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GitHub Reacts to Growing Cryptocurrency Mining Attacks Using GitHub Actions – InfoQ.com

In response to the recent surge in cryptocurrency mining attacks, GitHub has changed how pull requests from public forks are handled in GitHub Actions to prevent abuse.

As the CEO of DevOps platform LayerCI, Colin Chartier, explained in a recent article,

As the market capitalization of cryptocurrency surged from $190 billion in January of 2020 to $2 trillion in April of 2021, it's become profitable for bad actors to make a full time job of attacking the free tiers of platform-as-a-service providers.

Chartier describes how an attacker can abuse GitHub Actions cron feature to create new commits every hour with the aim to mine cryptocurrencies.

Because developers can run arbitrary code on our servers, they often violate our terms of service to run cryptocurrency miners as a "build step" for their websites.

According to Chartier, one strategy to reduce the chances of being detected that is becoming popular is using a headless browser for these attacks.

As a result of this, major providers of free-tiered CI platforms, including GitLab and TraviCI, announced restrictions to their free offerings to prevent abuse.

Given this context, GitHub has announced two changes to pull request handling to make it harder for attackers to trigger the execution of mining code on upstream repositories by simply submitting a pull request.

This [...] has a negative impact on repository owners whose legitimate pull requests and accounts may be blocked as a result of this activity.

As a first measure, upstream repositories will not be held responsible for abusive attacks triggered by forked repos.

Our enforcement will be directed at the account hosting the fork and not the account associated with the upstream repository.

In addition to this, when a contributor submits a pull request for the first time, manual approval from a repository collaborator with write access will be required before a GitHub Action can be run.

Based on conversations with several maintainers, we feel this step is a good balance between manual approval and existing automated workflows. This will be the default setting and, as of now, there is no way to opt out of the behavior.

GitHub also stated this approach could be made more flexible in the future, if it impacts negatively maintainers.

While GitHub strategy could work for the time being, according to Chartier it is likely that attacks will become more sophisticated and will circumvent any measures. In his rather pessimistic view, only abandoning computationally expensive proof-of-concept mining could preserve CI platforms free tiers.

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Junior Geek of the Month: Nigel Barnett will pursue engineering at MIT, and later, his astronaut dream – GeekWire

Nigel Barnett has spent his childhood designing, building, destroying and tinkering. He started with LEGOs, moved on to DC motors and circuits, then computer hardware, 3D printing, and now, in high school, a solar car.

Someday he might take his love for building stuff to the International Space Station.

A 17-year-old senior at Seattles Raisbeck Aviation High School, Nigel is GeekWires Junior Geek of the Month for April. The monthly honor, presented by Northern Trust, recognizes talented young innovators, creators and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest.

A STEM kid like many who have been nominated for Junior Geek, Nigel is particularly interested in the way stuff is built and moves. Learning moreabout physics and aerodynamics and engineering has only fueled that interest.

I find that learning new subjects is really cool because I get to look at everyday objects differently and I get to understand how they work better, Nigel said. Before, I didnt really know why you would have to have heat sinks or spreaders on technology components and fans. Now that weve gone through stuff about physics, Ive learned why thats important.

Nigel, who lives in Newcastle, Wash., has been taking Running Start classes through Bellevue College and will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with plans to study mechanical engineering, most likely with an aerospace or aeronautical focus.

At Raisbeck hes been involved in the schools Green Energy Team and among 20 or so students, he is the main structural designer of the teams solar car. While it might seem like a logical transition to join MITs solar efforts, Nigel is shifting his focus to maybe joining a rocketry team instead.

I dont know if its fair to say I have a career plan, he said. But I have some aspirations for becoming an engineer and hopefully becoming an astronaut afterwards. But thats pretty up there. Im more focused on becoming an engineer at this point.

He said he chose Raisbeck initially because he thought he wanted to be a pilot and become an astronaut that way, but he realized it would be more flexible and fit better with his interests to become an engineer.

