On Tuesday we were treated to a very well presented and humorous talk from the Dean of Science, and Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, Jonathan Schaeffer. He talked about his research over the years, and how computing science has evolved in that time, by using his research into games. He started by stating that computers have forced people to rethink what it means to be able to think. Computers can give us the illusion that they are able to think, but in reality they are actually very simple minded. In the past thirty five years we have learned that computers are actually very good a some things we used to think only people could do, like driving cars, spell checking, flying airplanes and winning at games of strategy like Checkers, Chess and Go.
His research, and that of his colleagues from the U of A has covered the game of Checkers, in 1995, in a game between world expert Marion Tinsley vs the U of A Chinook computer, the game of Chess, in 2007 with chess expert Gary Kasparov, against the IBM Deep Blue computer, and in 2016, the game of Go with expert Lee Sedol against the Google Deep Mind computer team. He used the humorous comparison of the two different computing models, the biological model (the human brain) vs. the computer model, with tables comparing physical and mental age, height, weight, years of gaming experience, number of synapses vs CPUs, speed of computation, and the number of possibilities that can be learned. The Chinook computer was better because it could store forty trillion possible positions in it’s memory. By 2007 computers could store all five hundred billion billion possibilities and became perfect at the game of Checkers. The Deep Blue computer was better at Chess, with ten followed by forty five zeros possible positions, because it could perform computations at the speed of two hundred million possible moves per second, and the Deep Mind computer was able to learn, by rote repetition, all of the possible moves ( one followed by one hundred zeros) that would lead to failure in the game of Go.
These comparisons highlighted the things that give computers an edge in these games, such as rote memory, speed of computation, and the ability to doggedly perform the same task over and over many millions of times in order to ‘learn’ the best moves. These are all tasks that the human mind would never be able to, or even want to perform. He then talked about how the human mind can easily take in so many more things, all at once, such as sight and language, and perform feats of learning and reasoning that are well beyond that of even the most modern computer. The fact is, as he stated, humans and computers are more complementary, than they are alike.
He spoke of how studying the field of gaming has contributed to the overall development of computers and of the field of artificial Intelligence and machine learning. He also emphasised how the U. of A has had a part in so many of these developments. Technology from these fields is being applied in all kinds of other fields such as bioinformatics, GPS systems and scheduling systems. The U. of A. department of Computing Science was a pioneer in this field, and is now ranked second in the world in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. As part of the Pan Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, it has recently been the recipient of twenty five million dollars, with the promise of a further fifty million dollars to continue their research in this field.
As a result of this, we can look forward to many more contributions from them in the future.
Professor Jonathan Schaeffer and President Dimitri
A celebration of Art's life will be held on May 22nd (Victoria Day) at Hainstock's Funeral Home.
Address: 9810 34 Avenue NW, Edmonton. Plenty of parking at the rear of the building. [MAP]
Time: 2:00 p.m. (1400)
Art Baird 1935-2017
Art Baird died early this morning May 5. He went home yesterday, talked to the ambulance driver, had a coke, fell asleep and died sometimes between 2 and 7 am.
Art was recently made an honourary member recognizing his long and distinguised service to the club.
Art was introduced into Rotary and our club by Past president Peter Jorgensen in August 1986. He served as president in 1993-94 and was awarded with Rotarian of the Year Award in 1990-91. Art was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
We will miss his big smile and crushing handshake very much.
Please keep Joyce and the family in your thoughts.
On Tuesday, May 16th, Carol Devereux, District 5370 Paul Harris Society Chair, graced us with her presence where she presented Bruce Flesher with his PHS membership.
A Paul Harris Society member is a person who has pledged to contribute US$1,000 in a Rotary Year to Rotary Foundation programs. Bruce is already a major Foundation donor and Joyce is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
Congratulations Bruce and thank you for your continued support of The Rotary Foundation and its programs that our club benefits in.
-Both Events $50.00 Please pay Ken Sutley or Ken Germain.
