NNA - AUB: Artificial Intelligence for Accessibility Hackathon Kicks off

STATUTES

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SECRETARY GENERAL

CONTACTS

MedNEWS

HOME

	ATA - FasterPay, Ibrahimaj: Pilot project launched in 3 cities TIRANA,April.23/ATA/Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Business Climate Delina Ibrahimaj announced today launch of the pilot project for FasterPay in three cities of the country:...
	ANSA - جاليريا ديتاليا:دخول مجانى 25 أبريل أنسامد) - أبريل 23 - روما - تقرر فتح أبواب جاليريا ديتاليا يوم 25 أبريل مجاناً للجمهور بمناسبة عيد التحرير فى ميلانو وتورينو وفيتشنزا. وسيتم ايضاً فتح متاحف انتيزا سان باولوفى اليوم الاول من مايو وسيكون الأحد 5 مايو الدخول مجانى أول أحد فى الشهر (أنسامد)....
	ANSA - جولة الحفريات فى متحف كابيلينى فى ألما ماتر من 23 أبريل (أنسامد) - أبريل 23 - روما - بمناسبة أسبوع الإحتفال بيوم الأرض العالمي تقدم مجموعة الجيولوجيا بمتحف جيوفانى كابيلينى التابع لجامعة بولونيا اعتباراً من الثلاثاء 23 أبريل وحتى شهر يونيو رحلة عبر الزمن منذ فجر الحياة على الأرض حتى يومنا هذا. ...
	NNA - Le Conseil économique et social a organisé un débat sur le thème «les défis et les perspectives de l’Industrie libanaise» ANI-Le Conseil économique et social présidé par Charles Arbid a organisé mardi un débat sur le thème «les défis et les perspectives de l’Industrie libanaise»...
	ANSA - British soldier's descendants meet families who saved him Italian families hid, protected WWII prisoner of war Dennis Fox The descendants of a British soldier this week met members of the Italian families that saved him after he escaped from a prison camp during...
	ANSA - عمدة روما فى افتتاح متجر يونيكلو اليابانى (أنسامد)- أبريل 23 - روما - شارك عمدة روما روبرتو جوالتيرى وحشد من أكثر من 700 عميل فى افتتاح المتجر اليابانى يونيكلو فيا ديل كورسو الرئيسى. ويعد هذا المتجر الثانى فى إيطاليا لعملاق تجارة الملابس اليابانية بالتجزئة بعد افتتاح الاول عام 2019 فى كوردوسيو فى ميلانو....
	NNA - تتويج الصيداوي محمد الددا كأفضل لاعب في تصنيفه ببطولة كأس ويلرز لكرة السلة على الكراسي المتحركة وطنية - صيدا - شارك فريق كرة السلة على الكراسي المتحركة التابع لنادي "الاندماج" في بطولة كأس ويلرز التي اقيمت على ملعب ميشال سليمان - جبيل، حيث ضم عدد الفرق المتبارية ثمانية بما فيها فريق لبنان. ...
	ANSA - Inter in heaven after derby win seals 20th Serie A title Inzaghi's men win right to wear second star on shirt Inter fans partied long into the night after Monday's 2-1derby win over AC Milan sealed their 20th Serie A title and the right to wear...
	ANSA - إيطاليا: بدء إنخفاض أسعار زيت الزيتون (أنسامد) - أبريل 23 - روما - أكدت بورصة السلع الإيطالية ان أسعار زيت الزيتون قد انخفضت بنسبة 1% فى شهر أبريل مقارنة بشهر مارس السابق . وأضافت انه على الرغم من ذلك تظل قوائم الأسعار اعلى بنسبة 50% تقريباً مما كانت عليه فى عام 2023....
	NNA - مهرجان SPRING BY THE LAKE في بحيرة بنشعي لثلاثة أيام من الفن والموسيقى والترفيه وطنية - أقيم مهرجان 'Spring by the Lake' في بحيرة بنشعي، في أجواء موسيقية مليئة بالفرح، وسط حضور وإقبال كثيف للزوار من جميع المناطق.واستمر لثلاثة أيام متتالية مع برامج متنوعة لجميع الاعمار والفئات. ...
	ANSA - Herculaneum papyri reveal Plato's burial place Result of research by University of Pisa expert Ranocchia The Herculaneum papyri have revealed the location of Plato's burial place in the Platonic Academy in Athens, an Italian researcher said on Tuesday. ...
	ANSA - كرة القدم: كانافارو يتولى تدريب أودينيزي حتى نهاية الموسم (أنسامد) - أبريل 23 - روما - أعلن نادي أودينيزي المتعثر في دوري الدرجة الأولى الإيطالي لكرة القدم تعيين فابيو كانافارو مدربا للفريق حتى نهاية الموسم بعد إقالة المدرب جابرييلي تشيوفي. ...