A very common theme with astronauts Ive researched is an interest for science and an interest for exploration, Nigel said. I think I can really identify with those two character traits.

He added that it would be really cool to be able to look down on Earth from the International Space Station. He laughed at the idea that he could someday just spend a few hundred thousands dollars and ride up on a commercial spaceflight.

I think its a bit better if you understand everything thats happening, or maybe youre contributing, he said. That makes it really special.

Nigel got a head start last summer on working with MIT when he joined a group research opportunity through MIT Beaver Summer Institute to help develop a contact tracing application to monitor the spread of COVID-19. Hes been into 3D printing since the 8th grade when he first saw a 3D printing demo at a Microsoft Store in Seattle. Using his skills, he joined an online group that was printing face shields to help with the shortage of that personal protective equipment during the height of the pandemic.

Nigels mom Hazel Bhang Barnett said her sons geekiness speaks for itself.

Nigel hasnt won any renowned competitions, awards, or patents, but students like Nigel help project teams function, share hard-earned, self-taught know-how for the greater good, and persevere till the end despite setbacks, she told GeekWire.

GeekWire will feature a new Junior Geek of the Month in profiles meant to capture how they are looking to make a positive impact on the world through their geeky pursuits. In addition, theyll receive special recognition from our project partner, Northern Trust.

Do you know an exceptional Junior Geek between the ages of 12 to 20 who is going to change the world?Submit anomination.

Nominees must be residents of the Pacific Northwest, and parental information must be included for those nominees under the age of 18. Jr. Geeks may nominate themselves but please be sure to include your parent or guardians contact information.

Read about our previous Junior Geek of the Month winners.

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Company Insights for the Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services Industry | Impact of Trends and Challenges on Companies, Risk of Doing…

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Origami in Space Engineering: Rediscovering the Meaning of Discovery – The New York Times

NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory has the lead in origami space engineering. Origami, with its folds, compresses materials and packs them in the smallest of volumes. In the words of Robert Salazar, an intern at the laboratory, origami offers the potential to take a vast structure and get it to fit within the rocket, therefore greatly magnifying what we are capable of building in space.

Not only is origami used for compression, but its also used for robotic exploration. Starshade, an occulter in NASAs Exoplanet Exploration Program, the New Worlds Mission, prevents starlight from interfering with exoplanet pictures that the telescope takes. Its unfolding resembles a flower blooming; the petals spread out from the stem, which disconnects from the occulter and transforms into an independent telescope. Jeremy Kasdin, the principal investigator, expects that the mission will allow us to directly image Earth-size, rocky exoplanets. Origami makes this expansion possible without investing the energy and resources to have a human astronaut manually perform the mission.

As seen in the Starshade occulter, origami is one of the simplest and most elegant sets of directions scientists can relay to robots. While robots can perform actions humans are incapable of, human instincts cannot be programmed into them. However, the mechanical nature of material folding makes directions far more accurate and precise for robots to understand. Origami serves as a common language robots can easily interpret in space. Self-folding robots, developed by Samuel Felton, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, and his team, are one of the first adopters of this language. Electricity passes through the circuit board like blood running through veins, and the robot walks away after bending its body parts. Dr. Felton believes such robots could be deployed in space missions in the far future.

Origami space engineering teaches us that difficult problems often have simple solutions. Science celebrates discoveries and breaking new ground. Less spotlight is shone on rediscoveries; what we already possess can be given a new lease on life if we believe in its potential. In space, the final frontier, origami engineering serves as a humble reminder for scientists that a kind gaze at our individual potential can unleash the ultimate frontier within all of us.

Works Cited

Callahan, Molly. New Professor Creates Self-Folding, Origami Robots. News@Northeastern, 24 Oct. 2016.

Chang, Kenneth. Origami Inspires Rise of Self-Folding Robot. The New York Times, 7 Aug. 2014.

Good, Andrew. What Looks Good on Paper May Look Good in Space. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 22 Sept. 2017.

Lee, Elizabeth. Ancient Origami Art Becomes Engineers Dream in Space. Voice of America, 26 Oct. 2017.

