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AAAI 2021 main site
Thirty-Fifth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence
Virtual
February 2-9, 2021

AAAI-21 Undergraduate Consortium

Description

The Undergraduate Consortium (AAAI-UC) hosted at the 2021 AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-21) will offer undergraduate students an opportunity to enrich their conference experience by:

The second AAAI-UC will be held in conjunction with the AAAI-21 conference. Instructions for applying to the Undergraduate Consortium can be found below. We welcome applications from all undergraduate students exploring a career in AI research, particularly those who have contributed to an AI research project and for whom UC mentoring will be helpful in key career decisions. We especially encourage applications from students who identify with groups that computing has traditionally underserved and also students who have limited resources related to graduate school at their home institutions.

Students accepted into the 2021 AAAI-UC program will be expected to attend the UC events and meet with their assigned mentors to discuss their research career path and to receive feedback as they revise and submit a final version of their application materials as well as prepare a virtual presentation of their research summary. Accepted students will have their registration fees covered to virtually attend the 35th AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-21) and are encouraged to fully engage in the conference events and activities. The schedule of events and activities from the 2020 AAAI-UC is available here.

Important Dates

Call for Applications

Application Instructions

Applicants to the Undergraduate Consortium must submit the following materials in full for full consideration for the program via the submission site linked above. The deadline for the full application package is Monday, Sept. 28. When you submit, you will need to provide your name, university affiliation, expected graduation date, contact information, a personal statement and an AI research summary as well as your advisor’s name and contact information.

1. Personal Statement

The AAAI UC personal statement is inspired by NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Our hope is that a thoughtfully constructed personal statement with feedback from AI professionals will provide you a useful starting point in your future graduate school and fellowship applications.

Prepare a 2-3 page personal statement that discusses both (1) your journey towards an AI research career (so far!) and (2) your specific role and contributions in the AI project you presented in your research summary (see 2. AI Research Summary). Please structure your statement however you would like, but include answers to the following questions.

Your journey towards an AI research career:

Your specific role and contributions in the AI project:

Formatting

Personal statements must be written using the NSF GRFP statement formatting guidelines, which require standard 8.5”x 11” page size, Times New Roman font for all text, no smaller than 11-point, except text that is part of an image, 1” margins on all sides, and no less than single spacing (approximately 6 lines per inch).

2. AI Research Summary

Submit a two-page extended abstract that summarizes a significant AI project that you have been involved in, including the research questions being investigated, a highlight of important related work, the significance of your work, and possible future directions. Be mindful of the following:

Formatting

AI Research Summary must be written using the AAAI-21 Author Kit.

Advisor’s Supplementary Information Form

A request will be emailed to an advisor who can speak towards your AI research interests and abilities, asking them to provide supplementary information about you. Your advisor should be a faculty member, post-doc, or professional researcher with a graduate degree. They will be asked short questions about your contributions to the research; your progress through your undergrad program; and how your advisor believes you can contribute to, and benefit from, participating in the Undergraduate Consortium. Note that a letter of recommendation is NOT required (and none will be accepted).

Review Process

The Undergrad Consortium organizing committee solicits applications covering any topic area and methodology within Artificial Intelligence. Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria: clarity and completeness of submission packet; stage of progress through undergraduate degree program (applicants must be actively enrolled in a post-secondary, undergraduate degree program at the time of submission); evidence of significant personal contributions to an AI research project; and assessment of contribution to and benefit from participating in the UC.

Acknowledgments

Support for the 2021 Undergraduate Consortium is graciously provided by AAAI, with additional support generously provided by the Artificial Intelligence Journal and National Science Foundation (DUE 1946637).

Undergraduate Consortium Organizing Committee

Undergraduate Consortium Co-chairs

Eric Aaron, Colby College
Jim Boerkoel, Harvey Mudd College
Mehmet Ergezer, Wentworth Institute of Technology
aaai21ucchairs@aaai.org