with up to $1000.
Proposals will be adjudicated as they are submitted and up until the earmarked funds are exhausted.
Full information here

University Of Alberta and Edmonton Police Services Seed Grant Program

The Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) (OVPRI), the Kule Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), and the AI4Society Signature Area (AI4S) at the University of Alberta, in partnership with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), are pleased to announce a new seed grant program designed to encourage the co-development of research collaborations between the entities. A total funding commitment of the program - $30,000 each year for three years ($90,000) - will be made available to fund projects arising from this collaboration.
Deadline: 14 January 2021
Full information here

Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research - Connection Grants

The IDCR aims to develop a better understanding of the impacts of online disinformation in Canada, in order to better inform programs and policies, and to build Canada’s capacity to conduct research on – and related to – countering online disinformation and other related online harms. This initiative will also help foster a community of researchers engaged with digital citizenship and online disinformation in Canada.
Deadline: February 1, 2021.

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AI4Society Dialogs, the podcast!

We are proud to announce our podcast! With the first episode starting on January 11th, and launching a new episode every two weeks, AI4Society Dialogues talks to leading researchers across the disciplines at the University of Alberta, a global leader in artificial intelligence research. The podcast explores how researchers are constructing and using AI in the course of their work and examines opportunities, challenges and concerns as AI becomes an increasingly prevalent aspect of our world.
AI4Society Dialogues is a co-production between AI4Society, and the Kule Institute for Advanced Research (KIAS), a major endowed institute at the University of Alberta that supports research in the social sciences, humanities and fine arts. Read a full review by our stellar podcast producer Katrina Ingram.
Soon in Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Stay tuned for more information!

New Year, New Collaboratories

We are proud to announce two new collaboratories!
Dr. Mirko van der Baan's ML-in-Physics Collaboratory project was accepted, he will be working with this great team of researchers: Matthew Guzdial (Computer Science/Science), Juliana Leung (Civil and Environmental Engineering/Engineering), and Mauricio Sacchi (Physics/Science).

Also, Dr. Lianne Lefsrud will be the head of Pulse Check for Canada’s Energy Conversations, a social insights Collaboratory to be developed with Dr. Joel Gehman, Dr. Eleni Stroulia, Dr. Denilson Barbosa, Dr. Jean-Christophe Boucher, Dr. Jennifer Winter, amongst others.

Are you considering proposing a Collaboratory?

Please refer to our information page, and don't hesitate to contact us for more information if you think you have a proposal for us!

Upcoming Events

• January 14, 2021 (12:00 pm - 01:00 pm) Jason Morris: Blawkx / Current Topics in Digital Law, presented by "Digital Law Tea Time Talks!"

  Jason is the instructor of Coding the Law at UAlberta Faculty of Law and recent recipient of the first interdisciplinary degree granted between the Faculty of Law and the Department of Computer Science
  Digital Law Tea Time Talks are a chance for law and tech geeks to learn about topics at the intersection of those fields. A short presentation on a work in progress, recent article or experience will be followed by open Q&A. The 12-1 pm time block includes a "digital commute" allowing everyone to sign in and get settled. The actual presentation and discussion will go from 12:10-12:50 MT. Google Meets Link: https://meet.google.com/ges-xfow-qsj
  Hosted by the Digital Law & Innovation Society. Find us at https://dlis.ca/

• January 22nd, 2021 (2:00 pm 3:00pm). AI4S Lecture Series

  Professor Ashok Goel (Interactive Computing & Chief Scientist, C21U Georgia Institute of Technology) will be given a lecture on Using AI to Teach AI. More information here.

Who

Any UofAlberta community member (faculty, researcher, or student) interested in any and all aspects of Artificial Intelligence!

Why

• To stay informed about AI-related funding opportunities and events (research grants, internships, competitions, ...)
• To access AI4Society support for research and teaching initiatives
• To profile your research and to collaborate with other community members, through our Forum.

How

Send an email with a brief description of your affiliation, interests, and activities related to artificial intelligence to ai4s@ualberta.ca.

Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship

The Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship (formerly the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Summer Studentship) program provides funding to support students engaging in medical and health sciences research and innovation during the summer months (May-August). The objectives of the SRS program are to:

• Encourage SRS recipients to pursue high impact careers in health research & innovation
• Introduce students to cross-disciplinary research & innovation in emerging technology areas
• Build a network of highly-talented individuals that can advocate on behalf of the research & innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Alberta Innovates routinely adjusts the SRS program guidelines to increase emphasis on capacity development in areas of strategic relevance to the province. As a condition of our funding from Alberta Innovates, 30% of awards are to be directed to projects that align with one of more of these priority areas: Digital Health, Data Enabled Health Transformation, and Health Innovation and Technology Acceleration. Please see the definitions below.

Applications aligning with one or more priority areas are strongly encouraged but are not treated preferentially in the adjudication process. The proposed research aligning with the priority area(s) should be within the scope of the student's proposed work, integral to the overall research project, and well-rationalized throughout the project proposal.

The Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship provides a stipend of $1500/month for 2-4 months (May-August). Undergraduate students, medical students, and grade 12 students with a confirmed University of Alberta supervisor who holds an A1.1 or C1.1 faculty appointment are welcome to apply. Students from institutions other than UAlberta are welcome to apply, provided their research is taking place at UAlberta under the supervision of an eligible UAlberta faculty member.

The deadline for applications for Summer 2021 is Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. MST.

For more information or to apply, visit https://www.ualberta.ca/undergraduate-research-initiative/funding/alberta-innovates-summer-students

Paid Interships

Grad student internship Winter 2021: News & Media Analysts

We're looking for one or two keen, news-savvy U of A grad students to join our central communications team for the Winter 2021 term as News and Media Analysts.

Interested U of A grad students can see the full job posting and apply now through CampusBridge: https://campusbridge.ualberta.ca.

The central U of A communications team is constantly evolving to meet the 24hr news cycle, stakeholder needs, and new media developments. Our group is currently in need of one or two keen team members to help streamline and redevelop existing products to meet the needs of our new environment. In addition, our News and Media Analysts will monitor the news (print, digital, broadcast, etc.) and social media for mentions of the University of Alberta and other topics of interest.
Please note that these two positions are part of the Graduate Student Internship Program (GSIP), which provides opportunities for University of Alberta graduate students to gain valuable work experience. They are 3-month temporary roles, with the possibility of extension.

More information here.

CHATS

Innovation in Neurotech

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