Rodriguez, Joshua. Flower Power: NASA Reveals Spring Starshade Animation. Exoplanet Exploration, 24 Sept. 2020.

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Have your say: How do we inspire the next generation of engineers? – The Engineer

What big conversations need to happen to help us inspire the next generation of engineers? Asks Dr Hilary Leevers, CEO of Engineering UK

Weve launched a new campaign to encourage discussion about how to achieve the ambition of increasing the diversity and number of young people entering engineering. Maybe youve seen it?

The Big Engineering Conversation has been taking place across social media and on our website and Im delighted to see the engineering community responding, commenting and contributing their perspectives.

If you havent had a chance to get involved with the #BigEngConversation, then let me share some highlights. We kicked off with the question, What have we learnt from delivering engagement activities in a pandemic?.

First, one of my colleagues, Moira Shaftoe, our Business Partnership Manager for the North East, shared her thoughts about the creation of the Virtual Work Experience working group. This group of 12 EngineeringUK Corporate Members, was established to find innovative ways to ensure high quality work experience opportunities during the pandemic. Building on the key learning from that group, we have partnered with The Careers & Enterprise Company in the development of a step-by-step guide to support employers interested in providing a young person with an experience of their workplace. The site, Experiences of the workplace A guide for employers, houses high-quality resources to take you through the entire process of planning, preparation and delivery. We know how much young people value work experience in STEM, and research from Wellcome found that about twice as many seek it than find it, so we need to offer much more. If youre interested in doing so, I hope you find this guide useful.

We really need to work together to increase our collective impact, so young people understand the thousands of engineering roles available in the future

We also heard from Phillip McShane, Head of the Big Bang Programme, about the pivot to Big Bang Digital after the cancellation of the 2020 face-to-face Fair. The inaugural Digital event followed consultations with teachers and young people to understand how to make it most useful for them. The team produced a key learnings report in which they reflected on what went well and share some of the challenges and learnings. This years Big Bang Digital, a 3-day extravaganza due to be held on Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 June 2021, will give young people an opportunity to see how the STEM subjects they are studying right now can lead to a brighter and greener future. If youre in any way connected to a school, then please do ask them to register.

Common to both testimonies was the collaboration required to pull off these feats. We really need to work together to increase our collective impact, so young people understand the thousands of engineering roles available in the future. From public transport, to tackling climate change and helping the UK achieve its Net Zero aspirations, to working alongside scientists and health care specialists to combat global pandemics, engineering and technology spans a range of exciting careers. According to our research, nearly 50% of 11 to 19 year-olds said they knew little or almost nothing about what engineers do, so we need many organisations working effectively together to reach the scale of change needed.

We initiated the #BigEngConversation but we dont want to talk to ourselves! We want your input, expertise and engagement. We started by focusing on how the pandemic has affected engagement activities, why diversity is such a key issue for engineering and how collaboration can help us in achieving some common goals. But were really keen to hear from you about what other big conversations need to happen to help us inspire the next generation of engineers. Weve had some great suggested topics, from the training of teachers and careers advisors and understanding of different pathways into engineering, to how to engage neurodiverse young people.

The team have created a toolkit to help employers, individual engineers, Professional Engineering Institutions, delivery organisations and anyone else connected to the engineering sector to get involved. Over to you

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Black & Veatch Named a Top Employer for Women Engineers, Reflecting Commitment to Diversity – Business Wire

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recognizing Black & Veatchs commitment to providing a positive working environment for women engineers, the global engineering, procurement and construction leader has been named to Woman Engineer magazines list of Top 50 Employers.

The rankings are the result of an annual reader survey conducted by the magazine to determine the top companies in the country for which [the readers of Women Engineer magazine] would most like to work or whom they believe would provide a positive working environment for women engineers. The magazine, launched in 1979, targets women in the fields of engineering, computer science and information technology.

