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November 2024 Issue
Table of Contents:
- SAIL and Expo Day 2025 Planning
- AIIRA and the NAIRR Classroom Kickoff
- AI-ALOE Workshop Held November 15
- Farm Robotics Challenge: 2025 Competition Launching
- AI-SDM to Hold Summer Workshop for High School Educators
- Happenings in SIGs
- For the AI Institutes Community
SAIL and Expo Day 2025 Planning
In December, we’ll start planning for SAIL 2025. If you want to join the planning committee for SAIL or Expo Day 2025, please let us know!
AIIRA and the NAIRR Classroom Kickoff
The Translational AI Center (TrAC) at Iowa State University recently launched an advanced AI curriculum using Vocareum’s Notebook in the NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Classroom! AIIRA, which is within the TrAC, is directly involved in the recently awarded access to Vocareum AI notebook for their micro-credential courses.
The Vocareum AI Notebook is being leveraged to teach foundational AI short courses through the TrAC, providing a platform to give students hands-on, immersive learning experiences in these TrAC micro-credential courses:
- ML Operations (MLOps)
- Generative Models
- End-to-End Computer Vision
- Graph Neural Networks
- Self-Supervised Learning
- Scientific Machine Learning
As part of Iowa State University’s initiative for micro-credentials for AI education, participants can take each of these short courses as credit for students and as a course badge for industry professionals. The badges can be stacked together to obtain a professional certificate in Translational AI.
Learn more about the NAIRR Classroom, TrAC, and Vocareum in the PR Newswire story.
AI-ALOE Workshop Held November 15
On November 15, the AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE) held its AI and Instructional Design Outreach Workshop, exploring how to leverage instructional design to transform AI in education. There were 88 attendees, including instructional designers from the US and abroad.
During the three–hour Zoom workshop, the Institute’s project teams introduced the suite of AI-ALOE’s technologies and detailed their applications in teaching and learning. The agenda included these topics covered by AI-ALOE team members:
- Welcome and Overview – Ashok Goel, PI and Executive Director
- Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) – Chris Dede, Co-PI and Associate Director of Research
- Virtual Teaching Assistant: Jill Watson – Sandeep Kakar, Faculty Researcher, Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
- AI and Social Learning: SAMI – Travis Taylor, Research Scientist, Design Intelligence Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology
- AI and Inquiry-Based Learning: VERA – John Kos, Graduate Student Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology
- AI and Personalized Feedback: SMART – Jinho Kim, Graduate Student Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Intelligent Tutoring System: Apprentice Tutors – Glen Smith, Graduate Student Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Intelligent Text: iTELL – Wesley Morris, Graduate Student Researcher, Vanderbilt University
- Intelligent Video-Based Skill Learning: IVY – Rahul Dass, Research Scientist, Design Intelligence Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology
Learn about AI-ALOE’s technologies at: https://aialoe.org/technologies/.
For more details, read the post about the workshop on the AIVO website.
Farm Robotics Challenge: 2025 Competition Launching
Help revolutionize the future of farming! Through the Farm Robotics Challenge competition, students can solve on-farm challenges for growers using AI, automation, and robotics.
Please help us spread the word about this competition!
To learn more, visit the Farm Robotics Challenge website and watch a recording of the Farm Robotics Challenge 2025 Info Session (on YouTube).
About the Competition
Proposals are due by December 12, 2024. There are four phases of the competition:
- Team Formation – Assemble a multidisciplinary team and submit an intent to compete via the Apply Today button on the Farm Robotics Challenge website.
- Research & Proposal – Conduct market research to identify a real-world agricultural problem and submit a project proposal by December 12, 2024.
- Development – Engage in the coding, fabrication, and initial testing of a robotic solution. Project submissions are due April 24, 2025.
- Presentation – Refine the prototype and prepare a written report and video presentation of the solution in action. An expert panel of judges will review and select the winning teams during a virtual awards ceremony on May 8, 2025.
AI-SDM to Hold Summer Workshop for High School Educators
AI-SDM is empowering high school educators to prepare their students for the future! For the second year in a row, the Institute is hosting a workshop to help educators become AI-empowered.
The five-day virtual session will be held July 7–11, 2025, 12:00–3:00 pm EDT. There are no requirements for participants to have a prior coding, computer science, or AI background.
The workshop will cover the core principles of AI and machine learning (ML). High school educators will discover how these technologies work through hands-on activities alongside leading experts, using free and easily accessible computing platforms.
Additionally, participants will collaborate with colleagues to develop teacher-tested resources. Effective strategies for the use of generative AI in the classroom will be addressed. Educators will leave the workshop with a set of teacher-tested units and assignments, ready to be implemented where appropriate into their existing curriculum.
Participants will also explore the impact of AI and ML on human decision-making in the criminal justice system, public policy, the allocation of scarce resources, and medical diagnoses. They’ll have the opportunity to contribute their valuable perspectives and experiences while delving into ethical considerations and AI’s impact on decision-making for crisis management, public policy, and public health.
Interested high school educators can apply on the AI-SDM website. Applications should be submitted early as space is limited. The application deadline is January 17, 2025. Accepted applicants will be notified by January 31, 2025.
Happenings in SIGs
New SIG Alert: AI4Ed
The five education-focused AI Institutes have formed a SIG! Stay tuned for developments from our newest SIG, which comprises:
For the AI Institutes Community
Communications Webinar Series
Interested in learning more about the communications topics from the SAIL 2024 “Institute Outreach and Communication Best Practices” panel? Send your requested topics to aivo@ucdavis.edu.
As part of a soon-to-be launched communications webinar series, we can cover any of the session topics:
- The Research/Social Science Side of Public Opinion on AI
- The Process for Sharing Research Publications
- Media Coaching
- How to Write Press Releases
- Strategic Communications Plan Basics
- Best Practices in Writing Web and Social Media Copy
- Website and Social Media Best Practices
Or email us with another topic of interest, such as ADA compliance or e-newsletter production best practices.
AIVO Communications Office Hours
Do you need writing or editing support for your Institute’s communications? Attend the next AIVO Communications hour, launching in January 2025.
- Find out how to get a feature article placed in AIVO News or on the AIVO website
- Get advice on your messaging for feature articles and press releases
- Request a review of your draft communications
