Living during the pandemics: Can AI help mitigate?
CSC 575, Fall 2020, University of Rochester
Less than a year ago, no one knew of SARS-CoV2. Now the virus, a thousand times smaller than a dust mite, has disrupted modern society on an unimaginable scale. Like WW2 or the 9/11 attacks, the pandemic is leaving and will leave a permanent imprint on the world’s psyche.
In this class, we plan to study the pandemic through political, geographical, and socio-economical lenses to identify the positive impact of AI as well as the consequential harm in combating the coronavirus on a global scale.
What is the biggest lesson for Computer Science students in the class?
That which is measured, improves. —Karl Pearson, founder of mathematical statistics.
One of the fundamentals of computer science is to define metrics that are objective, repeatable, standardized, and often, explainable. There is comfort in knowing that when the metrics are validated, they will often lead to improved outcomes and contribute to global equity. However, those metrics need to be critically evaluated, especially during a pandemic, with a focus on the socioeconomic digital divide, the authenticity of data, the self-sufficiency of an economy, geographical isolation, the clarity of communication, religious boundaries, and citizen compliance. The pandemic has presented itself as an opportunity for our students to study these important topics through structured data and their nuances on a global scale.
What are the sample topics covered in the class?
The class has become a moving target as new data, studies, and research papers are being published every single day. We have curated some of the latest materials in the field to cover the following topics in the class:
Contact tracing apps and privacy (how to slow the spread without giving up individual privacy)
The future of education (the stress on parents thrust into home-schooling their kids, the transformation of academic institutions creating online classes)
The future of productivity (work-life balance, attention management)
The future of collaboration
Equitable allocation of a vaccine for the coronavirus
Equity and access to healthcare
Socio-economic, geographic, and religious boundaries while combating COVID19
Well-being (telemedicine, robotics, social media, remote sensing)
Prerequisite: CSC 242, CSC 246
Course Staff: Ehsan Hoque, Rafayet Ali, Raiyan Abdul Baten
Archived Syllabus: Google doc link
This class has been designed through the Wadsworth C. Sykes Engineering Faculty Award
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