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Intensive Ontology Summer School

PHI 605SEM-SMI (13336): The World's Ontology Ecosystem​

August 3–7, 2026

Washington, DC and Online

Instructors: John Beverley and Barry Smith

Registration is now open.​

Graduate students, researchers, government professionals, industry practitioners, and others interested in applied ontology are encouraged to participate.

UB students may register for credit. Online participation is also available.

Course Overview​

An intensive hybrid graduate seminar offered by the University at Buffalo, introducing ontology as both a philosophical discipline and a practical technology for modern information systems.

The course explores Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), ontology engineering, knowledge graphs, semantic interoperability, and ontology-driven applications across science, industry, government, and artificial intelligence.

Participants may attend in person in Washington, DC or online.

What You'll Learn​

  • Basic Formal Ontology (BFO)
  • BFO and ISO/IEC 21838
  • Ontology engineering tradecraft
  • Knowledge graphs and semantic interoperability
  • National security, finance, law, and scientific applications
  • AI-driven ontology construction systems
  • Contemporary ontology ecosystems and emerging research directions

Course Format​

Workshop Week​

August 3–7, 2026

Interactive lectures, workshops, group discussions, and debates.

Post-Workshop​

Students seeking graduate credit will participate in:

  • Zoom seminars
  • Logic exercises
  • Student presentations
  • Research paper development

Registration​

UB Students​

Register through HUB using:

PHI 605SEM-SMI (13336): Topics in Applied Ontology

Prospective UB Applied Ontology Students​

Email:

[email protected]

and explain that you wish to enroll in the Summer 2026 course before beginning the UB Applied Ontology graduate program.

Non-UB Participants​

Registration information will be announced shortly.

DRAFT SYLLABUS​

DRAFT

This syllabus is a working draft and remains subject to revision.

Download the Draft Syllabus (Word)

The current draft includes:

  • Complete course description
  • Five-day workshop schedule
  • Reading list
  • Learning outcomes
  • Course requirements
  • Grading policy
  • University policies

Additional Information​

Additional course information is available on the Applied Ontology Wiki:

https://aowiki.nsm.buffalo.edu/index.php/The_World%27s_Ontology_Ecosystem