Climate Change AI Summer School 2023
To receive communications about the virtual Summer School and participate in Q&A, please join the dedicated “CCAI Summer School 2023” space on the CCAI Community Platform.
The Climate Change AI summer school is designed to educate and prepare participants with a background in artificial intelligence (AI) and/or a background in a climate change-related field to tackle major climate problems using AI.
We are excited to host the second Climate Change AI Summer School in 2023! This year, the summer school consists of two independent components: an open-to-all virtual program (held between June-August 2023) and a selective in-person program (from August 14-18, 2023 in Montreal, Canada). Courses will be conducted by members of Climate Change AI and world-renowned experts in AI and climate change.
Application Info
The summer school will be held in two independent parts: an open-to-all virtual program and a selective in-person program. Dates and application info are below.
Virtual Program
- Dates: Between June 23-July 27, 2023
- Schedule: See below
- Registration link: https://www.climatechange.ai/summer_school_virtual
In-Person Program
- Dates: August 14-18, 2023
- Location: Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Application link: Applications for the in-person program are now closed.
Application deadline: Jan 31, 2023, 23:59 AOE (Anywhere on Earth, UTC-12)
Virtual Program Schedule
Day 1 - Introduction to Climate Change and AI - June 23, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Lectures | |
| 4:30-5:30 PM UTC |
Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
| 5:30-6:30 PM UTC |
Introduction to Climate Change
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Kamal Kapadia - Terra.do |
| 6:30-7:30 PM UTC |
Introduction to Machine Learning
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Rasika Bhalerao - CCAI, Northeastern University |
Day 2 - AI for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification - June 27, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 2-3 PM UTC |
Measuring Progress under the Paris Agreement
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Evan Sherwin - CCAI, Stanford University |
|
| 3-4 PM UTC |
AI for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification of Corporate GHG Emissions
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Kasia Tokarska - CCAI |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Estimating Coal Power Plant Operation From Satellite Images with Computer Vision
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: André Ferreira - TransitionZero |
||
Day 3 - AI for Climate Science - June 29, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 11 AM - 1 PM UTC |
AI for Climate Science
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Kasia Tokarska - CCAI |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Forecasting the El Niño/Southern Oscillation with Machine Learning
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Ankur Mahesh - CCAI, University of California Berkeley |
||
Day 4 - AI for Buildings and Cities - July 3, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 11 AM - 1 PM UTC |
AI for Buildings and Cities
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Marcus Voss - CCAI, Birds on Mars |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Building Load Forecasting with Machine Learning
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Marcus Voss - CCAI, Birds on Mars |
||
Smart Meter Data Analytics Tutorial
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Authors:
|
||
CityLearn Tutorial
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Zoltan Nagy - University of Texas at Austin |
||
Day 5 - AI for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use - July 6, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 5-7 PM UTC |
AI for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
|
| Tutorials | ||
Land Use and Land Cover Classification using Pytorch
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Isabelle Tingzon - CCAI, World Bank/GFDRR |
||
Day 6 - AI for Biodiversity and Ecosystems - July 10, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 3-4 PM UTC |
AI for Wildlife Conservation
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Devis Tuia - École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Introduction to Camera Trap Recognition with Deep Learning
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Zhongqi Miao - Microsoft |
||
Day 7 - AI for Policy, Decision-Making, Economics, and Finance - July 12, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorials | ||
Research Synthesis using NLP in the Field of Climate Change
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Daniel Spokoyny - CCAI, Carnegie Mellon University |
||
Day 8 - AI for Energy Systems - July 14, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 3-5 PM UTC |
AI for Power Systems
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
|
| Tutorials | ||
AI for Optimal Power Flow
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Authors:
|
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Day 9 - Impacts and Regulation of AI & Climate - July 19, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 6-6:40 PM UTC |
GHG Impact Assessment of AI
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
|
| 6:40-7:20 PM UTC |
AI Ethics and Policy
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
|
| 7:20-8 PM UTC |
Climate Innovation Policy
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Alice Lépissier - Brown University |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Reducing your Climate Impact when Training ML Models
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Mel Hanna - CCAI, DataRobot |
||
Day 10 - AI for Transportation - July 21, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 12-2 PM UTC |
AI for Transportation
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
|
| Tutorials | ||
Predicting Mobility Demand from Urban Features
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Authors:
|
||
Day 11 - AI for Human and Social Systems - July 25, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | ||
| 9-11 PM UTC |
AI for Human and Social Systems
Details: (click to expand)Speaker: Hannah Druckenmiller - California Institute of Technology |
|
| Tutorials | ||
Population Mapping and Sea Water Flood Risk Assessment in Egypt using Deep Learning, Sentinel-1 & 2, and Copernicus DEM
Details: (click to expand)Tutorial Author: Casper Fibaek - European Space Agency Φ-lab |
||
Day 12 - Lightning talks - July 26, 2023 Recording
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Lectures | |
| 5:30-7 PM UTC |
Lightning talks on additional AI and climate change topics
Details: (click to expand)Speakers:
|
Summer School Structure
I. Virtual Program
The virtual program will provide an overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to address climate change. Through lectures and tutorials, participants will learn how AI/ML are employed across different climate-relevant fields/sectors, discuss important considerations for framing/scoping problems, and gain hands-on practice applying AI/ML to climate-relevant problems.