Black & Veatch understands the social and financial importance of enabling a diverse and inclusive workforce, said Patty Corcoran, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer with Black & Veatch. This top ranking helps validate our commitment to investing in our women engineers, helping to raise awareness about bias and pushing for a more gender-neutral world, which is a mission central to the diversity commitment of Black & Veatch.

We recognize the value and contributions of our women professionals across the full spectrum of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), where women remain dramatically underrepresented, Corcoran said.

According to the Society of Women Engineers, women comprise just 13 percent of the engineering workforce. Over the past decade, womens interest in majoring in engineering and computer science has increased slightly, up from 4.4 percent in 2009 to 7.1 percent in 2019, but they still lag behind men across all the STEM disciplines.

In 2019, Ingrams selected Black & Veatch as one of its Best Companies to Work For, recognizing its commitment to supporting professionals through leadership, performance and career development. That same year, Black & Veatch CEO Steve Edwards signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, joining the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The pledge further cements the companys commitment to nurturing a trusting workplace that values inclusiveness, enables difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion, expands education about unconscious bias and examines both best and unsuccessful practices aimed at creating an inclusive work environment.

The company also runs a designated Womens Network under its Employee Resource Group program that provides women professionals and allies a place to network, host events and collaborate. Earlier this year, Forbes honored Black & Veatchs commitment to workplace diversity by placing it on its annual list of Best Employers for Diversity.

Editors Notes:

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is an employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2020 exceeded US$3.0 billion. Follow us on http://www.bv.com and on social media.

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First lecture in new speaker series focuses on AI and machine learning – YSU.edu

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are the topics of a lecture 10 a.m. to noon Friday, May 21, as part of the new Data Analytics Certificate Program Speaker Series at Youngstown State University.

The lecture features Quentin Fisher, founder and chief technology officer of Health Care Analytics, whose cloud technologies and digital solutions for close to a quarter century across more than 90 clients are now accessible to everyone.

The event is via Zoom. Register online.

Fisher previously held vice president- and partner-level positions with CSC (now DXC) and HCL, where he has led Global Business Analytics Services for manufacturing and public service industries. He has a long history in consulting delivery and operations where hes managed consulting business portfolios of $100 million and 600 consultants across the globe. Originally from Canada, where he earned an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Manitoba, Fisher currently lives in Northeast Ohio.

The lecture will include examples of how AI and Machine Learning are being used to impact operations, will explore the differences between analytics, Big Data, AI and data visualization, and will examine how these technologies can enable organizations to predict events and increase operational efficiency.

For more information, contact Ou Hu, the Paul J. Thomas Endowed Chair and Professor in Economics at YSU, at ohu@ysu.edu.

A year ago, YSU introduced new certificate programs in Data Analytics aimed at helping graduates improve and broaden their job prospects. The new certificates on both the undergraduate and graduate levels are composed of three courses - Data Management, Data Visualization and Predictive Modeling.

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Machine learning security vulnerabilities are a growing threat to the web, report highlights – The Daily Swig

Security industry needs to tackle nascent AI threats before its too late

As machine learning (ML) systems become a staple of everyday life, the security threats they entail will spill over into all kinds of applications we use, according to a new report.

Unlike traditional software, where flaws in design and source code account for most security issues, in AI systems, vulnerabilities can exist in images, audio files, text, and other data used to train and run machine learning models.

This is according to researchers from Adversa, a Tel Aviv-based start-up that focuses on security for artificial intelligence (AI) systems, who outlined their latest findings in their report, The Road to Secure and Trusted AI, this month.

This makes it more difficult to filter, handle, and detect malicious inputs and interactions, the report warns, adding that threat actors will eventually weaponize AI for malicious purposes.

Unfortunately, the AI industry hasnt even begun to solve these challenges yet, jeopardizing the security of already deployed and future AI systems.

Theres already a body of research that shows many machine learning systems are vulnerable to adversarial attacks, imperceptible manipulations that cause models to behave erratically.

