Presentations – HPC4S3.ME

01.11.2024.01.11.2024.

Invited lecture by dr Silvija Seres: AI Revoluton

We were privileged to host Dr. Silvija Seres, an esteemed thought leader in digital transformation, as part of our ongoing Digital Transformation course at the Faculty of Information Systems and Technologies. Her lecture provided profound insights into the current AI revolution, its critical role in shaping future industries, and its transformative impact on both personal and professional life. Dr. Seres shared valuable perspectives drawn from her global experiences, spanning across diverse fields and cultures. Her career path reflects an impressive journey through business innovation and technology, making her an inspiring figure for students and professionals alike. She spoke not only about the technical aspects of digital transformation but also about the need to maintain a life balance amid the fast-paced changes driven by AI and digitalization. She addressed challenges and opportunities specific to women in science and business, offering her own journey as a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability in traditionally male-dominated sectors.

The lecture was also a catalyst for dynamic discussions among students. They engaged with Dr. Seres on critical topics such as the importance of developing robust business models, defining a clear mission and vision, and securing investment to drive meaningful change. Her insights into the role of venture capital and other support mechanisms shed light on how businesses, especially tech-driven enterprises, can strategically position themselves in the market. This engaging session was a meaningful addition to the Digital Transformation curriculum, providing students not only with theoretical knowledge but also with real-world perspectives on what it takes to innovate and thrive in an era marked by rapid technological advancements.

Invited lecture given by dr Silvija Seres

About our lecturer: Successful developer of international technology companies, with focus on commercialization. Investor and board member, working with majors and startups in IT, finance, media and energy. Leader of large geographically distributed organizations in consulting, marketing and services. MSC Computer Science (Oslo), MBA (INSEAD), PhD Mathematical Sciences (Oxford University). International profile, with five languages and extensive living and working experience worldwide. Link: https://silvijaseres.com/

The lecture took place in the context of Digital Transformation course at UDG

AI Revolution: It’s now. It’s huge. It’s fast. But it’s just a tool and it’s yours to use.

The audince included BSs, Master and PhD students

25.10.2024.27.10.2024.

Lecture by prof Kezunovic from Texas A&M on AI/HPC supported risk management in energy sector

As planned, the invited lecture “Risk Management of Future Large-Scale Electrification” by prof. Mladen Kezunovic took place on 25 October 2024 in Enterpreneurial nest at UDG. Threre was over 60 attendees including students, academics from Montenegrin universities and representatives from the industry. This workshop was organized in the context of HPC4S3ME project and supported by EUROCC NCC Montenegro team.

What are the risks? Methodology for risk management and mitigation? What data do we have and how do we manage all that data? How can AI/ML supported by HPC help?

Dr. Mladen Kezunovic is a University Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M with over 35 years of expertise in power engineering. Renowned globally, Dr. Kezunovic has authored over 600 papers and consulted for 50+ companies worldwide. His extensive research and industry contributions, notably in fault modeling, data analytics, and smart grids, have earned him IEEE Life Fellow status and recognition from the US National Academy of Engineering.

The workshop took place on 25 october at UDG

prof. Kezunovic from Texas A&M gave presentation on a nove approach to Risk managemement in energy sector

How AI/ML supported by HPC can help mitigate risk in energy sector?

Several students from Faculty for information systems and Faculty for applied sciences attended

24.10.2024.24.10.2024.

Master thesis: HPC/AI for breast cancer detection

Ms. Tamara Pavlovic defended her MSc thesis on the use of HPC/AI for creating prediction models for breast cancer detection on 23 October 2024. With the support from NCC Montenegro, Ms Pavlovic did her research in the context of the HPC4S3ME project and the focus was on AI and computer vision applications in medicine. From the motivational point of view, we congratulate Tamara for finalizing and defending her thesis during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month (‘Pink October’) as people around the world adopt the pink colour and display a pink ribbon to raise awareness about breast health.

