• Introduction to NLP for Classification Task – Session 2

    Online via Zoom

    Recorded Material: Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBUK_NtU3kSNblsGaYouLHyfDHlxr1tt/view PowerPoint: 2.IntroductiontoNLP,Kagle On Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 6:00 p.m., IEEE Toronto WIE and Computational Intelligence Society will be hosting “Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Classification Task – Session 2”. Day & Time: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 6:00 p.m. ‐ 8:00 p.m. Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, Computational Intelligence Society Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi, Younes Sadat Nejad Abstract: Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Classification Task is a series of workshops hosted by IEEE Toronto Section, WIE, Computational Intelligence Society, Instrumentation Measurement/Robotics Automation Chapter and Ryerson Advanced AI lab. Our main goal is to get started on NLP classification tasks for competition and explore duplicate question detection and sentiment analysis tasks. In the second session, we will introduce the concept of deep learning, and then specifically focus on Natural Language Process. We will also introduce Kaggle Account as an environment for python coding. Register: Please visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/235444 or https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/235447 for more details and to register.

  • Advanced Topics on Scalable Deployment of Machine Learning and Drone-Based Search and Rescue

    Online via Zoom Toronto, Ontario Canada

    On Thursday, July 23, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., Dalia Hanna and Mujahid Sultan will be presenting “Advanced Topics on Scalable Deployment of Machine Learning and Drone-Based Search and Rescue”. Day & Time: Thursday, July 23, 2020 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Speakers: Dalia Hanna, Mujahid Sultan Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, IEEE IM/RA, Ryerson CS Graduate Student Council, IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter, Ryerson CSCU Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Title: Factors affecting the Automation of the Search and Rescue Operations: An Algorithm on Finding Missing Lost Persons Living with Dementia Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are now used in many applications. The focus in this presentation is on their use in public safety, specifically in search and rescue (SAR) operations involving lost persons living with dementia (LPLWD). When it comes to saving lives, there are many human factors associated with UAV operations that impact the performance of expert human SAR teams that could be improved through forms of automation. These include familiarity with the search location, tasks associated with piloting and search/flight management during SAR operations.  A LPLWD may not be interested in assisting in their own rescue as they may not know they are lost. As such, it has been observed that they tend to keep walking until they are faced with an obstacle that bars their further progress. The approach presented in this research work focuses on developing a people finding algorithm to identify higher probability locations where an LPLWD might be found, through informed, behavior-based analysis of the search location; then, developing an algorithm to fly a UAV to the vicinity of these higher probability locations.  The algorithm was tested and validated through field testing. The results from both the data collection process and the field tests indicated that there are efficiencies in using the drone, which enhances the probability of finding the lost person alive.  An informed cleaning process involving both manual and ‘R’-automated approaches to scrub and augment the data–adding any missing values in the dataset, helped in understanding the behaviour of the lost person and in determining what significant variables enhanced their survivability. Linear regression was utilized to acquire the correlation among the numeric values in the database. The analysis indicated that there was no significant correlation among the independent variables; however, the data indicated that the wanderer tended to be found closer to where they left or were last seen. Logistic regression was used to investigate the survivability using three classification models. Finally, a framework is presented considering all the factors form the field tests and data analysis. Title: How to build and deploy machine learning models in the scalable cloud  Abstract: Machine learning model development is a skill taught at schools and is a good skill to have but where most of the student’s lake is how to serve these models to the clients. How to scale. Make sure that the server does not die if it gets a million hits in a second. How to build security around it. Agenda: Interested students who want to build along with me, can bring their laptop with MobaXterm installed and we can do the following together. login to a cloud environment (I will provide the cloud login credentials during the presentation) create a virtual environment for development build a semantic search engineby pulling libraries from the net pick a visualization and presentation method from D3JS develop an application using MVC pattern like the flask wrap the application in a docker container install scalable web engine like NGINX host it to the cloud (azure) provide secure access with a username and password to anyone on the internet This presentation will expose the tools required to build scalable machine learning applications in the cloud. Registration: Please visit https://forms.gle/7ZoimYgVjjpC9mag8 to register. Biographies: Dalia Hanna Topic: Factors affecting the Automation of the Search and Rescue Operations: An Algorithm on Finding Missing Lost Persons Living with Dementia Dalia Hanna is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Computer Science, Ryerson University. She is a member of Ryerson’s Network-Centric Applied Research Lab, a multidisciplinary Computational Public Safety-focused research lab. She has a B.Sc. in Electronics and Communication Engineering and M.Sc. in Instructional Design and Technology with a specialization in Online Learning. Dalia is also a certified project management professional (PMP ® ) and a certified facilitator. Her research interest in utilizing technology tools for public safety, search and rescue, and emergency management operations. . Dalia authored several research papers and presented in national and international conferences. Mujahid Sultan Topic: Factors affecting the Automation of the Search and Rescue Operations: An Algorithm on Finding Missing Lost Persons Living with Dementia Mujahid Sultan is a senior computer scientist and enterprise architect with vast experience in machine learning, pattern recognition, deep learning, NLP, text synthesis, transcription, time-series forecasting and cloud-native developments (Python, microservices, APIs, Docker, Kubernetes). His current research focus: a) working to develop a robust clustering method with mathematical proofs b) improving learning from imbalanced data on graph-based deep learning backends (TensorFlow, Torch and CNTK), and c) building Machine Learning based dynamic SDN controllers. He has authored in high impact journals in fields of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Visualization, Genetics and Drug Discovery for Cancer, Requirements Engineering and Enterprise Architecture. His publications can be found at https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6721-4044 Areas of Expertise include: Regression, Clustering, Classification, Deep Learning, Convolutional and Recurrent Neural Networks (LSTMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), Topic Modeling and Parallel Processing. Expert in info visualization using matlab, matplotlib, D3js and plotly. Skills: Full-stack development: (Angular+Flask+Docker); Python: (Scikit-Learn, Keras, TensorFlow, NLTK, Spacy, NumPy, Matplotlib, SpaCy to name a few); MATLAB: (toolboxes: statistics, microeconomics, parallel processing, bioinformatics to name a few). Platform experience: Docker Containers and Kubernetes on AWS, Azure/Azure Stack and Google Cloud Platform. PaaS/IaaS: (AWS: (Elastic Beanstalk, Lambda, Poly, Sage-Maker), Azure ML, and Heroku).

