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Associate Chair Mahdi Belcaid introducing Eliane Ubalijoro
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa launched a free artificial intelligence (AI) and data science public lecture series on September 15, with a talk by Eliane Ubalijoro, chief executive officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry. Ubalijoro, based in Nairobi, Kenya, spoke on AI governance policies and ethics for managing land, biodiversity and fire.
Eliane Ubalijoro
The event, hosted at the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center, was organized by the Department of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) in partnership with the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE). It kicked off a four-part series designed to share industry and government perspectives on emerging issues in AI and data science.
"Dr. Ubalijoro's presentation provided exciting insights on the application of AI as tools in agriculture and agroforestry happening today," said Loreto Coloma, student in the UH graduate certificate in applied computing and associate director of admissions in the William S. Richardson School of Law. "When these tools draw upon traditional and indigenous knowledge, it guides our decision-making in ways that better align with the values of the people they affect while supporting longer-term goals. And we are also reminded that ethical data practices and community trust are paramount in being able to effectively receive and use this expert knowledge."
All lectures are open to students, professionals and community members, providing another avenue for the public to engage with UH Mānoa's new graduate certificate and professional master's program in AI and data science. The series is tied to ICS 601, the Applied Computing Industry Seminar, which connects students to real-world applications of AI.
"This series opens the door for our students and community to learn directly from leaders shaping the future of AI and data science," said Department of Information and Computer Sciences Chair and Professor Guylaine Poisson.
PACE Executive Director Sandra Fujiyama added, "By bringing these talks into the public sphere, we're strengthening the bridge between UH Mānoa, industry sectors and Hawaiʻi's innovation community."
Three additional talks are scheduled this fall:
- September 22, 12--1:15 p.m.: Rebecca Cai, chief data officer for the State of Hawaiʻi, will discuss government data and AI use cases.
- October 13, 12--1:15 p.m.: Shovit Bhari of IBM will share industry lessons on machine learning.
- November 10, 12--1:15 p.m.: Peter Dooher, senior vice president at Digital Service Pacific Inc., will cover designing end-to-end AI systems.
Register for the events at the PACE website.
ICS is housed in UH Mānoa's College of Natural Sciences and PACE is housed in UH Mānoa's Shidler College of Business.