Students talk about AI at the UKESF annual scholars' workshop

CDT students Jack Williamson and Hsuan-Yang Wang (Yang) were invited to talk to students at this year?s UK Electronic Skills Foundation (UKESF) annual Scholars? Workshop, held in September at the University of York.

UKESF engages with young people to promote the study of electronics, encouraging them also to pursue careers in the field. Through its scholarship scheme and partnerships with leading universities, UKESF facilitates strong connections between students in electronics and computer science and industry partners. Successful candidates receive scholarships in addition to professional development opportunities, helping them throughout their studies and into their early career.

This year, 51 students attended the Scholars? Workshop. These high-performing students of electronics and computer science were drawn from universities across the UK, including Southampton, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Jack and Yang?s talk centred around the topic of current research challenges in AI and Electronics, specifically asking questions on the nature of AI, the scope of a PhD, and how the MINDS CDT research vision aligns with research challenges in AI and Electronics.

The talk was well received by students and UKESF staff attending the event. The key takeaway for many was an increased awareness of the importance of integrating electronics with artificial intelligence. The audience was particularly interested in research currently being undertaken across our four research themes - including Task-Optimised Devices and Systems and Nanoelectronic Technologies for AI. The UKESF students were also able to gain a better understanding of cutting-edge research in Embedded AI and Agent-Based Adaptive Systems - such as the importance of training data for responsible development of effective AI solutions.

For Jack and Yang, this was the first opportunity to give a talk on their work in person since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was an exciting opportunity for them to discuss their research with like-minded students and to address questions around challenges in AI and electronics. They were particularly grateful to UKESF for giving them the opportunity to connect with the next generation of engineers and scientists..