Modules will be presented at varying levels of technical depth. For some of the modules, substantial knowledge about AI/ML, Python programming, or both is assumed. For other modules, only minimal prerequisite knowledge about AI/ML, Python programming, or both is assumed. Individual module prerequisites will be made clear prior to the summer school and self-study materials will be sent before the summer school to help participants acquire the background necessary for some of the modules.
The virtual program will be free to attend and open to all registered participants who are at least 18 years of age. The virtual program will be held between June 23rd and July 27th - the schedule can be found here.
Everyone who registers for the virtual program will be able to attend. The requested information in the form will help us better tailor the program.
You can register for the virtual program here: https://www.climatechange.ai/summer_school_virtual
II. In-Person program
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2023 in-person summer school. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications open for next year’s summer school.
Sponsors
Organizers
On behalf of Climate Change AI:
Amanda Sessim Parisenti
Daniel Spokoyny (CMU)
Erick Kapp (Climate Change AI)
Hari Prasanna Das (UC Berkeley)
Jade Eva Guisiano (UN Environment Programme)
Jeremy Irvin (Stanford)
Maria João Sousa (Cornell Tech, IST, ULisboa)
Melanie Hanna (DataRobot)
Millie Chapman (UC Berkeley)
Olivia Mendivil Ramos (OneThree Biotech)
Priya L. Donti (Climate Change AI)
Frequently Asked Questions
Virtual Summer School FAQs
Q: Is the virtual program free to attend?
A: Yes!
Q: What is the age requirement for the virtual program?
A: All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
Q: How do I access the virtual program?
A: When registering for the program, using this link, you will be prompted to join CCAI’s community platform on Circle. All information regarding lecture and tutorial live streams and recordings will be shared in this community platform.
Q: Will there be recordings?
A: We will aim to record and publish the content online after the summer school.
Q: What topics will be covered in the virtual program?
A: The virtual program will provide an overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to address climate change. Through lectures and tutorials, participants will learn how AI/ML are employed across different climate-relevant fields/sectors, discuss important considerations for framing/scoping problems, and gain hands-on practice applying AI/ML to climate-relevant problems. See more in the schedule above.
Q: Are there prerequisites for the virtual program?
A: Modules will be presented at varying levels of technical depth. For some of the modules, substantial knowledge about AI/ML, Python programming, or both is assumed. For other modules, only minimal prerequisite knowledge about AI/ML, Python programming, or both is assumed. Individual module prerequisites will be made clear prior to the summer school.
Q: Will self-study materials be provided to help me obtain prerequisite knowledge for the virtual program?
A: Yes we will aim to provide them when we release the full schedule.
Q: When will the exact schedule be posted?
A: The schedule can be found here.
Q: What is the deadline for registering?
A: Registration for the virtual summer school will remain open until the end of the program.
Q: Will CCAI provide certificates of attendance for the program?
A: CCAI will be providing certificates of attendance for all participants that meet the minimum attendance threshold. Any participant that attends 8 or more lectures (live or asynchronously via the recordings) and completes the corresponding feedback forms distributed at the end of each lecture will be eligible to receive a certificate.
Q: My question isn’t answered above. What should I do?
A: If you have a question not answered in the FAQs, please email summerschool+virtual@climatechange.ai. Due to the large number of inquiries, we may not be able to reply to all emails.
In-Person Summer School FAQs
Q: What is the date and location of the in-person program?
A: August 14-18, 2023 at Mila - Quebec AI Institute in Montreal, Canada.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for the in-person program?
A: Anyone over 18 years of age is eligible to apply.
Q: What is the application deadline for the in-person program?
A: The deadline to apply is January 31, 2023 23:59 AoE (Anywhere on Earth).
Q: Is there an application fee for the in-person program?
A: No! All applicants who fill out the application form will be considered.
Q: Will food, lodging, travel, and/or visa application costs be covered for accepted applicants?
A: Accepted applicants will have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance to cover some of the costs to attend the summer school. Before accepted participants need to confirm their attendance, we will let them know which costs will be covered for everyone and we will also let accepted participants know if they have been awarded financial aid.
Q: What will the schedule of the in-person program be like?
A: The in-person program will give participants the opportunity to work on collaborative projects together in multi-disciplinary teams. The program will also have social activities to help build connections between participants.
Q: Will there be opportunities for networking and collaboration at the in-person program?
A: Yes absolutely!
Q: What is the relationship between the virtual and in-person programs?
A: All applicants to the in-person program will automatically be registered for the virtual program as well.
Q: My question isn’t answered above. What should I do?
A: If you have a question not answered in the FAQs, please email summerschool+inperson@climatechange.ai. Due to the large number of inquiries, we may not be able to reply to all emails.