UBC CS proudly hosted 35 grad students from Sweden’s WASP program

The enthusiasm was palpable on September 24 when a group of grad students and faculty members arrived from Sweden to visit UBC Computer Science. They were from the country’s Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP).

WASP is a major initiative supporting the development of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and software (AI-AS-S) research across multiple Swedish universities. The program has a national graduate school and collaborates with industry. Every year, WASP organizes international trips for their PhD students, and this time, Vancouver was on the list. In addition to the UBC visit, the students visited other organizations and institutions in the city throughout the week to get a well-rounded view of the AI-AS-S scene here.

Two UBC Computer Science professors, Dr. Leonid Sigal (Associate Professor) and Dr. Kwang Moo Yi (Assistant Professor) hosted the group while UBC’s CAIDA group (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-Making and Action) graciously sponsored the day, providing catering for the students.

A sharing of knowledge

Both UBC professors gave presentations at a high level to highlight the research they are currently conducting, and each student gave a Lightning Talk to share their own PhD work. Afterward, they enjoyed a guided campus tour.
 

Although the primary goal for WASP visits is academic in nature: to gain understanding and insight into academic work being conducted internationally around AI and systems, the trip also offers social, cultural and collaborative components.

Dr. Sigal said, “I feel these types of exchanges are useful. They broaden the horizons of the students and we all enjoyed the shared experience. There was such a broad spectrum of research presented, with some of the students conducting similar research to myself and Dr. Yi.” 

Dr. Sigal said he thought the day was fun for all. “I really enjoyed it and the program is quite unique. I think it’s impressive they send so many grad students. Who knows? Maybe there will be an opportunity in the future for collaborations and/or for some of our students to visit there,” he speculated.

This was the first time UBC Computer Science has hosted a group of international graduate students in this manner. The end result was a great success for both parties learning from one another, and bringing us all one step closer to forging a collective path toward a productive future for humans and AI-AS-S.

Photo credit: WASP PhD Student Carl Magnus Bruhner