FEBRUARY 2021

In a collaborative partnership, the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin, the AI for Society Signature Area at the University of Alberta, and the Center for Digital Ethics and Policy at Loyola University Chicago will conduct a series of online dialogues this spring leading to the symposium on Ethics Dialogues in the Age of Smart Systems.
The “Ethics Dialogues” are designed to bring together researchers from Canada, the USA, Germany and beyond working in the interdisciplinary area of AI, ethics, and policy. The events in the series commence with three dialogues and culminate in an international Symposium, with synchronous and asynchronous programming over the course of 3 days.
On this first event Dialogue on the Ethics of Contact Tracing, Special Dialogue Guest Rainer Rehak, Doctoral candidate in the research group "Quantification and Social Regulation" of the Weizenbaum-Institute for the Networked Society

February 3rd. 9:00am MST | 10:00am CST | 5:00pm Berlin

To join, please fill this form: https://forms.gle/UFVA4zwbLJW9pzNG8

Digital Law Tea Time Talks!

• Kyla Sandwith Founder, DeNovo Inc. on Legal service innovation in Alberta. February 11, 12:00pm - 01:00pm
• Google Meets Link: https://meet.google.com/ges-xfow-qsj. Hosted by the Digital Law & Innovation Society. Find us at https://dlis.ca/. Find out more at https://dlis.ca/tea-time-talks

AI Seminars by amii

• Dr. Denise Campbell-Scherer. February 12, 12:00pm - 1:00pm. More information at: https://www.amii.ca/events/ai-seminar-denise-campbell-scherer/
• Dr. Kiri Wagstaff. February 26th, 12:00pm - 1:00pm. More information at: https://www.amii.ca/events/ai-seminar-kiri-wagstaff/
• Learn more about amii here!

Schneider Go Green Challenge 2021

Schneider Electric is seeking for game-changing ideas that push the boundaries of digital transformation in Energy Management and will pioneer innovative breakthroughs in this coming decade.
First round due February 14, 2021. Open to all post-grad students all around the world.
PRIZES: Pitch to Schneider Electric's top management at the Virtual Global Finale, receive mentorship from Schneider Electric’s best experts, go on a free trip to Boston, London, New Delhi, Paris or Shanghai as the grand winner, and interview with Schneider Electric’s HR team for amazing job opportunities!

Register on the platform, participate with a teammate and submit your 5-slide presentation using this link: https://bit.ly/Schneider_Electric_Green

AI Arts & Cultures Salon Workshop Series

• Andre Brock (Georgia Tech). March 1st - 11:00am | ON Distributing Blackness.
• More information will be provided in this link, stay tuned!

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New Podcast: AI4Society Dialogs

On January 25th our second episode was premiered, Michael Bowling: Game changing AI research. Visit the official site AI4Society Dialogues to hear this and our previous episodes.

What's coming - Episode 3: Episode Three: Cathy Adams: Digital technology: the next killer app for education

When we think about technology and education, we often think about the ways in which we learn through technology, but we may not see how technologies shape education itself. Dr. Cathy Adams has been working at the intersection of education and technology, investigating how digital technologies shape knowledge practices.

Release date: February 8th, 2021

Listen to all episodes on these platforms!

Report on AIIDE 2020

The 16th installment of the AAAI Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment (AIIDE) took place online from October 19 to 23, 2020. The main goal of the AIIDE series of conferences is to bring together AI researchers from academia and industry, game designers and developers, creative technologists, and media artists.

Read this fantastic summary written by AI4Society members Drs. Levi Lelis and Matthew Guzdial.

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

CIHR: Health Research Training Platform Pilot

With the HRTP Pilot, CIHR will support the development of research leaders of tomorrow by equipping trainees and early career researchers (ECRs) with the experiences and skills needed to lead high-impact, interdisciplinary health research careers in a rapidly evolving research landscape.
Funding pools for this opportunity include: AI, Public Health and Equity; Boys, Men and Masculinities; Girls and Women's Health and Wellness; Integrating Mental Health Services within Primary and Community Care; Stigma Reduction and Life Course Mental Wellness for LGBTQ/2S Populations.

Application deadline: April 21st, 2021

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.

