SAI Sparks
The Notre Dame Scientific Artificial Intelligence (SAI) Initiative sponsors the SAI-Spark tutorial series. These comprise weekly standalone tutorials designed to illuminate the rapidly evolving interface between AI and scientific research. Sparks are open to graduate students, postdocs, and faculty across all disciplines. These hands-on sessions provide practical, immediately applicable knowledge in cutting-edge AI techniques.
Each week features a different AI topic, allowing participants to explore AI applications without requiring semester-long commitment. Whether you're new to AI, interested in networking with the SAI community on campus, or just looking to expand your toolkit on a few topics, SAI-Sparks offers accessible entry points to the interface of AI and scientific research.
Program Format
SAI-Spark sessions combine conceptual foundations with practical implementation. Each 60-minute tutorial is designed as a self-contained learning experience where participants:
- Learn fundamental concepts behind emerging AI techniques
- Work through guided coding exercises with expert support
- Build functional implementations they can adapt to their research
- Connect with peers exploring similar AI applications
Topics rotate each semester, with past sessions covering API integration with large language models, building AI agents, reinforcement learning applications, model-based design of experiments, and numerous other research-relevant AI methodologies.
What to Expect
Hands-on Learning: Every session emphasizes practical application. You'll leave with working code, not just concepts.
Expert Instruction: Tutorials are led by SAI faculty affiliates and fellows who bring deep expertise in both AI methods and domain applications.
Collaborative Environment: Work alongside researchers across the university, fostering cross-disciplinary insights and connections.
Full Support: Light refreshments provided at each session, creating an informal atmosphere for continued discussion and networking.
Who Should Attend
SAI-Sparks welcomes anyone interested in incorporating AI into their research or expanding their technical capabilities. No extensive programming background is required for most sessions, though basic familiarity with Python is helpful. We regularly have a mix of undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in attendance.
Schedule & Location
Visit our Events calendar for this semester's complete topic schedule and any special sessions.
Getting Started
No registration required—simply show up ready to learn and code. Bring your laptop with you. Most tutorials can be run/developed in browser using Google Colab. Specific software requirements, if any, will be communicated via the SAI mailing list before each session.
Questions?
For more information about SAI-Spark or to propose a tutorial topic, contact Brett Savoie at bsavoie2@nd.edu