SFI ADVANCE CRT Research Summer School, Jun. 2024

From June 10 to 14, I had the privilege of attending a remarkable 5-day summer school organized by SFI ADVANCE CRT in the picturesque town of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. This intensive program offered two training tracks for PhD students: Social and STEM. What made this experience truly enriching was the interdisciplinary collaboration, where we formed groups with members from both tracks to propose case studies.

Day-by-Day Learning Journey:

Day #0: I travel with my friend in the Trinity College Dublin to Killarney. After lunch at Muckross Park Hotel & Spa, we have two keynote speakers talking about impacts of AI on Networking and society.
Day #1: We delved into Logistic Regression, Neural Networks, and Large Language Models (LLMs).
Day #2: The focus was on Reinforcement Learning.
Day #3: We explored Data Visualization techniques.
Day #4: We present our group’s case study.

One of the highlights was working on a collaborative project where we proposed an LLM-based mobile application for mental health support. This application is designed as a supplemental tool, not for medical treatment. Collaborating with peers from various fields such as computer vision, e-Health, and neuro-psychology broadened my perspective and enhanced my learning experience.

Exploring the Natural Beauty of Killarney Despite the intensive schedule, I made sure to enjoy the stunning nature around Killarney. Here are some of the memorable spots I visited:

Killarney national park : A beautiful expanse of greenery and serene lakes.
Muckross abbey: A short visit to this historic site was quite enriching.
Lough Leane: We took a delightful lake cruise, soaking in the scenic beauty of the islands.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t visit the Torc waterfall this time, but I hope to return soon to explore more of this beautiful region.

Overall, this summer school was not only a great learning opportunity but also a chance to connect with amazing people and enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of Killarney.

SFI ADVANCE CRT Research Colloquium, Apr. 2024

We had great time of Research Colloquium event organized by SFI ADVANCE CRT in Tralee, County Kerry. In the first day, we showcased our posters in the format of presenters and hunters where we can talk about research while receiving lots of advice and feedbacks from fellows. Besides, we, together, have outdoor activities including pedalo boats, climbing wall, and the tower of Hanoi quizzes in Tralee Bay Wetlands. In the second day, we have two sessions on entrepreneurship. I was quite impressed by the sharing of how to think like a entrepreneur, the mindset of thinking ahead and focusing on scalability rather than thinking of starting up, and insisting on doing hard/uncomfortable things in the long-term road in the first session.

SFI ADVANCE CRT Induction, Jan. 2024

You can find more details about my experience in this event here.

Linh Thanh Nguyen

PhD student at Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin