Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
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Can we really trust AI?
By Jordan Flemming. This isan excerptof an article originally published on ݮƵ News.
The University of ݮƵ, in collaboration with the Perimeter Institute, hosted the TRuST Scholarly Network’s Conversations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a dynamic and engaging discussion that delved into the societal impact ofAI. The event was also supported by the ݮƵ AI Institute, which is dedicated to developing human-centered AI for social good, fostering trust with industry partners, and scaling responsible solutions to enhance lives.
With the growing influence and evolution of AI and big data, the event explored the ethical considerations surrounding these technologies and addressed concerns about confidence in and potential risks associated with these technologies — especially when used in research and innovation.
The Trust in Research Undertaken in Science and Technology (TRuST) scholarly network brings together researchers and practitioners from across disciplines to improve communication with the public and build trust in science and technology. TRuST aims to understand the lack of trust in science and technology and to support ethically earning and sustaining trust in these domains.
The panel discussion was moderated by Jenn Smith, the engineering director and WAT site co-lead for Google Canada.
Panel participants were:
- Lai-Tze Fan, professor from Sociology and Legal Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change
- Makhan Virdi, a NASA researcher specializing in open science and AI in earth science
- Leah Morris, senior director, Velocity Program atRadical Ventures
- Anindya Sen, professor from Economics in the Faculty of Arts and associate director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute
The discussion started by how society can go about trusting in AI when it is using both languages and the knowledge that humanity has built and cultivated for millennia.
Trust, in this context, involves a willingness to be vulnerable — acknowledging the unknown and the aspects of AI that remain not fully understood.
“It centres on open access and accessibility, particularly in relation to AI's black box nature — both in its creation and the content it delivers,” Fan said. “Achieving this requires increased accountability from developers and the industry, as well as improved governance and regulation. Users, too, need to be realistic about the technology's limitations.”
The conversation delved into the extremes of dismissing AI as mere random pattern generators or attributing human-like agency and harmful intent to it.
“I believe we have to be realistic about the promise and the perils of this new technology,” Virdi said. “And use it for the betterment of humankind, as we have used knowledge and language for the last so many centuries, balancing different extremes is very important in this discussion."
Read the rest of the article on ݮƵ News.
Applications open for Employer Impact Awards
A message from Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE).
If you hire ݮƵ co-op students, we encourage you to apply for a CEEEmployerImpactAward. Back for its fifth year, these awards showcase
employers who provide excellent work experiences to our co-op students. The awards are an opportunity for employers to build awareness of their organization on campus.
EmployerImpactAward recipients receive:
- A shareable, professional custom video;
- Story featured on the University of ݮƵ’s website and social media;
- A conversation with Norah McRae, CEE associate provost and Ross Johnston, executive director of Co-operative Education;
- Recognition at the Awards ceremony;
- Prize package including a physical award;
- A suite of digital assets (including badges and images); and
- A plaque in Tatham Centre.
For more information about the awards criteria, prizing, and details about eligibility and submission requirements, please visit ourCEEEmployerImpactAwards website.Submissions close on March 28at 4:30 p.m.
Integrating climate justice workshop for faculty coming up
A message from the Faculty Association of the University of ݮƵ (FAUW).
Presented by the FAUWClimateJusticeWorking Group, in collaboration with the Centre for Teaching Excellence, on Monday, January 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,is designed for instructors who are curious aboutintegratingclimatejusticeinto their courses.
Climatejusticeseeks to understand and address the injustices and inequities that arise fromclimatechange. Courses across disciplines can find connections toclimatejusticeas it is an intersectional and transdisciplinary field. Participants will engage in an experiential and reflective learning activity, adapted from, to explore reductionist and transdisciplinary thinking. Participants will also gain practical tools and resources to integrateclimatejusticeinto their courses with dedicated time to apply these tools to their own courses.Register now.
We will spend 15-minutes outdoors, so please dress for the weather.
