Events
Past Event
Segal Seminar Series: Merrie Morris, University of Washington
Segal Design Institute
4:00 PM
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Ford Design Studio 1-230, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
Details
Combining Human and Machine Intelligence to Describe Images to People with Visual Impairments
Digital imagery pervades modern life. More than a billion images per day are produced and uploaded to social media sites, and we also encounter digital images within websites, apps, digital documents, and eBooks. Engaging with digital imagery is part of the fabric of participation in contemporary society, including education, the professions, e-commerce, civic participation , entertainment, and social interactions. However, most digital images remain inaccessible to the 39 million people worldwide who are blind. By some estimates, nearly half of online images lack any alternative text descriptions that can be read aloud by screen reader software, and many images that do contain alt text have captions that are of poor quality; many popular emerging formats like social media and mobile apps do not even offer content authors the ability to specify caption information. Emerging AI techniques, such as vision-to-language systems, offer a cheap, scalable means of labeling digital images; however, these technologies have a long way to go before they can be a reliable information source for people who are visually impaired. To help supplement, correct, and train AI captioning systems, human-in-the-loop techniques such as crowdsourcing and friendsourcing can play an important role in advancing caption coverage and quality. In this talk, I will discuss the trade-offs of various image-description techniques, and present example hybrid intelligence systems for making digital imagery accessible to screen reader users.
Bio:
Meredith Ringel Morris is a Principal Researcher and Research Manager at Microsoft Research; she is also an affiliate Professor at the University of Washington in the School of Computer Science and Engineering and in the Information School. Dr. Morris leads MSR’s Ability team, which conducts research in HCI and AI with the goal of developing innovative technologies that extend the capabilities of and enhance quality of life for people with disabilities. She is an internationally-recognized expert in Human-Computer Interaction, and has conducted foundational research in several areas including gesture design, social search, and accessibility. She has served as the general chair for ACM’s CSCW conference, and has previously served as Technical Program Chair of the CHI, CSCW, ASSETS, and Interactive Tabletops & Surfaces conferences. Dr. Morris is a member of the TOCHI editorial board, and is a past member of the CSCW and CHI steering committees. She has been recognized as one of Technology Review’s “35 under 35” for her work on collaborative web search, and was named an ACM Distinguished Scientist for her contributions to HCI research. She is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles, many of which have been recognized with best paper awards; her publications are available at http://aka.ms/merrie. Dr. Morris earned her Sc.B. in computer science from Brown University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University.
Time
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ford Design Studio 1-230, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center Map
Contact
Calendar
Segal Design Institute
Annual Segal Iron Pour
Segal Design Institute
7:30 PM
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Evanston Township High School
Details
The Segal Iron Pour is an annual event that introduces students to a centuries-old manufacturing process. During the Iron Pour, students pour molten iron from a 2,700-degree furnace into 3D-printed and sand-casted molds.
The event is held as a culmination of DSGN 395-64: Leonardo, Geometry, and the Art of Manufacturing, a course taught by Segal faculty members Matthew Cummins and David Gatchell.
Join us for the 6th annual Segal Iron Pour, a one-of-a-kind experience that aims to stimulate curiosity in sand casting, forging, and other types of manufacturing. The Iron Pour features Segal students, faculty, and staff who will demonstrate the forging process by pouring hundreds of pounds of molten iron into creatively designed molds. The Segal Iron Pour is open to the McCormick community, including students, faculty, and staff.
Time
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Location
Evanston Township High School
Contact
Calendar
Segal Design Institute
Extending Care: A Conversation about Conservation and Futurity
Block Museum of Art
6:00 PM
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Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh
Details
The Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts is a collaboration between the Art Institute of Chicago and materials science-related departments at Northwestern University to pursue objects-based and objects-inspired scientific research. Materials research benefits ongoing work in conservation, archaeology, art history, and curatorial scholarship.
Learn how the Center uses materials research to care for art objects in sustainable, innovative ways with Maria Kokkori, Senior Scientist in the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts. She will be in conversation with Corey Byrnes, Northwestern Associate Professor of Chinese Culture and co-founder/co-director of the Environmental Humanities Workshop in Kaplan Humanities Center.
This event is presented by the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in conjunction with exhibition Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology.
Time
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location
Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh Map
Contact
Calendar
Block Museum of Art
Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
9:00 AM
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Welsh-Ryan Arena
Details
McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master’s Degree Recognition Ceremony
Time
Monday, June 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
2:00 PM
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Welsh-Ryan Arena
Details
McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation
Time
Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Undergraduate Quantum Summer School
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
All Day
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Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
Details
Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.
This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.
Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.
Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.
Time
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Location
Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center Map
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Undergraduate Quantum Summer School
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
All Day
//
Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
Details
Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.
This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.
Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.
Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.
Time
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Location
Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center Map
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science