University of Calgary students making moves

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about the new data science program at Mount Royal University, plus 5 other stories you've probably missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again Wednesday.

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New MRU program to meet surging demand for data science and AI talent

By a long shot, artificial intelligence is the technology that’s top of mind in boardrooms, newsrooms, and classrooms. And the thing is, for AI systems to be effective — to make predictions, to crunch numbers, to learn — they require huge amounts of data. Which, in a way, means the world needs more data scientists.

Mount Royal University is working on it. The local university is launching a four-year data science degree as demand for graduates in the discipline surges.

Students in the program — which will begin taking applications for a winter 2024 start with 50 students, then accept 100 students each fall — will explore the pillars of data science: math, statistics, computer science, and domain knowledge.

🗳️ Question of the Week

🤝 Funding, Deals + Partnerships

• The Start Alberta database has tracked $474M across 530 deals in seed investments in Alberta tech since 2010. Although last year was a standout for seed investments, take a look back on the last five years. Start Alberta

📰 Need To Know

• ‘A ton of horsepower’: Displaced oil and gas workers benefit from upskilling. Program provides technical training for transitioning workers. HR Reporter

• U of C students develop a smartwatch technology to help individuals who are hearing impaired. The students have developed software that translates American Sign Language into English. The Gauntlet

• U of C alumni wins 2023 PITCH competition with kitchen Airbnb start-up. Syzl is a commercial kitchen Airbnb that allows businesses to make money from their underutilized spaces and gives chefs and food-preparers a space to cook at a cheaper price. The Gauntlet

• Global accelerator programs giving much-needed boosts to Alberta's AI-based startups. Technology is key part of business for many graduates of Alberta's Scaleup GAP. CBC News

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