Negotiating Nkudzedze; SLC goes to the dogs; other notes
TheDepartment of Anthropologyis hosting a Research Talk Guest Lecture by Dr.Dela Kuma, Assistant Professor,University of Pittsburgh, entitled"Negotiating “Nkudzedze” During Global Trade: Interpreting the Materiality of Indigenous Practices of Taste in Southeastern Ghana"on Wednesday, January 24.
"The 19thand 20thcenturies in West Africa were characterized by the global demand and export of botanical commodities (e.g., palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa), which were fulfilled by hinterland economies," says the talk's abstract. "However, hinterland people’s active participation and embodied practices are often silenced in the narratives of these encounters.In Amedeka, Southeastern Ghana, where this research is situated, local tastes and their related performances are conceptualized as “nkudzedze” – ‘pleasing to the eyes.’ This talk explores how the Amedeka conceptualization of taste directed daily life, the production and consumption of trade goods and serves as a radical act to decentralize research methodologies from the Eurowestern gaze and colonial epistemologies that continueto ‘otherize’ local and Indigenous communities."
Dr. Dela Kumais an Assistant Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. She specializes in African Archaeology, the archaeology of ‘legitimate’ trade and the Atlantic world, and Community-sustainable archaeology.
The guest lecture takes place in RCH305 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24.
Therapy dogs are making their return to the ݮƵ Centre as WUSA hosts theevent today from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. in theݮƵ Centre Multipurpose Room. The dogs will be there from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., and afterwards, attendees canvisit a nearbyconsent booth to learn more about consent culture. WUSA will also bedistributing consent calendars at the event. The consent calendar iscollaborative initiative between WUSA and the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office (SVPRO).
Speaking of consent culture,here's today'sConsent Awareness Week Setting Boundaries Tipof the Daysupplied by theSexual Violence Prevention & Response Office (SVPRO):
Part of consent culture is setting boundaries and asking others what their boundaries are.
Boundaries are expectations and needs that help people feel safer and more comfortable in their relationships and interactions. There are multiple types of boundaries, two of which are Physical Boundaries and Material Boundaries.
Physical Boundariesare you comfort with physical touch and personal space.Material Boundariesare how you feel about your possessions, your stuff.
Examples of what to say when setting these boundaries:
- “I’m not a hugger.”
- “I like to stay 6 feet apart when chatting.”
- “I don’t mind lending out my books but please don’t lend them to anyone else. I am also cool if you crack the spine.”
- “I am happy to lend you my dress as long as you dry clean it before returning it.”
- “Maybe we could all label our food in the community fridge so no one eats someone else’s lunch!”
Stay tuned for more types of boundaries being discussed in the Daily Bulletin each day this week.
Linkof the day
When and Where
:Season Passes, Black and Gold Alumni Passes and Single Game Tickets now available for the 2023-24 varsity season.
.Winter, Summer, March Break and PD Day camps available for boys and girls ages 5-18. Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Football, Volleyball and Multi-Sport and Games camps available..
TheStudent Health Pharmacy(located in the lower level of the ݮƵ Centre) is offering flu shots with no appointments needed daily from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call519-746-4500 or extension 33784 for more info. COVID shots will be available beginning October 23.You can register online at.
Warriors Youth Summer Camps.Registration opens Monday, January 22, 9:00 a.m.
, Tuesday, January 23, 12 noon to 4:00 p.m., ݮƵ Centre Multipurpose Room.
English Conversation Circlesbegin Wednesday, January 24. Registration required.
, Wednesday, January 24, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., ݮƵ Centre Great Hall.
Anthropology Research Talk GuestLecture, "Negotiating “Nkudzedze” During Global Trade:Interpreting the Materiality of Indigenous Practices of Taste in Southeastern Ghana"featuring Dr.Dela Kuma,Professor ofArchaeology,University ofPittsburgh, Wednesday, January 24, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., RCH 305.
Climate Action for Health, Health Action for Climate,Wednesday, January 24, 3:00 p.m.to 4:30 p.m., SLC Black and Gold Room. For students, registration required.
, Wednesday, January 24, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.,SLC multi-purpose room.
Warriors Men’s Hockey vs. Laurier, Wednesday, January 24, 7:00 p.m., Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Battle of ݮƵ at the Audin Kitchener..
