Kulturpreis des Landes Kärnten für Patrick Rodler

Patrick Rodler wurde am 13. Dezember 2024 neben Josef Winkler, Cristina Beretta und Franz Hartlieb mit dem Kulturpreis des Landes Kärnten geehrt.

Peter Kaiser dankte den Kärntner Kunst- und Kulturschaffenden für ihre „fast seismographische, kritische Reflexion der politischen und gesellschaftlichen Vorgänge im Land und darüber hinaus“. Die Kulturpreisverleihungen sollen auch Anerkennung für das vielfältige Wirken im Kulturland Kärnten sein. Neben Patrick Rodler konnten sich auch Josef Winkler, Cristina Beretta und Franz Hartlieb über den begehrten Kulturpreis des Landes Kärnten freuen.

Patrick Rodler, geboren 1984 in Klagenfurt, ist Privatdozent am Institut für Artificial Intelligence und Cybersecurity an der Universität Klagenfurt. Er studierte Technische Mathematik und Angewandte Informatik und promovierte in Informatik, jeweils mit Bestnoten (summa cum laude). 2023 habilitierte er sich in Informatik mit dem Schwerpunkt Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Forschungsinteressen umfassen die Qualitätssicherung und Fehlerbehebung in Systemen wie Software, Hardware, Datenbanken, Robotern oder Fahrzeugen, die Lösung von Such- und Planungsproblemen, die computerbasierte Wissensdarstellung und -verarbeitung sowie maschinelles Lernen. Neben Auszeichnungen für seine Master- und Doktorarbeit erhielt er einen Preis für exzellente Lehre der Universität Klagenfurt. Im vergangenen Jahr war er auf allen internationalen Top-Konferenzen im Bereich Künstliche Intelligenz eingeladen, um seine Arbeiten zu präsentieren.

Insgesamt wurden im Dezember 2024 13 Preise mit einer Gesamtdotierung von 91.000 Euro wurden vergeben. Das Land Kärnten folgte damit den Empfehlungen des Kärntner Kulturgremiums. Die Preisverleihung fand am 13. Dezember 2024 in der Carinthischen Musikakademie Ossiach statt.

Foto Copyright: LPD Kärnten/LH Peter Kaiser mit allen Kultur Preisträger-innen 2024

NEWS of Research Group Intelligent Systems and Business Informatics

Project SAELING – SAving Energy by Learning and ImproviNG

The project name SAELING stands for SAving Energy by Learning and ImproviNG logic-based optimization models. SAELING was launched in early May 2024 and is funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) to the tune of around 1.2 million euros. The total project costs amount to around 1.8 million euros.

The metal processing industry requires a considerable amount of energy, especially for sawing, grinding and milling. Using artificial intelligence methods, researchers are now hoping to increase efficiency by 20 to 30 per cent. The SAELING project is realised jointly by the University of Klagenfurt, the KU Leuven and the industrial partners Voestalpine and Siemens and is funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG at a cost of around 1.2 million euros.

Voestalpine uses around 2,500 sawing, grinding and milling machines in its industrial plants. These consume approximately 21 GWh per year, corresponding to the electricity consumption of around 4,750 average Austrian households.

“Metal processing machines on the factory floor fulfil a variety of tasks. At present, the question of which machine should be used for which task and when has yet to be definitively resolved,” states Gerhard Friedrich, head of the SAELING project at the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity at the University of Klagenfurt. “We need to take many factors into account in order to develop strategies for sawing, grinding and milling in these kinds of workshops in a way that saves energy and resources wherever possible. Considering and simulating these factors along with their full impact is beyond the capabilities of human reasoning. In particular, the behaviour of these machines cannot be described with sufficient precision, but rather it has to be learned for the purpose of optimisation.”

Artificial intelligence methods are now set to significantly reduce energy consumption thanks to more efficient use, as Gerhard Friedrich goes on to explain: “Approaches such as reasoning, optimisation and machine learning will be put to use.”

The results from SAELING should facilitate analogue savings in other production areas. In addition to CO2 emissions, it should also be possible to reduce lubricant consumption, for example. It is intended that the tools developed in the project will be adaptable and can be extended to other areas of application, e.g. at SAELING’s partner Siemens.

For further information visit our HP SAELING and the Magazine Hi!Tech. of Siemens, one of our cooperation-partners.

Thema für eine Bachelor- oder Masterarbeit: Dark Pattern against Privacy

“Dark Patterns” sind manipulative Designstrategien auf Webseiten oder Apps, die Nutzer dazu bringen, unerwünschte Handlungen auszuführen, wie z.B. mehr Daten preiszugeben oder unerwünschte Abonnements abzuschließen. In diesem Projekt sollen Dark Patterns speziell im Hinblick auf Datenschutz klassifiziert und bestehende Taxonomien angepasst werden, um ihren Einfluss auf den Datenschutz besser zu verstehen. Zusätzlich wird die Verbreitung solcher Praktiken in Österreich untersucht und eine erste rechtliche Einschätzung zu deren Compliance mit Datenschutzgesetzen vorgenommen.

Bei Interesse melden Sie sich bitte bei Frau Jasmin Wachter (jasmin [dot] wachter [at] aau [dot] at)!

The Peter P. Chen Award goes to Heinrich C. Mayr

Heinrich C. Mayr, an emeritus colleague at the AICS, former rector of the University of Klagenfurt and president of the Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI), was honored 2024 with the prestigious Peter P. Chen Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of conceptual modelling during his 45-year scientific career. He is the first scientist based in Austria to receive this award, which is presented annually by the international computer science community to recognize excellence in conceptual modeling. The jury cited his extensive research work, his extensive contributions to applications, his international reputation, and his exemplary commitment to conceptual modeling, including his active involvement in the ER conference and his foundational work in establishing the EMISA group and the “Lecture Notes in Computer Science” series.

Heinrich C. Mayr has also been recognized for his significant service to the computer science community, including his roles as financial vice-president and president of the GI, as well as his work in teaching and the establishment of an IT degree program. The list of his international functions and academic positions is long. Among others, he is an honorary doctor of the Technical University of Kharkiv, Honoured Professor of Science at Kherson State University, recipient of the Golden Medal of the City of Klagenfurt and the Grand Medal of Honour of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce.

He enjoyed teaching and supervised many undergraduate and postgraduate students. His university was always close to his heart. Until today, he continues to research and publish in the areas of modelling, design and implementation of user-centred application architectures and customer-centred, accessible, effective and sustainable software and services, following the principle: “There is nothing more practical than a good theory”.