BACKGROUND Adversarial attacks against machine learning systems everything you need to know

According to the researchers at Adversa, machine learning systems that process visual data account for most of the work on adversarial attacks, followed by analytics, language processing, and autonomy.

Machine learning systems have a distinct attack surface

With the growth of AI, cyberattacks will focus on fooling new visual and conversational Interfaces, the researchers write.

Additionally, as AI systems rely on their own learning and decision making, cybercriminals will shift their attention from traditional software workflows to algorithms powering analytical and autonomy capabilities of AI systems.

Web developers who are integrating machine learning models into their applications should take note of these security issues, warned Alex Polyakov, co-founder and CEO of Adversa.

There is definitely a big difference in so-called digital and physical attacks. Now, it is much easier to perform digital attacks against web applications: sometimes changing only one pixel is enough to cause a misclassification, Polyakov told The Daily Swig, adding that attacks against ML systems in the physical world have more stringent demands and require much more time and knowledge.

Read more of the latest infosec research news

Polyakov also warned about vulnerabilities in machine learning models served over the web such as API services provided by large tech companies.

Most of the models we saw online are vulnerable, and it has been proven by several research reports as well as by our internal tests, Polyakov. With some tricks, it is possible to train an attack on one model and then transfer it to another model without knowing any special details of it.

Also, you can perform CopyCat attack to steal a model, apply the attack on it and then use this attack on the API.

Most machine learning algorithms require large sets of labeled data to train models. In many cases, instead of going through the effort of creating their own datasets, machine learning developers search and download datasets published on GitHub, Kaggle, or other web platforms.

Eugene Neelou, co-founder and CTO of Adversa, warned about potential vulnerabilities in these datasets that can lead to data poisoning attacks.

Poisoning data with maliciously crafted data samples may make AI models learn those data entries during training, thus learning malicious triggers, Neelou told The Daily Swig. The model will behave as intended in normal conditions, but malicious actors may call those hidden triggers during attacks.

RELATED TrojanNet a simple yet effective attack on machine learning models

Neelou also warned about trojan attacks, where adversaries distribute contaminated models on web platforms.

Instead of poisoning data, attackers have control over the AI model internal parameters, Neelou said. They could train/customize and distribute their infected models via GitHub or model platforms/marketplaces.

Unfortunately, GitHub and other platforms dont yet have any safeguards in place to detect and defend against data poisoning schemes. This makes it very easy for attackers to spread contaminated datasets and models across the web.

Attacks against machine learning and AI systems are set to increase over the coming years

Neelou warned that while AI is extensively used in myriads of organizations, there are no efficient AI defenses.

He also raised concern that under currently established roles and procedures, no one is responsible for AI/ML security.

AI security is fundamentally different from traditional computer security, so it falls under the radar for cybersecurity teams, he said. Its also often out of scope for practitioners involved in responsible/ethical AI, and regular AI engineering hasn't solved the MLOps and QA testing yet.

Check out more machine learning security news

On the bright side, Polyakov said that adversarial attacks can also be used for good. Adversa recently helped one of its clients use adversarial manipulations to develop web CAPTCHA queries that are resilient against bot attacks.

The technology itself is a double-edged sword and can serve both good and bad, he said.

Adversa is one of several organizations involved in dealing with the emerging threats of machine learning systems.

Last year, in a joint effort, several major tech companies released the Adversarial Threat ML Matrix, a set of practices and procedures meant to secure the machine learning training and delivery pipeline in different settings.

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Can machine learning help save the whales? How PNW researchers use tech tools to monitor orcas – GeekWire

Aerial image of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in K pod. The image was obtained using a remotely piloted octocopter drone that was flown during health research by Dr. John Durban and Dr. Holly Fearnbach. (Vulcan Image)

Being an orca isnt easy. Despite a lack of natural predators, these amazing mammals face many serious threats most of them brought about by their human neighbors. Understanding the pressures we put on killer whale populations is critical to the environmental policy decisions that will hopefully contribute to their ongoing survival.

