Over the summer, Kaitlyn Zhang ’26 was among students from across Canada to take part in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) Canada 2024, a five-day training program designed for high school students with a passion for exploring innovative technology in the field of artificial intelligence. She was recognized for her outstanding performance and demonstrated exceptional skills and knowledge in developing innovative AI solutions, which contributed to her success in the program.
Although she was not able to attend Team Canada’s first-ever IOAI competition in Burgas, Bulgaria, in August, Team Canada won a silver medal in the Practical Round and a bronze in the Scientific Round!
Kaitlyn was first introduced to robotics in Grade 4 by the now VP of IOAI Canada and President of STEAM Program for Youths, Christy Xie. Armed with extensive coding skills, Kaitlyn started with First Lego League (FLL) and moved on to VEX Robotics before recently founding an all-girls First Robotics Competition (FRC) Team.
At IOAI, Kaitlyn learned about the history and ethics of AI and how it has started to revolutionize the workplace as well as the world we live in. Kaitlyn also reviewed the foundations of programming using Google Colab, which allows her to write and execute the Python language in her browser. She also learned how to train the AI model in order to recognize certain features using a dataset.
Although Kaitlyn is busy guiding her all-girls FRC Team, now in their second year, she plans to participate on CDS’s FRC team this year and would also like to start an ‘AI in Box’ club initiative at CDS in the near future to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for technical, social and ethical aspects of AI here at CDS. She cannot wait for the FRC season to start in January and is also working with Mr. Jugoon to create an AI model to help organize inventory of robot parts for the CDS team.
Congratulations Kaitlyn on your achievements thus far!
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.