Medical Histories Graduate Student Research Panel, Thursday, January 25, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Zoom.
Warriors Women'sVolleyball vs. Lakehead,Friday, January 26, 6:00 p.m., Physical Activities Complex (PAC). Residences Day, Dominos Block Party (if the Warriors complete 7 blocks, all fans will go home with a free pizza voucher), Bell Lets Talk.
Master of Taxation virtual information session,Saturday, January 27,9:00 a.m.To register visit.
NEW -Integrating climate justice workshop, Monday, January 29, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Dana Porter Library Learning Lab (DP 323).Registration required.
Senate meeting, Monday, January 29, 3:30 p.m., NH3407 and Zoom.
,Tuesday, January 30, 12 noon to1:30 p.m., GreenHouse (UTD 164).Please notethe revised date.
Recognizing and Responding to a Person in Distress,Tuesday, January 30, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Microsoft Teams..
Chemistry Seminar: “Electrochemical Evolution and Ion Dynamics in Energy Storage Devices Revealed by7Li and1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy,”featuring Dr.Gillian R. Goward, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Tuesday, January 30, 2:30 p.m., C2-361 Reading Room.
, Wednesday, January 31, 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Federation Hall.
Rock your Thesis I: Plan your project, Wednesday, January 31, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Registration required.
, “Privacy through Contextual Integrity,” Friday, February 2, 11:00 a.m., DC 1302 and.
World Wetlands Day Research Symposium, Friday,February 2,4:00 p.m. to7:00 p.m.,EIT Foyer.
World Wetlands Day Distinguished LecturefeaturingDr. Andrea Kirkwood,"The Value of Urban Wetlands," 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., EIT 1015.
Warriors Volleyball vs. TMU,Saturday, February 3, women’s game 6:00 p.m., men’s game 8:00 p.m., Physical Activities Complex. Senior day, Warriors Day.
Warriors Women’s Hockey vs. Brock,Sunday,February 4, 2:30 p.m., CIF Arena. Senior Day.
Equitable Recruitment and Selection, Monday, February 5, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., online.
Board of Governors meeting, Tuesday, February 6, 1:30 p.m., NH 3407 and Zoom.
, Wednesday, February 7, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., SLC Black and Gold Room.
Indigenous Speakers Series presents Chelsea Vowel,Thursday, February 8, 3:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m., Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages.
presents “Good Company,”Thursday, February 8 and Friday, February 9, 7:00 p.m., matinee Saturday, February 10, 2:00 p.m., KW Little Theatre, UpTown ݮƵ.until January 31, $20 after.
PhD oral defences
Physics and Astronomy.Nicholas Cockton, “Magnetotransport experiments in GaAs 2D holes and RF-QPC readout in a lateral quantum dot device.” Supervisor, Dr. Jan Kycia. Please visit the Faculty of ScienceThesis Submission Noticeswebsite for details on requesting a copy. Oral defence Monday, February 5, 1:00 p.m., Physics Building (PHY) Room 308 and remote.
Chemical Engineering.Kyu Min Lee, "Structurally Enhanced Electrodes for Redox Flow Batteries Produced via Electrospinning." Supervisor, Dr.Jeff Gostick, Dr.Edward Roberts. Thesis available via Sharepoint. Emaileng.phd@uwaterloo.cato receive a viewing link. Oral defence Thursday, February 8, 9:00 a.m., remote.
History.Nicholas Richbell, "‘Mr. Spiritualism’ Maurice Barbanell and his Life as a Twentieth-Century Spiritualist Pioneer." Supervisor, Dr.Andrew Hunt. Thesis available upon request from the Faculty of Arts, Graduate Studies and Research Officer. Oral defence Wednesday, February 14, 1:30 p.m., remote.
School of Public Health Sciences.Nicole Richards, "University Students’ Gynecology Care Experiences in the US and Canada: Implications for Equitable Access to Person-Centered Care." Supervisor, Dr.Samantha Meyer.Email Health Graduate Administrationfor a copy. Oral defence Thursday, February 15, 9:00 a.m., online.