9. Brave New World - AI/ML

The trifecta of globalization, urbanization and digitization have created new opportunities and challenges across our nation, cities, boroughs and urban centers. Cities are in a unique position at the center of commerce and technology becoming hubs for innovation and practical application of emerging technology. In this rapidly changing 24/7 digitized world, city governments worldwide are leveraging innovation and technology to become more effective, efficient, transparent and to be able to better plan for and anticipate the needs of its citizens, businesses and community organizations. This class will provide the framework for how cities and communities can become smarter and more accessible with technology and more connected.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Artificial intelligence is transforming our way of life. Able to spot patterns invisible to the human eye, algorithms are learning how to make our lives easier, safer, and more fun. That power is not lost on materials researchers. During the next decade, artificial intelligence or AI-driven research could fundamentally transform how new and better materials are developed. What’s more, it might even revamp how materials research itself is carried out, enabling promising new materials and processes to be developed more quickly. Machine learning methods come in a variety of flavors, with some requiring more guidance, or “supervision,” from researchers. But, generally, a machine-learning algorithm designed to discover and understand the behavior of materials looks for patterns connecting the composition, structure, and properties of known materials..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Grade level: graduate students, advanced undergrads, persons with analyzed research results

Course length: 1 semester, 4-6 months

Objective: This course empowers scientists to engage with their own data, each other, and the public through art. Through collective brainstorming, prototyping, and feedback from professional artists, students will create a project that expresses their own research through any artistic medium of their choice. The course typically culminates in a public art exhibition where students interact with a general audience to discuss their research, art, and what it means to be a scientist.

In this book, Sanjoy Mahajan shows us that the way to master complexity is through insight rather than precision. Precision can overwhelm us with information, whereas insight connects seemingly disparate pieces of information into a simple picture. Unlike computers, humans depend on insight. Based on the author’s fifteen years of teaching at MIT, Cambridge University, and Olin College, The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering shows us how to build insight and find understanding, giving readers tools to help them solve any problem in science and engineering. (Description courtesy of MIT Press.)

This open textbook was created with the support of an ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Topics include art integration, music integration, physical education / dance integration, and the theoretical foundations of arts integration in education

This article and slide show from the New York Times, features several scientists from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who study the effects of thawing permafrost in Alaska.

We will explore images that pertain to the emergence of Japan as a modern state. We will focus on images that depict Japan as it comes into contact with the rest of the world after its long and deep isolation during the feudal period. We will also cover city planning of Tokyo that took place after WWII, and such topics as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
A unique feature of this offering is that we will run it concurrently with the edX MOOC and two University of Tokyo MOOCs, Visualizing Postwar Tokyo and Four Faces of Contemporary Japanese Architecture, for much of the remainder of the class.

Based out of Washington State University, Dr. Universe teams up with professors, researchers, and experts in the field, to tackle big questions. Explore animated video answers to questions posed by curious questions from students in Washington and around the world. Videos created in partnership with Northwest Public Broadcasting. Though not openly licensed, content is free to view online and listen to via podcast.

Educators and parents can use the Washington Starting Smarter site to better understand the scores and reports for the Smarter Balanced tests, see sample items, and access additional resources.All resources on the site are copyright The Regents of the University of California.  Though the connected resources are free for viewing online, please note that your permitted use of the materials for other uses will vary. Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay  

Lecture notes on how to allocate different types of investment in a portfolio to manage risk

As teachers, we ask students to reflect so that they can practice critical thinking, see connections between different learning experiences, and synthesize information with their future or professional goals. Reflective writing fosters students’ awareness of their habits of thinking and helps them to develop and solidify productive ways of approaching problems. Students experiencing labs might be able to describe what they are seeing, but they need guidance from more experienced scientific professionals to reflect on lab experiences.

This handout presents two sample writing assignments aimed at evaluating the students’ prior knowledge belonging to a particular area.

Astrobiology Survey is an introductory course on astrobiology. It takes a multi-disciplinary approach that unites the sciences and arts to study the three questions of "How does life begin and evolve?", "Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?" and "What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?"

Astronomy is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of one- or two-semester introductory astronomy courses. The book begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The Astronomy textbook builds student understanding through the use of relevant analogies, clear and non-technical explanations, and rich illustrations. Mathematics is included in a flexible manner to meet the needs of individual instructors.

This reference list has more than 20 recommended astronomy books for older students and adults. For each title, the publisher and publication date is included, along with author name. The list is divided into three subcategories: General Astronomy and Astrophysics, Light and Telescopes, and Digital Imaging and the 3-D Universe.

This site shows daily (back to June 16, 1995) a different image or photograph of the universe along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

This is an information sheet on the species, Astronotus ocellatus, provided by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Intended for all audiences, this textbook is an introduction to the nature of the universe. Use it to research or review our solar system, stars, galaxies, and the history of the universe. Each chapter has a set of corresponding homework questions.

This course provides a graduate-level introduction to stellar astrophysics. It covers a variety of topics, ranging from stellar structure and evolution to galactic dynamics and dark matter.