Program
Keynote Speakers
Cliodhna Quigley is a cognitive scientist with a focus on data analysis and computational solutions for the study of animal behaviour. Since joining the Fusani lab in Vienna in 2016, she has been involved in developing new approaches for the group to study courtship in birds using videos recorded in laboratory settings and during fieldwork. As well as tracking movements and quantifying behavioural patterns of courting males and choosing females, she also implemented a laboratory system allowing synchronized playback of high-speed video and audio to bird audiences. Her current research interests include the feasability of applying AI models trained on human movement data to data from animals.
For additional information please visit her website at the University of Vienna.
Robin Sandfort is a wildlife biologist who integrates open sensor systems and open source software for sustainable wildlife management and biodiversity monitoring. He now works with his companies capreolus and micromacro as a conservation technologist bridging the gap between classical biodiversity monitoring and the emerging use of AI in remote sensing, bioacoustics and monitoring of invasive alien species.
For additional information please visit his website capreolus.at.
Stefano Mintchev is Assistant Professor of Environmental Robotics at ETH Zurich. He completed his Ph.D. in biorobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy in 2014. During his postdoctoral activity at EPFL he contributed to the field of flying robotics by proposing novel design and manufacturing principles for morpho-functional drones that are inspired by natural flyers. In 2018, Stefano co-founded Foldaway Haptics, where he acted as CTO until April 2020, before joining ETH Zurich with a SNSF Professorial Fellowship. Today, his research focuses on advancing the science and technology of robotics to address the pressing and interconnected challenges of sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity decline.
For further information please visit the Environmental-Robotics-Lab website at ETH Zurich.
Claudia Probst is a professor and senior researcher at the FH OÖ Campus of Engineering and Natural Sciences in Wels. She began her academic journey studying nutritional sciences at the University of Bonn. Following this, she embarked on a short-term assignment in a mycotoxin research laboratory at the University of Arizona. This position quickly ignited her passion for the field and evolved into a rich personal and professional journey over six years, concluding with a husband, two kids, and a doctorate in Plant Pathology & Microbiology in 2010. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Probst moved on to the Washington State University, USA. For six years, she held the position of Research Professor, investigating applied, innovative methods of disease control for sweet cherries and hops growing in the US Pacific Northwest. In 2018, Claudia and her family returned to Europe, choosing Austria as her new home. She took up a leadership role in the recently established bachelor’s degree program in Agricultural Technology and Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Upper Austria. Besides her teaching duties, she established the research group D-FARM (Digitalization in Forestry, Agriculture, Research, and Management). This interdisciplinary group brings together expertise in image and data processing, computer science, automation technology, forestry, biotechnology, molecular biology, and plant protection. D-Farm is dedicated to addressing the multi-faceted challenges confronting modern agriculture and forestry, using a comprehensive, scientific approach to digital solution development.
For further information please visit the website at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.
Georg Schneider is researcher at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and project leader of the "DigiNose" research program. Georg embarked on his academic journey at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg, graduating with a BSc in Software Engineering in 2013 before obtaining his MSc in Human-Centered Computing in 2017. Throughout the course of his career, he has held diverse roles, from a shift leader at a dairy company to critical positions in software development, project leadership, and team management in several renowned companies. He consistently demonstrated competence in process analysis and improvement, software development and architecture, and team leadership. Since 2017, Georg has been a researcher working on Machine Learning System, processes for the autonomous driving of trains, and lately applying his technical expertise to biological questions such as bark beetle control. Parallel to his professional roles, Georg has shared his insights with numerous students as a lecturer at the FH OÖ, teaching subjects including programming in C#, IT fundamentals, and data management. He's also supervised several bachelor theses, bringing his vast knowledge and experience to a new generation of technologists.
For further information please visit the website at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.
Tutorial Sessions
Danielle McKenney is a Data Engineer at Swarovski Optik, where she combines her interest in birds and wildlife with her expertise in machine learning. Her background is in mathematics and computer science, with a focus on data science. At Swarovski Optik, she manages the data infrastructure to support machine learning projects. This includes experimenting with and evaluating different models for integration into optical devices like the AXVisio, the world’s first smart binoculars. This talk will take you on a journey of embedding AI models on the world’s first smart binoculars. We look at the assumptions at the beginning of our project as well as the complexity of embedded software and the dependencies on other hardware components. We will discover the key learnings of our first prototype version and examine our current approach to meet user expectations. Besides the technical challenges when running AI models on an embedded hardware, you will get insights why we found that user experience plays an even more important role in AI applications than in others.
For additional information please visit Swarovski's website.
Provisional Workshop Schedule
| Start | End | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 05.09.2024 | 08:00 | 09:00 | Registration and Arrival |
| 09:00 | 18:00 | Conference Day #1 | |
| 18:00 | Open End | Social Event @ ARS Electronica Festival + Dinner | |
| Friday 06.09.2024 | 09:00 | 12:30 | Conference Day #2 |