The Forecasting of Earthquakes Using Big Data & AI - Competition 2021

China is a country with frequent earthquakes and widely distributed fault zones. Earthquakes, especially large earthquakes, can cause incalculable damage to people's lives and property once they occur in densely populated areas without people's awareness. It is very challenging and of great scientific value and social significance to carry out the research work of precursor observation, correlation analysis, precursor mechanism research and earthquake three-element prediction model around the solution of earthquake prediction and forecast problem.
The Earthquake Monitoring and Prediction Technology Research Center of Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School has developed a broadband electromagnetic disturbance and geo-acoustic monitoring system, named multi-component earthquake monitoring and prediction system AETA.
The AETA team has collected 4 years' worth of data (38TB roughly) ready for teams to download and use to feed/train their algorithms. The data has been collected by deploying over 300+ 3-part sensory systems in/around earthquake-affected areas within China (mainly the Sichuan region). The three-part sensors consist of an electromagnetic probe, an acoustic probe, and a terminal device. They work as a collective monitoring system working in unison.
We have the ambition to make a breakthrough in the forecasting of earthquakes through this year’s competition. For this, we are hoping to bring together an international community of research teams and institutions.
Forecasting earthquakes before they happen will change the lives of millions of people across the globe.
Join the competition at https://competition.aeta.io/
More information at https://aeta.io/

CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH) has re-launched its stream of funding for doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships in AI. The goal is to advance the use of AI and machine learning in public health. This is a really unique opportunity for fellows to work at a Public Health Agency and because of the emphasis on computer science and big data approaches.
Read both English and French highlights of some of the details of the fellowship opportunity and links to more information
The application deadline is February 18, 2021

DAAD - Networking Tour in Artificial Intelligence 4/2021

Twice a year we select a group of outstanding young international researchers to visit the German hotspots in artificial intelligence. During the visits, our fellows get a general overview of the German AI research landscape and learn about the current funding and career opportunities in specific research areas in German academia and industry. Our main goal is to connect you to the German research community to set the base for new collaborations, extend your network, and to initiate concrete career opportunities.
For more information visit this link

AI4Good Lab

Join the AI4Good Lab, a tuition-free machine learning bootcamp and AI project incubator for women-identified STEM students and graduates across Canada. Leverage your creativity, leadership, and technical skills to generate AI solutions for some of the world's most pressing problems.
The AI4Good Lab will be offered virtually from two host cities this year. Join the Montreal program, run by the Lab Headquarters, or join the Edmonton program, hosted by Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute). Both programs will run simultaneously as separate, but sister entities. Apply to one or both programs and join the hundreds of women across Canada who have benefited from education, mentorship, and career opportunities in the global AI ecosystem.
The call for applications is open now until February 15th
To apply: www.ai4goodlab.com/apply
For more information visit this link
Questions can be sent to info@ai4goodlab.com

WORK OPPORTUNITIES

Refugee Law Lab

The Refugee Law Lab is hiring! We currently have four positions available:

• Position 1: Graduate Student Data Scientist (Part-time) The Refugee Law Lab is looking to hire a graduate student data scientist to assist with a legal analytics web application under development. The position is open to currently enrolled graduate students in data science, computer science, statistics, or related fields, at any Canadian university

• Position 2: Summer JD Research Assistant (Law & Tech) The Refugee Law Lab is looking to hire a summer JD research assistant with an interest in law and technology and with experience in web design. The position is open to JD students at any Canadian law school. The successful candidate will assist the Lab with several ongoing projects, including helping to build a new online refugee law reporter, assisting with the development of a refugee law legal analytics app, and revising the Lab’s website. The position will include both technical work (e.g. website design, data cleaning) and legal work (e.g. researching best practices in terms of service for open access legal analytics).

More information here!

EVENT PLANNING

Envision Edmonton

The Edmonton All In Meetings and Conventions team believes that by focusing on our strong economic sectors to bring conferences to our city, we can help grow our visitor economy, trade and investment, research and talent acquisition. Edmonton is home to an incredible network of industry experts in the field of Agriculture, Health Sciences, ICT and Energy & Sustainability. We want our meetings and conferences to leave a legacy that extends beyond room nights and the local spend of delegates. The local community as well as the host association can all benefit from the intellectual capital that comes from gathering great minds together.
Through the Envision Edmonton program, Edmonton All In is working with local universities, researchers and businesses who are willing to collaborate and draw international meetings and conventions to Edmonton. You’re the Visionary and we’re the ally you need to succeed. We will work with you on planning and executing an event that leaves a legacy for you, your work, and the city. We want to help you tell your story to the world. Let’s get started.
More information here

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