Articles by author: jsteepe

  • July 15 – Master of Science thesis defence – Abhishek Kumar

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Abhishek Kumar, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Towards Trustworthy AI: Investigating Bias and Confidence Alignment in Large Language Models” on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 11 AM, in PLZ 600F.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Ali Emami, Supervisor; Robson De Grande, External Examiner (Brock University); and Renata Queiroz Dividino and Naser Ezzati-Jivan, Committee Members.

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  • COSC Student Awarded Prestigious Vector Institute Scholarship

    Exciting News from Sam Langdon!

    Join us in congratulating Sam from the MSc thesis program in Computer Science, a recipient of the prestigious 2024-25 Vector Scholarship in AI!

    With a $17.5K award towards her master’s degree, Sam has demonstrated exceptional promise and dedication to advancing AI innovation. This recognition underscores the Vector Institute‘s commitment to nurturing the next generation of AI talent and pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable in this remarkable field.

    We can’t wait to see the impact Sam will make as she enhances her AI skill set and contributes to the forefront of AI innovation. Congratulations, Sam!

    https://vectorinstitute.ai/24-25-vector-ai-scholarship-announcement/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Programs

    This is a Cross-Post from the Department of Computer Science.

    https://brocku.ca/mathematics-science/computer-science/2024/05/09/cosc-student-awarded-prestigious-vector-institute-scholarship/

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  • May 31 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Pierre Simiganoschi

    Master of Science thesis defence in Earth Sciences

    Pierre Simiganoschi, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences, will defend his thesis titled “Multi-Scale Analysis of Climate Change: Case Study of Major Canadian Wine Areas” on Friday, May 31 at 9:30 AM., in PL600F.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Uwe Brand, Supervisor; Anthony Shaw, External Examiner; and John Menzies and Martin Head, Committee Members.

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  • May 29 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Quanjian Li

    Master of Science thesis defence in Chemistry

    Quanjian Li, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Chemistry, will defend his thesis titled “Synthesis and structural studies of nucleic acids” on Wednesday, May 29 at 1 PM., in WH147.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Tony Yan, Supervisor; Jean-Paul Desaulniers, External Examiner, Ontario Tech University; and Paul Zelisko and Jeffrey Atkinson, Committee Members.

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  • May 21 – Doctor of Philosophy Thesis Defence – Frank Betancourt

    Doctoral thesis defence in Biotechnology

     

    Frank Betancourt, a PhD in Biotechnology candidate, will defend his thesis titled “Aspects of bioorganic chemistry – a). Development of caffeine-aptamer for coffee decaffeination; b). Study of 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives as fluorescent probes; c). Encapsulation of DNA by silica nanoparticles” on Tuesday, May 21st at 2:00 p.m.., in Sankey Chambers.

     

    The examination committee members are Wendy Ward, Chair; Tony Yan, Supervisor; Christopher Wilds, External Examiner (Concordia University); Thad Harroun, Internal Examiner; and Jeffrey Atkinson and Vincenzo De Luca, supervisory committee members.

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  • May 14 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Elyse Aubry

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biological Sciences

    Elyse Aubry, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Determining the effect of different cover crops on nematode communities in vegetable production” on Tuesday, May 14 at 1 PM., in GSB 305.

    The examination committee includes Ian Patterson, Chair; Ping Liang and Tahera Sultana, Co-Supervisors; Vaughn Mangal, External Examiner, Chemistry and Biotechnology; and Oualid Ellouz, Committee Member.

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  • May 16 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Georgina Louise Gardner

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biological Sciences

    Georgina Louise Gardner, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Investigating the Importance of Physiological Cell Culture Conditions in Modeling Cancer Metabolism and Metabolic Reprogramming” on Thursday, May 16 at 9:30 AM., in GSB 405, in hybrid format.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Jeff Stuart, Supervisor; Newman Siu Kwan Sze, External Examiner, Applied Health Sciences; and Gaynor Spencer and Rebecca MacPherson, Committee Members.

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  • May 15 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Jessica Graham

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Jessica Graham, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend her thesis titled “Edge Communication Efficiency with

    GNNs in Internet of Vehicles” on Wednesday, May 15 at 9:30 AM., in GSB 308.

    The examination committee includes Ke Qiu, Chair; Robson De Grande, Supervisor; Ali Emami, External Examiner; and Yifeng Li and Renata Queiroz Dividino, Committee Members.

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  • May 14 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Diana Tosato

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biological Sciences

    Diana Tosato, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Diversity of cover crops in two organic vineyards in the Niagara Region, Canada, as adaptation measure to climate change ” on Tuesday, May 14 at 11:30 AM., in virtual format.

    The examination committee includes Yifeng Li, Chair; Liette Vasseur, Supervisor; Sean Smukler, External Examiner, UBC; and Debbie Inglis and Jim Willwerth, Committee Members.

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  • Trace-of-Thought: Enhancing Arithmetic Reasoning in Small Language Models Through Distillation of Reasoning

    Join Us Wednesday May 8 for an online presentation:

    Speaker: Tyler McDonald

    Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) are an emergent tool in many disciplines, with commercially accessible language models providing a simple interface to help solve a variety of problems & daily tasks. While these models are optimized for various common tasks, such as arithmetic reasoning, the exhaustive employment of commercialized language models comes with many challenges, such as potential resource unavailability, cost burdens, and constraints on flexibility. To aid in cultivating a support for open-source language modeling, an often more accessible alternative that allows for scale and size flexibilities, we introduce Trace-of-Thought Prompting: a simple, zero-shot prompt engineering technique responsible for creating observable and rational subproblems designed for delegation to smaller-scale systems. By harnessing the joint benefits of large-scale reasoning with small-scale accessibility, we aim to produce small language models – those below 7 billion parameters – capable of enhanced & transparent reasoning skills on arithmetic reasoning tasks. Our applications of Trace-of-Thought on these arithmetic reasoning problems yields gains as large as 125% on small language models, while providing observable reasoning pathways that are easily corrected on tasks of increasing difficulty. Our findings introduce a critical paradigm towards leveraging the myriad abilities of language models at a variety of scales for accessible problem solving.

    Time: 11:00 – 11:45 (Online) Wednesday, May 8

    Teams Meeting info:

    ________________________________________________________________________________
    Microsoft Teams Need help?
    Meeting ID: 289 571 693 504
    Passcode: DwRdJk

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