Events

Our lives are increasingly dependent on the digital technologies on which we find ourselves progressively dependent. Join faculty members Philip Boyle and Christine McWebb from the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business for a discussion on what it means to be living in an age of digital innovations – advances that both enhance and disrupt established ways of doing business, scientific enterprise, and everyday life.  We will explore key topics such as privacy, the generational divide, and the benefits and challenges of using online platforms to communicate.

This Community Dialogue event is proudly presented in partnership with the Stratford Public Library. 

"There’s a magical moment in a design studio when it hums with activity, a creative flow that’s infectious. Late September, I walked into FINE 201 after a coffee break and found students sprawled across their desks, the floor, and the hall—every work surface covered with cardboard, X-Acto knives, tape, and paint.

"The Creator's Collective annual gallery, Spectra, is live now! For those who may be unaware, the Creator's Collective Gallery hosts a yearly exhibition for artists to showcase their creative work or recent artistic activities. Given the uncertainties of Covid-19, we will be holding Spectra online through a VR museum curation platform called ArtSteps.

You’re invited to Research Talks, a public event and panel discussion featuring guest speakers Kesha Bodawala - P & P Optica, Evan Jones - Stitch Media, and Sirisha Rambhatla and Will Zhao - University of Waterloo.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), the study of machines and software that exhibit intelligence, is transforming every aspect of society, from financial services, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. AI is dependent on data, that is, AI uses data to make predictions so humans can make data-driven decisions. With the explosion of data over the past two decades, there is an AI tsunami on our threshold. So, we are left with the question, “Where will AI take us?”

Challenge of the Bots: Exploring the social impact of contextual conversational AI

Will Zhao is an Assistant Professor at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, University of Waterloo. He earned his Ph.D. from the French Grande Ecole EM Lyon Business school and pursued his postdoctoral research at Stanford University. He is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in studying innovation from organizational, educational, and engineering perspectives, particularly using multimodal methods that draw on semiotics and/or artificial intelligence techniques. His most recent research on artificial intelligence has been published in leading journals such as IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics.

What’s in your food? Assessing the quality of food products using AI

Kesha Bodawala is the Model Development Lead at P&P Optica (PPO), based in Waterloo, ON. At PPO, she oversees the Machine Learning Team. She works with the team to develop models to assess the quality of meat products. Kesha has a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus on machine learning and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering.

Incorporating AI into storytelling and virtual reality

Evan Jones is the founder of Stitch Media, an interactive media production services company which tells stories using new technology and timeless techniques. A two-time Emmy Award winner, Evan’s work combines web, mobile and games with TV, film, radio, and the real world. He has been recognized as a 'Top 10 New Media Groundbreaker' by the Bell Fund and chosen as one of the ‘most innovative and influential minds in McMaster history’ by his alma mater. His interactive documentary work has won ‘Best in Electronic Culture’ at the UNESCO World Summit and his experience with branded entertainment has won ‘Best in Digital Marketing’ by the Digi Awards. Evan has guest lectured on the art & business of interactive story internationally at the Canadian Film Centre, the Australian Film, Television & Radio School and the University of Southern California. He has consulted for the Smithsonian, Greenpeace, Microsoft, Disney, NBC, Universal, Nickelodeon, and 20th Century Fox on the future of entertainment.

AI and the future of healthcare

Sirisha Rambhatla is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where she leads the Critical ML Lab as the director. Her research focusses on developing deep learning-based reliable artificial intelligence (AI) models for critical real-world decision making in surgery and healthcare, covid spread, climate change, and intelligent manufacturing and aviation using spatiotemporal modelling, representation learning, and explainable AI. Her inter-disciplinary work spans both theory and practice of machine learning (ML), has been published at top ML venues such as NeurIPS, ICLR, KDD, IJCAI, AAAI, and clinical venues such as AMIA, Surgery, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Recipient of the 2021 Merit Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research at the University of Southern California, Dr. Rambhatla received her Ph.D. (EE) from the University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities in 2019.

Pizza and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.

Donations of non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army - Stratford Food Bank will be accepted.

Calling All Creative Minds!

Welcome to the MVP Challenge, a one-day design + business challenge for high school students, hosted by the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.

Are you passionate about design, creativity, and pushing boundaries? Look no further. Showcase your creative thinking and problem-solving skills as you work with a group to develop and pitch your next great idea.

Minimum Viable Product - Your MVP is the thing that makes your idea stand out!

Calling all teachers, principals and guidance counsellors!  

Developed to assist you expand and deepen your skills as educators, we invite you to attend a Professional Development workshop at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.  

A one-day design + business challenge for Grade 12 students, hosted at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.

Calling all teachers, principals and guidance counsellors!  

Developed to assist you expand and deepen your skills as educators, we invite you to attend a Professional Development workshop at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.