	NNA - ندوة لمنظمة اليد الخضراء لاعتماد ممارسات مستدامة للمياه وطنية-نظمت منظمة 'اليد الخضراء'، ضمن اطار الندوات وورش العمل التي تعقدها لاعتماد ممارسات مستدامة للمياه، ورشة عمل في مدينة عاليه ،ضمن مشروع عاليه الاصيلة مصادر مياه صحية : اعادة إحياء نهر الغدير مسؤولية مجتمعية تشاركية لإعتماد ممارسات مستدامة للمياه" الممول من حكومات الإتحاد الاوروبي...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Stock market closes 1.19% higher, powdered by a further leap by Galp Lisbon,April.23,2024(Lusa)-The Lisbon stock market rose 1.19% on Tuesday to 6,592.89points,with Galp leading the gains for the second day running, to close at €20.06,a record high....
	Lusa - Business News - Moçambique: Extraordinary support for flooded towns Maputo, April 23, 2024 (Lusa) - Mozambique' government will transfer extraordinary funds to local authorities affected by the floods caused by heavy rains in various...
	Lusa - Business News - Mozambique: Locals report skirmishes between local forces, insurgents in Macomia Pemba,Mozambique, April.23,2024 (Lusa) - The "Força Local" paramilitary group was involved in a fight against terrorist groups at the headquarters of the Chai administrative post,...
	Lusa - Business News - Angola: Unicargas expands to DRCongo, Zambia Luanda, April 23,2024(Lusa) - Angola's Unicargas is expanding its business to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) and Zambia and expects to triple its revenues...
	Lusa - Business News - Angola: Taxi drivers hit by 50% increase in fuel, fraction of European prices Luanda,April.23,2024(Lusa)-Taxi and motorbike taxi drivers in Luanda on Tuesday defended an increase in fares to cover the increased fuel costs caused by the price of...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Pan-European data provider to invest €0,5B over coming years Lisbon, April.23,2024(Lusa)- AtlasEdge, a pan-European data centre provider, is taking its first step in Portugal with the purchase of two plots of land in Carnaxide,...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal Fidelidade suspends Luz Saúde IPO due to 'market instability' Lisbon,April.23,2024(Lusa)- One of Portugal's leading insurance companies, Fidelidade, has decided to suspend the plan to float Luz Saúde, which operates a network of healthcare units,...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Pestana Hotel Group profits fall 4% to €105M in 2023 Lisbon,April.23,2024(Lusa)-Portugal's Pestana Hotel Group made a net profit of €105 million in 2023, 4% less than the previous year, its chief executive announced on Tuesday,...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Judg accepts BES/GES appeals, case not suspended Lisbon, April.23,2024(Lusa) - The judge in the BES/GES case has accepted 96 appeals by thousands of victims against the separation of Banco Espírito Santo's (BES)...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Azores Socialists demand financial details of agreement with Ryanair Ponta Delgada, Portugal, April 23,2024 (Lusa) - The PS/Azores said on Tuesday it was concerned about the lack of flights between Ponta Delgada and Nuremberg,...
	Lusa - Business News - Angola: Abu Dhabi Ports invests up to €384M in Luanda port Luanda,April.23,2024(Lusa)- The Abu Dhabi Ports (AD Ports) group is going to invest $410 million over the next 20 years to operate the Porto of Luanda,...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Non-financial sector borrowing falls almost €7.5B Y-o-Y in February Lisbon, April 23,2024 (Lusa) - The non-financial sector borrowings, which includes public administrations, companies and private individuals, fell by €7.472 billion in February this year,...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Ex-African colonies becoming less important since 1974 revolution Lisbon, April 23, 2024 (Lusa) - Economist Alexandra Ferreira-Lopes told Lusa on Tuesday that the economic relationship between Portugal and the Portuguese language African countries...