  • 2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 1

    Online via Zoom

    On Monday, July 27, 2020 at 6:30 p.m., IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter will be hosting “2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 1”. Day & Time: Monday, July 27, 2020 6:30 p.m. ‐ 8:30 p.m. Speaker: Steven Medeot Organizers: IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter, IEEE Toronto WIE Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Abstract: Our interactive workshop welcomes new and experienced programmers who are interested in 2D game development. This event hosted by IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter is sponsored by IEEE WIE and will provide the building blocks and best practices in developing a 2D level game including, creating a player, creating enemies, game loops, animations, and more! All who attend all five sessions will get a certificate from IEEE WIE and can submit their 2D game into a friendly competition with small prizes at the end of the workshop series. In our first session, we will review basic programming concepts, object-oriented programming, and introduce best practices working with C# in the Unity environment. Register: https://forms.gle/VvZW3oeZ81UCtgnX7 Biography: Steven Medeot is a 3rd-year Computer Science Student at Ryerson University. He has a background in Game Development, who completed the Game Programming curriculum at George Brown College with a few years of experience working in this industry and enjoys developing his own games on the side. He strongly believes that creating a game that people can find joy in is a wonderful experience and wants to share some of the basic knowledge he has learned throughout the years.

  • Introduction to NLP for Classification Task – Session 4

    Online via Zoom Toronto, Ontario Canada

    On Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at 6:00 p.m., IEEE Toronto WIE, Computational Intelligence Society, and IM/RA will be hosting “Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Classification Task – Session 4”. Day & Time: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 6:00 p.m. ‐ 8:00 p.m. Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, Computational Intelligence Society, IM/RA Society Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi, Younes Sadat Nejad Abstract: Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Classification Task is a series of workshops hosted by IEEE Toronto Section, WIE, Computational Intelligence Society, Instrumentation Measurement/Robotics Automation Chapter and Ryerson Advanced AI lab. Our main goal is to get started on NLP classification tasks for competition and explore duplicate question detection and sentiment analysis tasks. In this session, we will be focusing on RNN and LSTM. Register: Please visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/236479 or https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/236480 for more details and to register.

  • Measurement, Control and Protection in Smart Grid Energy Management Systems for Smart Buildings in a Smart City