Fortunately, marine mammal researchers like Holly Fearnbach of Sealife Response + Rehab + Research (SR3) and John Durban of Oregon State University are working hard to regularly monitor the condition of the Salish Seas southern resident killer whale population (SKRW). Identified as J pod, K pod and L pod, these orca communities have migrated through the Salish Sea for millennia. Unfortunately, in recent years their numbers have dwindled to only 75 whales, with one new calf born in 2021. This is the lowest population figure for the SRKW in 30 years.

For more than a decade, Fearnbach and Durban have flown photographic surveys to capture aerial images of the orcas. Starting in 2008, image surveys were performed using manned helicopter flights. Then beginning in 2014, the team transitioned to unmanned drones.

As the remote-controlled drone flies 100 feet or more above the whales, images are captured of each of the pod members, either individually or in groups. Since the drone is also equipped with a laser altimeter, the exact distance is known making calculations of the whales dimensions very accurate. The images are then analyzed in whats called a photogrammetric health assessment. This assessment helps determine each whales physical condition, including any evidence of pregnancy or significant weight loss due to malnourishment.

As a research tool, the drone is very cost effective and it allows us to do our research very noninvasively, Fearnbach said. When we do detect health declines in individuals, were able to provide management agencies with these quantitative health metrics.

But while the image collection stage is relatively inexpensive, processing the data has been costly and time-consuming. Each flight can capture 2,000 images with tens of thousands of images captured for each survey. Following the drone work, it typically takes about six months to manually complete the analysis on each seasons batch of images.

Obviously, half a year is a very long time if youre starving or pregnant, which is one reason why SR3s new partnership with Vulcan is so important. Working together, the organizations developed a new approach to process the data more rapidly. The Aquatic Mammal Photogrammetry Tool (AMPT) uses machine learning and an end-user tool to accelerate the laborious process, dramatically shortening the time needed to analyze, identify and categorize all of the images.

Applying machine learning techniques to the problem has already yielded huge results, reducing a six-month process to just six weeks with room for further improvements. Machine learning is a branch of computing that can improve its performance through experience and use of data. The faster turnaround time will make it possible to more quickly identify whales of concern and provide health metrics to management groups to allow for adaptive decision making, according to Vulcan.

Were trying to make and leave the world a better place, primarily through ocean health and conservation, said Sam McKennoch, machine learning team manager at Vulcan. We got connected with SR3 and realized this was a great use case, where they have a large amount of existing data and needed help automating their workflows.

AMPT is based on four different machine learning models. First, the orca detector identifies those images that have orcas in them and places a box around each whale. The next ML model fully outlines the orcas body, a process known in the machine learning field as semantic segmentation. After that comes the landmark detector which detects the rostrum (or snout) of the whale, the dorsal fins, blowhole, shape of the eye patches, fluke notch and so forth. This allows the software to measure and calculate the shape and proportions of various parts of the body.

Of particular interest is whether the whales facial fat deposits are so low they result in indentations of the head that marine biologists refer to as peanut head. This only appears when the orca has lost a significant amount of body fat and is in danger of starvation.

Finally, the fourth machine learning model is the identifier. The shape of the gray saddle patch behind the whales dorsal fin is as unique as a fingerprint, allowing each of the individuals in the pod to be identified.

There are a lot of different kinds of information needed for this kind of automation. Fortunately, Vulcan has been able to leverage some of SR3s prior manual work to bootstrap their machine learning models.

We really wanted to understand their pain points and how we could provide them the tools they needed, rather than the tools we might want to give them, McKennoch said.

As successful as AMPT has been, theres a lot of knowledge and information that has yet to be incorporated into its machine learning models. As a result, theres still the need to have users in-the-loop in a semi-supervised way for some of the ML processing. The interface speeds up user input and standardizes measurements made by different users.

McKennoch believes there will be gains with each batch they process for several cycles to come. Because of this, they hope to continue to improve performance in terms of accuracy, workflow and compute time to the point that the entire process eventually takes days, instead of weeks or months.

