An overview of the consequences of the earthquake in Morocco
The recent earthquake in Morocco has had devastating consequences. As of the latest update from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, the death toll stands at 2,901, with over 5,530 injured. The quake, which measured 7 on the Richter scale, struck on Friday evening. Rescue operations are ongoing, as teams continue to search for potential survivors. Beyond the immediate human toll, the quake has had a significant impact on infrastructure. Many have been left homeless, and over 500 schools, particularly in rural areas, have been damaged. In these regions, logistics and infrastructure challenges are exacerbating the difficulties of relief and recovery efforts.
Donate to the Canadian Red Cross and the Moroccan Red Crescent
What is Morocco Solidarity Hackathon?
Welcome to Morocco Solidarity Hackathon, a 2-days AI hackathon dedicated to harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in mitigating natural disasters risks. Hosted by Mila, this event brings together brilliant teams to tackle challenges that demonstrate their ingenuity and expertise in natural disasters risks reduction.
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to be a part of shaping a safer future in natural disasters prone regions. Also, you will be contributing to a noble cause. Your participation directly supports the invaluable work of the La Croix-Rouge Canadienne and the Croissant-Rouge Marocain.
Hackathon Statistics
- 🙋♂️ 170+ participants expressed interest in joining the hackathon
- ✨ 74 participants actively participated in the hackathon by submitting their work
- 🤝 35 mentors helped and assisted the participants
- 👥 19 teams were formed
- 📄 19 submissions were made
- 🎤 8 speakers gave a talk
- 🏆 5 winning teams were selected for the AWS prize
- 🚀 1 solo submission was made
- 💰 3000 CAD+ raised in a few days through Red Cross Canada for the earthquake relief efforts last week
- 🌍 20 people donated to the Moroccan earthquake relief efforts through Red Cross Canada
- ⏰ 12 different time zones
- 🌍 3 different continents
Why should you participate?
- Innovate for Good: It is not only a competition over a weekend. Be part of a community that will last after the hackathon and brainstorm for solutions on-the-field that can save lives.
- Philanthropic Contribution: Your participation directly supports the missions of the Canadian Red Cross and the Moroccan Red Crescent raising funds.
- Skill Development: Even if you are discovering the world of AI and natural disasters mitigation, our mentors are here to help you out, provide guidance and make the most out of this hackathon !
Who can participate?
We are looking for scientists, engineers and AI enthusiasts who want to make a difference. You are more than welcome to contribute!
Where and when ?
This hackathon is a competition that will take place this weekend, Saturday 16th of September, 9 am EDT to Sunday 17th of September, 7 pm EDT, at the Mila Agora and virtually! This hackathon is not only a competition over a week-end . It is the opportunity to foster collaborations for long-term impactful projects and keep in touch with the community.
How will this happen ?
Teams of 3 to 5 participants will be formed. You can make your own team in advance, if you want to participate with friends ! We also encourage you to apply if you do not have a team, you will be affected to one on Saturday. We will select 3 winning teams, and each team member will receive a valuable prize, stay tuned ! The hackathon slack workspace will stay open for all teams that wish to keep in touch and/or implement an impactful on-the-field project, or write a paper with highly skilled scientists.
What challenges can I tackle ?
Join us to mobilize our best minds on :
- Humanitarian relief Logistics (e.g. telecommunication optimization, rescue resources distribution using helicopters, drones ..)
- Natural disasters risk forecasting (hurricanes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires …)
- Natural Disaster Preparedness (e.g. optimal pavement management)
- Dataset Curation (e.g. satellite Images, seismic activity time-series, ...)
Or any other challenge that you find relevant!
Speakers
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Robin Murphy
Raytheon Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow
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Léonard Boussioux
Assistant Professor in Information Systems and Operations Management - University of Washington
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Alexandre Jacquillat
Associate Professor of Operations Research and Statistics at the MIT Sloan School of Management
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Planning
The hackathon will take place this weekend, Saturday 16th of September, 9 am to Sunday 17th of September, 7 pm, at the Mila Agora and virtually!
Saturday 16 September:
08:30 Breakfast welcoming
09:00 Opening Keynote by Yoshua Bengio
09:30 Talk by Alexandre Jacquillat
10:00 Talk by Robin Murphy
10:30 Talk by D. D. Hertog
11:00 Challenge Presentation
11:30 Hacking
13:00 Lunch break
14:00 Hacking / Snacks
Sunday 17 September:
09:00 Opening Breakfast
09:30 Talk by Mehdi Bennis
10:00 Talk by Peetak Mitra
10:30 Hacking
13:00 Lunch Break
14:00 Hacking
16:00 Talk by Léonard Boussioux
16:40 Talk by Lihui Zhang
17:30 Winners celebration
organizers
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Loubna Benabbou
Chair Professor of AI for supply chain at UQAR
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Léna Néhale Ezzine
PhD student at Mila & UdeM
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Oussama Boussif
PhD student at Mila & UdeM
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Ghait Boukachab
Data Scientist at Videns Analytics
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Mohammed Mahfoud
Visiting researcher at Mila
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Ayoub Atanane
Visiting researcher at Mila & MS student at UQAR
Acknowledgement
This event was made possible thanks to the great contributions from:
- Ilias Benjelloun: Directeur Innovation Ouverte, Desjardins; Co-fondateur et Membre du Conseil, Montréal NewTech.
- Mohamed Amine Bennouna: 5th year doctoral candidate at the MIT Operations Research Center.
- Rachade Hmamouchi: Senior Coordinator, CERC in Autonomous AI, Mila-UdeM
- Denis Luchyshyn: Director of Programming at MTL NewTech
- Nouamane Tazi: Machine Learning Engineer at HuggingFace
- Yassine Yaakoubi: IVADO-COSMO Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University
- Afaf Taïk: Postdoctoral Fellow at Mila
- Yasser Rahhali: Project manager at Humance | Culture & Performance
- Rim Assouel: PhD Student at Mila
- Yassir El Mesbahi: Associate Researcher at NYU Tandon
- Christophe Gallant: Co-Founder Driad AI
FAQ
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Is it free?
Yes, applying and competing in the hackathon is free.
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Food ?
Breakfast and Lunch will be provided
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Skills needed?
None, just the desire to make a change.
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Can I register alone?
Yes, but we do encourage you to form/join a team!