ABSTRACT – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing numerous sectors, including medicine, by offering innovative methods for diagnosing, treating, and researching diseases. This master’s thesis focuses on the application of AI in the diagnosis of breast cancer, using computer vision algorithms to analyze mammographic images. Through a combination of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and deep learning, models have been developed that identify malignant changes, potentially contributing to earlier and more precise disease detection. The thesis examines in detail how AI can improve the efficiency of screening processes, reduce the time required for diagnosis, and enable a more personalized approach to treatment. In addition to technological progress, ethical issues such as patient safety and the transparency of AI systems are also considered. The results of this study confirm that the application of AI in breast cancer diagnostics can significantly enhance medical procedures. The models tested, ResNet152 and DenseNet121, demonstrated quite good performance in classifying breast cancer. Their AUC scores, which exceed the threshold of 0.9, indicate their potential for use in clinical practice. These findings not only contribute to the improvement of diagnostic processes but also open up opportunities for further research and development of AI technologies in medicine.

This research was done in th context of HPC4S3ME and with the support from EUROCC NCC Montenegro

Ms Pavlovic finalized her thesis during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month (‘Pink October’)

16.10.2024.16.10.2024.

Master thesis: Deep learning in energy sector

Ms. Zoja Scekic, a young researcher on HPC4S3ME project, defended her MSc thesis “Deep learning and applications in energy sector” today. This is one of the main project outputs in capacity building aimed at HPC/AI skills for applications in priority domains of Montenegrin S3.

ABSTRACT – This master’s thesis explores the application of advanced deep learning models for predicting day-ahead electricity prices, focusing on the accuracy and efficiency of these models compared to traditional forecasting methods. With the increasing integration of renewable energy sources and the growing complexity of electricity markets, accurate price forecasting has become crucial for market participants, grid operators, and policymakers. The research is structured around four case studies, each employing different deep learning techniques, such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and hybrid models like CNN-LSTM. Despite the promising results, the research recognizes limitations related to data quality, model complexity, and computational resource requirements. The study emphasizes the need for further research into optimizing model efficiency, integrating more diverse data sources, and expanding the applicability of these models to different energy markets.

Ms Zoja Scekic defended her MSc thesis on Deep leaning applications in energy sector

This MSc thesis was done in the context of HPC4S3ME with support from EUROCC NCC Montenegro

Friendly support from young researchers from UDG and HPC4S3ME team

03.10.2024.06.10.2024.

BSc thesis on computer vision and machine learning for sign language

Mr. Igor Radulovic defended his BSc thesis on computer vision and machine learning for creating a prediction model for sign language. The defence took place on 3 October at UDG. This effort was inspired by the AI4S3 course and was supported by mentors from NCC Montenegro and HPC4S3ME team.

ABSTRACT – This thesis explores the use of advanced computer vision and machine learning techniques to develop a system that enables the translation of sign language into speech or written text in real time. The project aims to facilitate the communication of deaf-mute people with people who do not know sign language, in order to overcome language barriers and improve the social status of deaf-mute people in society. Using technologies such as Google Colab, Python, Roboflow, VS Code and Detectron2, a system was developed that recognizes various American Sign Language (ASL) gestures and converts them into understandable information. The system is based on deep neural networks and processes such as model training and instance segmentation, in order to achieve a high level of accuracy and reliability. Through the evaluation of the results, an impressive performance of the model was achieved with an F1 result of 95.6%, while the challenges in the technical limitations remained an important point of future development. This work points to the significant social impact of the application of computer vision in the communication of deaf and mute people, enabling them to integrate and be present in modern society.

Computer vision and machinle learning for sign language

03.10.2024.06.10.2024.

BSc thesis on prompt engineering

Mr. Veselin Andric defended his BSc thesis titleld “Prompt endineering for LLMs” at the Faculty for information systems and technologies. The devence took place on 2 Oct 2024 and it was done under mentorship of the EuroCC and HPC4S3ME teams’ members. This was a part of the effort to promote HPC and AI related technologies in the teaching curricula and research activities at UDG.

ABSTRACT – Prompt engineering is one of the primary areas of Natural language processing (NLP). It is a process that involves designing and improving inputs that are given to a language model such as ChatGPT, with a goal of getting wanted results. This dissertation investigates details of prompt engineering, it’s theoretical foundation, methodologies and practical uses in different tasks of NLP.

Mr. Veselin Andric defended his BSc thesis on Prompt Engineering

The provided an overview of NLP, LLMs and prompt techniques

02.10.2024.

HPC and AI in Pharmacy

At the Avala Hotel in Budva, on September 27, 2024, as part of the international EPhEU event, the association of pharmacy organizations from Europe (September 26 to 28, 2024), a session on Module 6 of continuing education for Montenegrin pharmacists was held, titled “Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacy: Digital Challenges, Myths and Misconceptions Incorporated in Digital Media, the Need for New Competencies for Pharmacists.” This event gathered over 150 experts, both online and in person, from the field of pharmacy, aiming to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the pharmaceutical sector.

