TrAC Advanced AI Course on Self-Supervised Learning

Course Overview

Self-Supervised Learning (SSL) is transforming the way we use machine learning by leveraging unlabeled data to create powerful models. This course offers a foundational understanding of SSL principles, algorithms, and applications, helping students develop the skills necessary to apply SSL techniques in real-world scenarios.

Course Topics

• Introduction to Self-Supervised Learning and its relevance.

• Key SSL techniques: contrastive learning, predictive coding, and pretext tasks.

• Architectures commonly used in SSL: Siamese networks, autoencoders, and more.

• Applications of SSL in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision.

• Practical implementations of SSL using popular frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the core principles of Self-Supervised Learning.

• Explore different architectures and algorithms used in SSL.

• Gain experience in implementing SSL techniques for various AI applications.

• Apply SSL to real-world scenarios, especially in areas with limited labeled data.

Course Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of machine learning concepts.

• Familiarity with Python programming.

• Knowledge of deep learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow or PyTorch) is recommended.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for students, researchers, and AI practitioners interested in learning how to leverage large amounts of unlabeled data to build state-of-the-art models.

Expertise level: Beginner/Intermediate

Students: For credit

Any of the courses in the series are available for credit (each 1 credit and maximum 3 credits per semester) as an independent study (ME 590Z) under Dr. Aditya Balu. Interested students can register for the independent study by emailing benearl@iastate.edu and cc-ing baditya@iastate.edu. Also, fill out the google form for our records: https://forms.gle/rJuAnxdii52BTYYk8

Industry Professionals/ISU Staff/Postdocs, etc.: non-credit through ISU Online for an introductory promo price of $500.

Registration for Industry professionals: TBA