    Toronto, Ontario Canada

    Webinar by the IEEE Ottawa Section, Instrumentation & Measurement Society Chapter (IMS), Power and Energy Society Ottawa Chapter (PES), Reliability Society and Power Electronics Society Joint Chapter (RS/PELS), Communications Society, Consumer Electronics Society, and Broadcast Technology Society Joint Chapter (ComSoc/ CESoc/BTS), and IEEE Ottawa Educational Activities (EA). Day & Time: Thursday, July 30, 2020 6:30 p.m. ‐ 7:30 p.m. Speaker: Prof. Saifur Rahman Organizers: IEEE Ottawa Section, Instrumentation & Measurement Society Chapter, Power and Energy Society Chapter, Reliability Society and Power Electronics Society, Broadcast Technology Society Join Chapter, IEEE Ottawa Educational Activities, IEEE Toronto WIE Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Abstract: Smart grid is a modern electric system with its architecture, communications, sensors, measurements, automation, computing hardware and software for improvement of the efficiency, reliability, flexibility and security. In particular, the smart grid, when fully deployed, will facilitate the (i) increased use of digital information and measurement, control & protection technologies, (ii) deployment and grid-integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), (iii) operation of demand response and energy efficiency programs, and (iv) integration of consumer-owned smart devices and technologies. Different non-linear controls, such as back-stepping control, feedback linearization, model predictive control, and sliding mode control are applied to control DERs, and their grid integration. Another control technique gaining application in the smart grid space is based on multi-agent systems (MAS) which provide autonomy, reactivity and proactivity. As speedy communication facilities, such as fiber-optics, microwave, GSM/GPRS, 4G/5G are becoming the integral parts of the functioning smart grid, the integration of MAS in smart grid applications is becoming simple and feasible. This lecture focuses on the measurement & control issues of the smart grid and how MAS can provide an efficient tool to address such issues. In addition, an overview of the related challenges and opportunities for energy efficient building operation and management with deployment experience in the US will be provided. Register: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/236481 Biography: Prof. Saifur Rahman is the founding director of the Advanced Research Institute (www.ari.vt.edu) at Virginia Tech, USA where he is the Joseph R. Loring professor of electrical and computer engineering. He also directs the Center for Energy and the Global Environment (www.ceage.vt.edu). He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and an IEEE Millennium Medal winner. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the IEEE Electrification Magazine and the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. In 2006, he served on the IEEE Board of Directors as the Vice President for Publications. He is a distinguished lecturer for the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) and has lectured on renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid, electric power system operation and planning, etc. in over 30 countries. He was IEEE Power and Energy Society President 2018-2019 and is now a candidate for IEEE President-Elect 2021. He chaired the US National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for International Science and Engineering, 2010-2013. He conducted several energy efficiency projects for Duke Energy, Tokyo Electric Power Company, US National Science Foundation, US Department of Defense, State of Virginia and US Department of Energy.

  • 2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 2

    Online via Zoom

    On Monday, August 3, 2020 at 6:30 p.m., IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter will be hosting “2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 2”. Day & Time: Monday, August 3, 2020 6:30 p.m. ‐ 8:30 p.m. Speaker: Steven Medeot Organizers: IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter, IEEE Toronto WIE Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Abstract: Our interactive workshop welcomes new and experienced programmers who are interested in 2D game development.  This event hosted by IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter is sponsored by IEEE WIE and will provide the building blocks and best practices in developing a 2D level game including, creating a player, creating enemies, game loops, animations, and more!  All who attend all five sessions will get a certificate from IEEE WIE and can submit their 2D game into a friendly competition with small prizes at the end of the workshop series. Session 2 of the 2D Game Development workshop series explores interfaces and interactability. Register: https://forms.gle/VvZW3oeZ81UCtgnX7 Biography: Steven Medeot is a 3rd-year Computer Science Student at Ryerson University. He has a background in Game Development, who completed the Game Programming curriculum at George Brown College with a few years of experience working in this industry and enjoys developing his own games on the side. He strongly believes that creating a game that people can find joy in is a wonderful experience and wants to share some of the basic knowledge he has learned throughout the years.

  • 2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 3

    Online via Zoom

    On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 6:30 p.m., IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter will be hosting “2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 3”. Day & Time: Monday, August 10, 2020 6:30 p.m. ‐ 8:30 p.m. Speaker: Steven Medeot Organizers: IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter, IEEE Toronto WIE Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Abstract: Our interactive workshop welcomes new and experienced programmers who are interested in 2D game development.  This event hosted by IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter is sponsored by IEEE WIE and will provide the building blocks and best practices in developing a 2D level game including, creating a player, creating enemies, game loops, animations, and more!  All who attend all five sessions will get a certificate from IEEE WIE and can submit their 2D game into a friendly competition with small prizes at the end of the workshop series. Session 3 teaches the concept of game loops and scenes. Register: https://forms.gle/VvZW3oeZ81UCtgnX7 Biography: Steven Medeot is a 3rd-year Computer Science Student at Ryerson University. He has a background in Game Development, who completed the Game Programming curriculum at George Brown College with a few years of experience working in this industry and enjoys developing his own games on the side. He strongly believes that creating a game that people can find joy in is a wonderful experience and wants to share some of the basic knowledge he has learned throughout the years.