	CNA - الرئيس خريستوذوليديس: نحن بانتظار إتمام الرصيف الذي تنشئوه الولايات المتحدة في غزة لاستئناف أمالثيا قال رئيس الجمهورية نيكوس خريستوذوليديس اليوم الثلاثاء، أن الحكومة تنتظر استكمال الولايات المتحدة أعمال بناء رصيف في ميناء غزة حتى يتم التمكن من استئناف إيصال المساعدات إلى غزة في إطار الممر الإنساني البحري "أمالثيا"، مشيراً إلى أن الأعمال وصلت إلى “مرحلة متقدمة للغاية". ...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Our tax proposal fairer, reaches more people - Socialist party Lisbon, April 23, 2024 (Lusa) - Socialist parliamentary leader Alexandra Leitão said on Monday that the PS tax cut bill "has more tax justice, ...
	Lusa - Business News - Macau: China market access limits Portuguese-speaking businesses - entrepreneurs Macau, China, April,23,2024 (Lusa) - Businesspeople from Portuguese Language Countries argued on Tuesday that the difficulty in obtaining visas for China or residency in Macau...
	Lusa - Business News - Mozambique: Domestic debt growth a threat to turnaround this generation - report Maputo, April,23,2024(Lusa)- A report by the Mozambican ministry of the economy and finance on public debt warns of the rate of growth of domestic debt,...
	Lusa - Business News - Mozambique: World Bank is largest creditor with 29% of external debt - report Maputo,April.23,2024(Lusa)-The World Bank Group is the largest creditor of Mozambique's external debt, with 29% of the total of more than US$10.306 billion(€9.731 million) contracted externally,...
	CNA - رئيس الجمهورية يعقد اجتماعاً للمجلس الوطني الجمعة يعقد رئيس الجمهورية نيكوس خريستوذولييدس اجتماعاً للمجلس الوطني وهو أعلى هيئة استشارية في البلاد يوم الجمعة، حيث سيطلع خلاله رؤساء الأحزاب السياسية على آخر التطورات في الجهود الرامية إلى استئناف المحادثات القبرصية ونتائج المجلس الأوروبي الأخير بشأن العلاقات بين الاتحاد الأوروبي وتركيا. ...
	Lusa - Business News - Mozambique: Trial for two accused of financing, spying for Cabo Delgado rebels Maputo, April,23,2024 (Lusa) - Two Mozambican citizens will stand trial in Cabo Delgado province, in the north of the country, on charges of financing terrorism,...
	CNA - رئيسة مجلس النواب تؤكد أنه لا يمكن حماية السلام العالمي دون قيادة قوية للاتحاد الأوروبي شاركت رئيسة مجلس النواب أنيتا ديميتريو يوم أمس الاثنين في وقائع مؤتمر رؤساء برلمانات الدول الأعضاء في الاتحاد الأوروبي، حيث كان الموضوع الرئيسي للمناقشة "الاستقلال الاستراتيجي للاتحاد الأوروبي في مواجهة التحديات الجديدة التي تواجه الديمقراطيات الليبرالية في أوروبا في عصر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي والذكاء الاصطناعي،...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Stock market continues upwards surge led by Altri Lisbon, April 23,2024 (Lusa) - The Lisbon stock market was trading higher on Tuesday morning, with Altri's shares leading the gains, rising 1.96% to €5.20....
	Lusa - Business News - Mozambique: Cabo Delgado villagers capture five alleged insurgents Pemba, Mozambique, April 23, 2024 (Lusa) - Residents of the village of Mahipa, in the district of Chiùre, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado,...
	CNA - وزيرة الدولة للنقل البحري في زيارة إلى الصين تتوجه اليوم الثلاثاء وزيرة الدولة للنقل البحري مارينا هادجيمانوليس إلى قوانغتشو في الصين لحضور حفل تسمية سفينة الشحن التي تم بناءها حديثاً "أي أي ال ليماسول" والمملوكة لشركة أي أي ال للشحن. ...
	CNA - الرئيس يعلن عن 'إصلاحات جريئة' في قطاع الصحة أعلن رئيس الجمهورية نيكوس خريستودوليديس في كلمته مساء في القصر الرئاسي أمس الاثنين في حدث نظمه الاتحاد القبرصي لجمعيات المرضى بمناسبة اليوم الأوروبي لحقوق المرضى عن "إصلاحات جريئة" في قطاع الصحة. ...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Parliament to debate inquiry into 2013 airports manager privatisation Lisbon, April.23,2024(Lusa) - The Portuguese parliament is debating on Tuesday a PCP proposal to hold a parliamentary inquiry into the privatisation of airports manager, ...
	Lusa - Business News - Portugal: Top newspaper headlines on Tuesday, 23 April Lisbon, April,23,2024 (Lusa) - Galp’s huge oil discovery off the coast of Namibia, Portugal’s main political parties nominate their candidates for the upcoming European elections...

