Issue 9 of the magazine “360upf” reflects the University’s commitment to artificial intelligence
Contra el genocidi i contra la violació dels drets humans, a Gaza i arreu del món
Peace comes when you talk to the person you most hate. And that’s where the courage of a leader comes.
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021), first recipient of an honorary doctorate from UPF
These words, spoken by Desmond Tutu, the first person ever to be awarded an honorary doctorate by UPF, are more applicable today than ever. The UPF condemns, and will always condemn, the use of violence to settle disputes. At UPF, we advocate approaching political or territorial conflicts based on dialogue and respect for all peoples and minorities.
As a university, we also want to show our support to the academic community in countries at war. Universities and scientific institutions are more necessary than ever in these regions. Access to education and the promotion of critical thinking, in the context of strong independent institutions, are the way to ensure the informed debate and reflection that can open the door to new avenues for finding solutions.
At UPF, we are aware of the university community’s concern for the human rights violations we are seeing in the conflicts around us. That is why on this website you will find information about campaigns and actions related to current conflicts, as well as opinion pieces and institutional statements. We also offer a dedicated e-mail address – [email protected] – to contact the university and let us know about your interests and concerns.
Issue 9 of the magazine “360upf” reflects the University’s commitment to artificial intelligence
The digital publication includes reports, opinion articles and interviews (including one with Ana Freire, who is leading a project that aims to reduce the number of suicide cases in Spain), with the focus on analysing various initiatives of the University whose common denominator is AI. The new section “Visions UPF” stands out, whose first edition presents a video conversation between Anders Jonsson and Vicenç Gómez, expert researchers in this field at the DTIC.
UPF stands out in various areas of knowledge in which it uses artificial intelligence as a common tool in its projects, and is among the Catalan entities to carry out most research and innovation in this field. Hence, issue 9 of 360upf, the University’s digital magazine that reviews current issues in an innovative format, devotes much of its content to this subject.
This is the case of the “Community” section, with an extensive report reviewing the various UPF projects and spinoffs based on this discipline; “Kaleidoscope”, titled “Dissecting AI”, includes seven opinion articles by UPF experts and related organizations belonging to different fields of knowledge. Another highlight is the new “Visions UPF” section, which presents a video of a conversation between Anders Jonsson and Vicenç Gómez, researchers at the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Research Group of the DTIC, in which they talk about the risks, opportunities and challenges of AI.
Also, two of the interviews in the new issue are related to AI: The “Profile” section talks to Ana Freire, principal investigator of the project STOP (Suicide Prevention in Social Platforms), led by UPF, which aims to reduce the number of suicide cases in Spain through social networks and using AI; and the “Our Alumni” section, includes an interview with Berta Benet and Javier Rando, alumni of the UPF bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Engineering in Data Science and members of the startup EXPAI, which can detect sexist, racist or LGBTIphobic algorithms or increase confidence in mathematical models.
More content about the university community and current affairs
The autumn issue of the magazine, available in three languages (Catalan, Spanish and English) is rounded off with an interview with Pol Villaverde, a student on the UPF bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, creator of the startup Splashapps, and general coordinator of EUTOPIA Student Think Tank, in the “Zoom” section; the “Innova” section, which focuses on BIOM, a biotechnology company, created as a spinoff of UPF, which researches, develops and produces biomaterials for industry, and a report on the UPF debate leagues (“From campus” section), which reviews how over time the University has managed to create a model of success around public speaking and participation thanks to a collective effort.
Not forgetting the habitual sections “Tres60”, dedicated to the graduation of the classes of 2020 and 2021; “QuizTime”, with a dozen questions about Albert Einstein, on the occasion of the centenary of his Nobel Prize in physics, “Panoramic View”, which takes a look at essential University news, and the inaugural work for the 2021-2022 academic year, by the Indian artist Nalini Malani.
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