Baruch College to Host 2019 CUNY-IBM Watson Social Impact Challenge
Baruch College is hosting the 2019 CUNY-IBM Watson Social Impact Challenge, a city-wide challenge that is open to more than 250,000 CUNY students from all majors and disciplines.
The semester-long competition challenges student teams to propose innovative ideas to help improve services provided through higher education or New York City Government, using IBM Watson technology and IBM Cloud. Grand prizes for the top three teams total $10,000 and will be awarded at a final event on May 3, 2019.
“The CUNY-IBM Watson Social Impact Challenge is an exceptional opportunity for CUNY students to prepare for careers in today’s information-driven economy,” said Stan Altman, Ph.D., professor at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, who is the lead organizer of the program. “Artificial Intelligence technology is tackling and creating solutions for today’s complex challenges facing every sector of our society, and this experience gives students real-world knowledge, experience and the essential skills necessary to be successful in today’s work world.”
Video: Learn more about the societal problems previous students tackled: LINK
How the Competition Works
Teams of three to five CUNY students select a project and then explore creative ways in which artificial intelligence and cloud technology can be applied to improve how public services are provided to members of our society. The competition challenges students to think about the implications that deployment of digital technologies have on the public, such as issues of personal privacy and ethical behavior, cyber security and intellectual property rights, and shifts in the type of skills and knowledge required to be successful in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. Workshops, boot camps, and mentoring help support student teams throughout the competition.
Registration is Now Open!
Deadline to register: March 1, 2019
Info Session
Thursday February 7, 2019
12:45 – 2:15 PM
An information session will take place on Thursday, Feb. 7, where IBM representatives and competition volunteers will answer questions about the event:
Location: Baruch College, 55 Lexington Ave, 3rd floor, Room 3-160, 12:45pm-2:15pm
Team Meet-up and Social Mixer
Friday February 8, 2019
6 – 8 PM
Meet other students, exchange ideas and form Teams
Location: Baruch College, 135 E 22nd Street, 3rd floor, Room 301, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
About IBM’s Watson and the Competition
IBM Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world in a way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges.
The CUNY-IBM Watson Social Impact Challenge is organized by Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs in collaboration with IBM Corporate Citizenship.
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