Speakers

Please join us on Monday, January 18 as Dr. Eleni Stroulia and Dr. Geoffrey Martin Rockwell introduce us to the U of A's latest Signature Area - AI4Society. 

The world is undergoing nothing short of a data-enabled revolution. Massive data streams are being generated from business applications, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, and our own devices that mediate our every activity; new computational architectures and software platforms make possible the efficient processing of these large data sets; a new breed of machine learning (ML) and data science (DS) algorithms extract new insights from this data to inform practically all of our decisions and actions and support new business activities; and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are driving the increased automation of our industry, infrastructure, and services.

AI4Society is one of the University of Alberta’s five Signature Research Areas and is focused on artificial intelligence and its applications.

Over the past 30 years, the University of Alberta has been consistently ranked as one of the top three institutions worldwide for AI research and is a lead player in Canada’s national AI strategy. Building on this recognition, AI4Society’s goal is to stimulate interdisciplinary research and teaching in this field by supporting initiatives at the University of Alberta. AI4Society also provides continuing institutional leadership by coordinating and designing innovative training programs and representing the institution in new initiatives with public, private, and international partners.

Dr. Eleni Stroulia is a Professor of Computing Science, at the University of Alberta, and the Director of the AI4Society Signature Area. Her research focuses on addressing real-world problems, adopting AI and machine-learning methods.

Dr. Geoffrey Martin Rockwell is a Professor of Philosophy and Humanities Computing at the University of Alberta, the Director of the Kule Institute for Advanced Studies and the Associate Director of the AI4Society Signature Area. His areas of research include big data, textual visualization and analysis, computing in the humanities, instructional technology, computer games and multimedia.

The ZOOM coordinates for our meeting are provided below. ZOOM will open at 11:45 AM and the meeting will start at 12 Noon. Dr Rockwell and Dr Stroulia have a committment that limits their time with us to12:30 PM. As a result, their presentation will begin at the start of the meeting.

Please click on the link below to join our meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85879678510?pwd=bUJWRFBabEE4aFIxdTZUWkNRVUFHUT09

For those that need it, the meeting ID is: 858 7967 8510

Edmonton West ZOOM meetings typically finish by 1 PM. 

 

Intro from: https://www.ualberta.ca/strategic-plan/institutional-priorities/signature-areas-initiative/signature-areas.html and https://ai4society.ca/

 

Please join us on January 25 as the Rotary Club of Edmonton West hosts Lauren Dykstra from the Youth Orhestra of Northern Alberta who will speak to us about Kipohtakâw YONA, a partnership between Alexander First Nation and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. 

Lauren Dykstra is a freelance violinist from Edmonton, Alberta. She received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from The King’s University College, and a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Literature from Brandon University. She has attended intensive summer programs at the Orford Centre de Arts and The Banff Centre and has participated in masterclasses with the Penderecki String Quartet, Tafelmusik, and the nationally acclaimed Canadian violinist James Ehnes. 

As an advocate of accessible music education and social justice, Lauren is a Teaching Artist and Kipohtakâw YONA Site Coordinator with the Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta (YONA) Sistema, an El-Sistema inspired program run by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. She also maintains a small studio of private students and coaches for local community ensembles. As an active musician, Lauren has performed with the Brandon Chamber Players and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. She is a founding member of several chamber ensembles. 

Please click on the link below to join our meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87078761782?pwd=SmcxamRrWmUrRXpmalBlRlFaM2NPQT09

If you need it, the Meeting ID is: 870 7876 1782

The ZOOM meeting link will open at 11:45 AM and the Edmonton West weekly meeting will begin at 12 Noon. 

Edmonton West weekly meetings typically finish before 1 PM. 

Photo Credit: https://www.winspearcentre.com/tommy-banks-centre/summer-daycamps/

Please join us on February 1 as the Edmonton West Rotary Club hosts Rob MacIntosh from Greenplanet Energy Analytics who will be presenting on First Nations Green Energy Partnerships. Rob is a senior partner at Greenplanet Energy Analytics and Project Manager for 3NE (Three Nations Energy). He has been a leader in the growth and development of Canada's clean energy and sustainability sector for the past 35 years, working in policy, energy efficiency and renewables, clean technology innovation, and environmental management. 

Please click on the ZOOM link below to join our meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81820128085?pwd=U1RXaEN3TlVteXc5L2g2U0UyRC94UT09

In the event that you need it, the Meeting ID is: 818 2012 8085

The ZOOM meeting link will open at 11:45 AM and the Edmonton West weekly meeting will start at 12 Noon. 

Edmonton West Weekly meetings typically finish before 1 PM. 

Photo and Bio Credit: https://www.3ne.ca/about-3ne/project-management/

Please join the Rotary Club of Edmonton West as we host Anne Marie Kallal and Kieran Leblanc who will introduce us to the Cultural Connections Institute - The Learning Exchange (CCI-LEX). Anne Marie Kallal is the Executive Director of the Cultural Connections Institute - The Learning Exchange (CCI-LEX) and Kieran Leblanc is a supporter and volunteer (and a former member of Rotary Edmonton West).

CCI offers English classes to all newcomers and visitors to Canada with certifed TESL instructors. LEX offers English classes for permanent residents, refugees and citizens of Canada with volunteer instructors.We look forward to hearing more about these valuable programs.

CCI-LEX website is here: https://cci-lex.ca/

Please click on the link below to join the ZOOM meeting: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85850686600?pwd=NUV2QkZUcVYxU2FobWZnUTNmWE56Zz09

In the event that you need it, the Meeting ID is: 858 5068 6600

Edmonton West Weekly meetings typically finsih before 1 PM.

Photo Credits: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-kallal-96058a41/ and http://bookpublishers.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kieran-Leblanc-Bio.pdf