NNA - AUB: Artificial Intelligence for Accessibility Hackathon Kicks off

NNA-Marking the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day(GAAD),the Talal and Madiha Zein AUB Innovation Park,in collaboration with the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Beirut Digital District (BDD), is organizing the AI for Accessibility Hackathon.

GAAD is a day aimed at spreading awareness and getting everyone talking, thinking, as well as learning about digital access / inclusion, and people with different disabilities.

The AI for Accessibility Hackathon Kickoff and Orientation took place in May 2021, to shed light on the importance of enhancing digital accessibility, to share stories of inspiring communities, startups, as well as individuals who are contributing to the inclusion of people with disabilities, and most importantly, to give you the chance to know how you can take part in building a socially inclusive community today.

Dr. Yousif Asfour, chief innovation and transformation officer at AUB, presented the welcome note at the event, as he introduced attendees to the importance of joining the hackathon, stating that “if you love AI and care about making this a more inclusive world, then this hackathon is for you.”

Following Dr. Asfour’s warm welcome, Jennison Asuncion, co-founder of GAAD and head of accessibility engineering evangelism at LinkedIn, shared his experience and motivation behind founding GAAD and thanked the organizers for continuing the celebrations of GAAD as part of helping fulfill its goal which is to “disrupt the culture of the product development cycle for both technology and digital products, in such a way that accessibility is a core requirement.”

Samer Chidiac, the regional director and resident chief innovation officer of the Microsoft Technology Centers across the Middle East and Africa, followed with the accessibility commitment from Microsoft. He emphasized the importance of events like this hackathon where “accessibility innovators collaborate to make our world more inclusive” and that “it’s not necessarily that you are going to make huge innovations… any improvement you can make is affecting a life and giving the opportunity to people to do more.”

Mark Henry, the data and AI technical lead at Microsoft, further highlighted the hackathon vision as well as the opportunity Microsoft is providing for innovators to thrive. He also shared the inspiring story of Sakib Shiekh who used Microsoft’s technology to impact his life and other visually impaired people through the Seeing AI app he built.

Anirban Lahiri, an ICT access research specialist in accessibility and assistive technology at Mada Assistive Technology Center, introduced the audience to Mada and their focus on commitment to the education sector as well as the culture and community sector. He also highlighted the role of Mada’s innovation program in the Arab region as they “wanted to create a mechanism that would encourage innovators to create new solutions.”

Following Anirban’s talk, Christophe Zoghbi, the founder and CEO of Zaka and Beirut AI, highlighted the efforts of both Beirut AI and Zaka in democratizing AI. He also shared some insights about the AI Ready Academy as it “introduces AI to university students all over MENA and aims to equip them with hands-on industry skills in artificial intelligence.” With that emphasis on the impact of the education provided by Beirut AI and Zaka on the community, he added that they are always looking forward to supporting their communities with technical expertise.

Dr. Hazem Hajj, an associate professor at AUB and an AI leader, gave a welcome note on behalf of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture as well as some insights on both the educational and research opportunities in artificial intelligence at AUB as well as the investment in entrepreneurship and startups in technology and AI. He also encouraged the audience to consider career options in AI as they are “very rewarding but require a lot of dedication and resilience.”

Up next was Ralph Khairallah, the community growth manager representing BDD, who emphasized the core role of technology in the mission of Beirut Digital District and the importance of “using technology and innovation to solve such challenges as we are proud to be part of the accessibility hackathon.”

This was followed by the orientation and program kick-off presentation as Maha Zouwayhed, the business development manager at AUB’s Office of Innovation and Transformation, and Dr. Mona Itani, the coordinator of the entrepreneurship initiative and senior instructor of innovation entrepreneurship, stated the aim of the hackathon in rallying talents and fostering the regional development of the innovative entrepreneurship community related to AI. They further highlighted the two tracks participants can work on during the hackathon, assistive technology and physical Aid, and their impact on society. The hackathon team also highlighted that enthusiasts that are looking for teammates to partner with and participate may visit the hackathon's LinkedIn event page and post their teaming needs to find their match. They wrapped up with valuable tips and guidelines for the hackathon participants.

Up next was the accessibility by design talk where Saira Sayed, business development director for partnerships at Inclusive, and Saba Aamir, the frontend developer and technology projects lead at Inclusive, who introduced Inclusive as an app that connects people with disabilities to jobs, events, and opportunities. They emphasized the fact that “accessibility is an ongoing process” and the importance of “involving people of determination in the process of making the environment, whether online or offline, accessible.”

The last stop was the discussion panel about AI for accessibility and the role of startups where Roberto Croci, managing director of Microsoft for Startups in the Middle East and Africa, introduced the audience to Mohammad Kilani, co-founder of Mind Rockets, Nandu Jith, founder and CEO of Nexart, and Jose Rubinger Filho, CCO and co-founder of Key2Enable, who shared the inspiration behind building their startups while demonstrating the social impact of entrepreneurship. Of the most crucial notes shared during this discussion panel was the importance of involving people with disabilities in the process of building accessible solutions for them.

With that, the AI for Accessibility Hackathon’s Kickoff and Orientation was concluded. Thirty-one teams have been accepted, including 100 participants, from 11 different countries across the MENA region. The hackathon mentorship will include, in addition to the business and technical feedback, user experience input by users with special needs.

Four winners will get $2,500 each, in addition to receiving incubation at Zein AUB iPark, and one innovation will be selected to be awarded another $10,000 by AUB’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences to continue the product development.

The final hackathon event and closing ceremony will take place at BDD as well as online, on June 25, and 26.—AUB
Agency : NNA
Date : 2021-06-22 11:56:00

Back