-Fellowship 4:30 - 6.ish,: Drink a beer, wine or juice etc. Cost: Free! Contributions of Golf Prizes are appreciated. How about a Silent auction table?
Join us Tuesday, June 13 following a quick Rotary meeting. 2:15 tee off times begin.
Best Ball, 2 person teams will compete for fun, glory and prizes. 2 or 3 clubs is all you'll need including a putter.
Kinsmen Pitch and Putt is a very short but beautiful course in Edmonton's River Valley.
About 2 1/2 hours completes the round, then it's off to the Kinsmen Clubhouse, beneath the High Level Bridge for fun and Bar B-Q. The roasted chickens were a hit last year and spares us from lighting the Bar B-Q and cooking. Salads desert will be there too!
Some beer and wine and juice is included.
Please register on line or tell us that you'll be there for either or both events.
On behalf of the 155 school girls, the 30 residents of the Treatment Centre, the 15 new mothers at the Health Unit and the Days for Girls Chapter in Calgary, I thank you for your $800.00 donation to offset the shortfall for washable menstrual kits for Alexander First Nation in Morinville.
Days for Girls, an international volunteer organization with over 960 chapters around the world, is focused on keeping girls in school by providing high quality, washable feminine hygiene kits. These kits are paired with women’s health and reproduction education to ensure that girls and women have accurate information for making life decisions. Alexander invited us to distribute kits to their girls because many were dropping out of school.
Since menstruation is a delicate subject, we work with local women to ensure that our activities are culturally appropriate. In the case of Alexander First Nations, we have taken training from their Cultural Advisor to ensure that we respect traditions, wording, ceremonies, and gifts. Our chapter feels that this distribution opens a door to our First Nations’ sisters and hope that it leads to other opportunities with northern communities.
You have helped us with your donation but even more important is the opportunity to work with Strathcona on other projects in the future. This letter is an open invitation for Strathcona members to join us as we increase our presence in NWT and northern Alberta through kit distributions and micro enterprises.
Thanks again,
Katharine Bondy
Partnerships and Fundraising Coordinator
Calgary Chapter, Days for Girls
Days for Girls Calgary Chapter ∙ Every Girl. Everywhere. Period.
The kit lasts for 3 years. Days for Girls will provide education to a nurse or elder who will act as the contact on the ground for the education and training on how to use the kits and how to understand menstruation. Depending on the number that could be used, we require lead time to make them. The timing can be discussed when we have an indication of the interest and need. You can contact me at 403 242 2421 or Katharine@westernleadership.com
Wellspring Edmonton is pleased to extend an invitation to the 2nd Annual Allard Lecture on June 1st, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. at The Citadel Theatre. We are honoured to present internationally renowned doctor and cancer control specialist, Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, who will deliver a lecture - The Science and Art of Healing: New Horizons versus New Eyes.
In recognition of the generosity of the Allard Foundation, Wellspring Edmonton will host the second edition of the annual public lecture series to present leading perspectives on cancer research, prevention, treatment and support for patients, families, and professionals. This year’s distinguished speaker, Dr. Sutcliffe, is the President of Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration Foundation, former President of the BC Cancer Agency, former CEO of the Princess Margaret Hospital, and Past chair of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for Wellspring Edmonton and Cross Cancer Institute volunteers, and students with ID card. Admission includes a meet and greet with Dr. Sutcliffe and Wellspring supporters, prior to the lecture itself, offering complimentary refreshments and a variety of musical, art, and other live demonstrations.
In the interests of spreading the word about Wellspring Edmonton and the support provided to cancer patients and their families, we hope you will share this invitation with your friends and colleagues who might also be interested.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you at the lecture event.
Rtn. Jerry Kelly from Victoria, formerly with the RC Edmonton, joined us at the zoo and gave us an invitation to join other golfers from around the world to their 54th golf tournament in Victoria BC. The "International Golfing Fellowship of Rotary" is one of the oldest Rotary Fellowships.
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