This is very important because AMPT will provide information that guides policy decisions at many levels. Human impact on the orcas environment is not diminishing and if anything, is increasing. Overfishing is reducing food sources, particularly chinook salmon, the orcas preferred meal. Commercial shipping and recreational boats continue to cause injury and their excessive noise interferes with the orcas ability to hunt salmon. Toxic chemicals from stormwater runoff and other pollution damage the marine mammals health. Ongoing monitoring of each individual whale will be critical to maintaining their wellbeing and the health of the local marine ecosystem.

Vulcan plans to open-source AMPT, giving it a life of its own in the marine mammal research community. McKennoch said they hope to extend the tool so it can be used for other killer whale populations, different large whales, and in time, possibly smaller dolphins and harbor seals.

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Attabotics Partners With AltaML and Amii to Bolster Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Cap – DC Velocity

Attabotics, the 3D robotics supply chain company, today announced a partnership with AltaML, a leading Canadian applied artificial intelligence and machine learning company, and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), one of the worlds preeminent centers of artificial intelligence research and application, to develop capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that further optimize efficiency and productivity in Attabotics innovative supply chain infrastructure. Together, the three organizations will begin operationalizing the partnership through projects that combine AI technologies with IoT (Internet of Things) infrastructure to achieve more efficient IoT operations, improve human-machine interactions and enhance Attabotics data management and capabilities.

Requiring 85 percent less space than typical fulfillment warehouses, Attabotics is an entirely new way to store and pick goods in warehouses that is tailor-made to help retailers respond to changing e-commerce demands and empower brands. The company transforms the rows and aisles of a typical warehouse into a single, vertical storage structure thats modular and scalable, and uses 3D robots internally to store and retrieve items for box packers on the outside perimeter. Attabotics offers an ideal applied platform to utilize emerging technologies to optimize the supply chain for modern commerce.

Integrating AI technology into the supply chain for transparency, predictive analytics and network optimization is integral as the pandemic has shown that the traditional supply chain doesnt and wont support modern consumer behavior. Attabotics is building advanced AI/ML capabilities that maximize supply chain system throughput by predictively optimizing fulfillment while minimizing downtime. Attabotics drives these advanced AI models by leveraging IoT data derived from modern cloud based robotic operations. With AltaML and Amii, Attabotics is taking another step toward building out its digitally integrated, distributed network that is optimized for modern commerce.

Were excited to work with two world-renowned organizations to build the future of innovation in Canada, said Scott Gravelle, Attabotics CEO. Creating alliances with industry-leading partners is something weve put an emphasis on, which is why were so grateful to have identified the right partners in AltaML and Amii to help further to optimize our platform as we revolutionize the supply chain.

This collaboration draws on the strengths of three Alberta technology leaders to expand the data analytics capabilities for customers. Combining Attabotics expertise in warehousing and fulfillment with AltaMLs expertise developing applied AI solutions and Amiis world-leading research expertise, the collaboration will enable innovation in areas such as maximizing system automation uptime and throughput. This partnership will also support the growth of Calgary and Alberta as an innovation hub and contributes to an ecosystem where technology and innovation continue to thrive.

AltaML builds and deploys AI-powered software for complex problems, creating new competitive advantage for our partners, said Nicole Janssen, AltaML co-CEO. Attabotics has disrupted traditional warehousing, and we are thrilled to work with them, and Amii, to optimize their processes through applied AI. We are already seeing promising results and look forward to many more to come.

Amii is thrilled to be part of this one-of-a-kind collaboration bringing together three of Albertas leading technology organizations. Together, were demonstrating the provinces reputation as a hub for technology and artificial intelligence through the combination of Attabotics transformational work in advanced robotics for supply chain, Amiis leadership and expertise in artificial intelligence research and development and AltaMLs proven record in applying AI to create business impact. This partnership shows the power of public-private partnerships and is further proof of Albertas leadership in the research and application of AI, said Cam Linke, Amii CEO.

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Attabotics Partners With AltaML and Amii to Bolster Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Cap - DC Velocity

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