*Mr Cakic gave a lecture on HPC and AI and applications in Pharmaceutical industry*

Mr Stevan Čakić from UDG and NCC Montenegro gave a lecture on the history and development of AI, emphasizing its growing importance in pharmacy. Then a special attention was given to the application of AI in drug development, personalized therapy, and optimization of pharmaceutical services. The discussion addressed the potential of AI and HPC to reshape the way pharmacists perform their daily tasks, as well as the need to improve skills and knowledge to adapt to new technologies. Link for the PKFE: https://pkfe.me/edukativni-programi/

28.09.2024.

Lecture on AI and Collective Intelligence

On Friday, September 27, UDG welcomed Divya Siddarth, one of the 100 most influential young people in the field of artificial intelligence, as chosen by TIME magazine!

Ms Divya Siddarth is one of the 100 most influential young people in the field of artificial intelligence

Divya is a researcher at Microsoft Research, in the Political Economy and Social Technologies (PEST) department, and co-founder of the Collective Intelligence Project. Her work focuses on using technology to create fairer societies, with a particular emphasis on decentralized technologies, artificial intelligence and digital democracy.

She was recently recognized as one of the key minds shaping the future of artificial intelligence in the service of the common good!

It was a pleasure to be a part of this discussion. There was over 200 people in the audience

Divya is a researcher at Microsoft Research and co-founder of the Collective Intelligence Project

26.09.2024.01.10.2024.

Revolutionising Agriculture with HPC and AI: Real-World Applications

At the “Revolutionising Agriculture with HPC and AI: Real-World Applications” conference, the AIMHiGH project, coordinated by DigitalSmart, was presented as part of the HPC Fortissimo initiative under the Horizon 2020 FF4EuroHPC program. The project, titled “AI/ML Enabled by HPC for Edge Camera Devices for the Next Generation Hen Farms,” brought cutting-edge HPC and AI/ML technologies to the poultry farming sector. Key achievements included real-time monitoring and data-driven insights through AI-powered edge cameras that continuously surveilled poultry, detecting early signs of illness and abnormal behavior. This innovation allowed farmers to intervene promptly, improving animal welfare, reducing losses, and enhancing productivity.

S. Cakic presented the project AIMHiGH that utilised HPC and AI for computer vision in smart agriculture

Additionally, the AI models developed during the project provided advanced solutions for early disease detection, resource optimization, and automation, leading to more sustainable and efficient farming practices. The system reduced manual supervision needs, cut operational costs, and optimized feed and water usage based on real-time data. The technology’s scalability and flexibility made it accessible to both large and small farms. Collaboration with partners like DunavNET, the University of Donja Gorica, and Montenegrin companies Meso-promet Franca and Radinović ensured practical relevance, aligning the project with Montenegro’s Smart Specialisation Strategy while supporting innovation and local economic growth in the poultry sector.

Presenting HPC and deep learning approach to the problem

Discussing the experiment results and prospects of the future wok

01.03.2024.09.03.2024.

Research paper: Hotel Chatbot for Smart Hospitality

The paper “Hotel Chatbot Receptionist for Smart Hospitality” by Ms Sara kovacevic, Tomo Popovic, Ivan Jovovic, and Stevan Cakic was presented at the 28th IEEE International Conference on Information Technology. This is a great example of the engagement of young researchers to utilise HPC/AI tehcnology in the priority domains of S3 Montenegro, in this case tourism and hospitality.

ABSTRACT – The dynamic changes in the global business landscape are being driven by cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain, and high-performance computing. Recognizing the pivotal role of digital transformation, particularly in the tourism sector, Montenegro has started embracing innovative solutions. The continuous evolution of technology has significantly influenced the tourism industry presenting an opportunity for digital transformation in the sector. The introduction of chatbots in Montenegrin hotels and resorts emerges as a potential game-changer. This implementation aims not only to reduce waiting times at reception but also to elevate the overall user experience. By adopting hotel chatbots in different hotels, each establishment can have a dedicated knowledge base tailored to its specific policies and regulations. This approach ensures a seamless integration of technology that not only enhances operational efficiency, but also enriches the offerings within the tourism and hospitality sector in Montenegro.