  • IEEE SEGE2020 – The 8th International Conference on Smart Energy Grid Engineering

    Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Canada

    The SEGE conference aims at providing an opportunity to discuss various engineering challenges of smart energy grid design and operation by focusing on advanced methods and practices for designing different components and their integration within the grid. It also provides a forum for researchers from academia and professionals from industry, as well as government regulators to tackle these challenges, and discuss and exchange knowledge and best practices about design and implementation of Smart Energy Grids. Conference Dates: August 12-14, 2020 Organizers: IEEE Toronto Location: Virtual Contact: Dr. Hossam Gabbar Papers related to the conference theme are solicited: http://ieee-sege.com

  • Getting Started with Python

    Tornoto, Ontario Canada

    On Monday, August 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Sathish Ravichandran will be presenting “Getting Started with Python”. Day & Time: Monday, August 17, 2020 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Speaker: Sathish Ravichandran Organizers: IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics Chapter Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Seyed M. Reza Dibaj, Maryam Davoudpour Abstract: Python is an easy to learn programming language with a wide variety of well-paying jobs in many fields, including data science, web development, network programming and so on. This workshop is aimed at complete beginners who have never programmed before, as well as existing programmers who want to increase their career options by learning Python, especially if you are pursuing a career in data science, AI, web development, big data, web testing, or programming for smart devices in Python. Register: Please visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/237001 for more details and to register.

  • 2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 4

    Online via Zoom

    On Monday, August 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m., IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter will be hosting “2D Game Development in Unity with C# – Session 4”. Day & Time: Monday, August 17, 2020 6:30 p.m. ‐ 8:30 p.m. Speaker: Steven Medeot Organizers: IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter, IEEE Toronto WIE Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Ayda Naserialiabadi Abstract: Our interactive workshop welcomes new and experienced programmers who are interested in 2D game development.  This event hosted by IEEE Ryerson Computational Intelligence Chapter is sponsored by IEEE WIE and will provide the building blocks and best practices in developing a 2D level game including, creating a player, creating enemies, game loops, animations, and more!  All who attend all five sessions will get a certificate from IEEE WIE and can submit their 2D game into a friendly competition with small prizes at the end of the workshop series. Session 4 explores animations and the associated features in animating your player/enemies. Register: https://forms.gle/VvZW3oeZ81UCtgnX7 Biography: Steven Medeot is a 3rd-year Computer Science Student at Ryerson University. He has a background in Game Development, who completed the Game Programming curriculum at George Brown College with a few years of experience working in this industry and enjoys developing his own games on the side. He strongly believes that creating a game that people can find joy in is a wonderful experience and wants to share some of the basic knowledge he has learned throughout the years.

  • Applied Data Science with pandas

    Toronto, Ontario Canada

    On Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Rafael Afonso Silva will present “Applied Data Science with pandas”. Date & Time: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Speaker: Rafael Afonso Silva Organizer: IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics Chapter Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Seyed M. Reza Dibaj, Maryam Davoudpour Abstract: Pandas is a fast, powerful, flexible and easy to use environment on top of the Python programming language. It is an open-source data analysis and manipulation tool, which has made our life easier in the Data Science world. If you work or intend to work with data using Python, you need to know pandas, either for Data Analysis, Data Science or Machine Learning. In our workshop, we will provide a hands-on introduction to the pandas library and will learn how to use its amazing features to extract, analyze and manipulate our data from different data sources. (Prerequisite: You need to have basic programming knowledge in Python) Register: Please visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/237002 for more information and to register.

  • An Introduction to Django Web Development with Python

    Toronto, Ontario Canada

    On Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Suho Kang will present “An Introduction to Django Web Development with Python”. Day & Time: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Speaker: Suho Kang Organizer: IEEE Toronto WIE, Magnetics Chapter Location: Virtual – Zoom Contact: Seyed M. Reza Dibaj, Maryam Davoudpour Abstract: Django is a Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean design. So many functionalities are already built in this framework by experienced developers, so you do not have to re-invent the wheel, and Django will take care of those hassles for you. In our event, we will be building a basic Django Web Application from scratch in a hands-on approach. At the end of this course, you will be familiar with how to make a virtual environment, Django installation process, an HTTP request handling, and a CSS file and image file importing steps. (Requirements: The requirements are knowing the basic python, HTML, and CSS, and the recommended platform consists of anaconda (preferred), Python3, and the installed git bash on your system.) It is highly recommended to participate in Getting Started with Python and Applied Data Science with pandas, before attending this event. Register: Please visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/237004 for more information and to register.