CSEE Colloquium

An Integrated Machine Learning Framework for Analyzing Protein-Ligand Interaction Data

Dr. Huzefa Rangwala
Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering
George Mason University

1:00 p.m., Friday, February 10, 2012, ITE 325B, UMBC

Proteins have a vast influence on the molecular machinery of life. Stunningly complex networks of proteins perform innumerable functions in every living cell.  Small organic molecules (a.k.a. ligands) can bind to different proteins and modulate (inhibit/activate) their functions. Understanding these interactions provides insight into the underlying biological processes and is useful for designing therapeutic drugs.

In this talk I will describe our work related to the analysis of information associated with proteins and their interacting molecule partners (protein-ligand activity matrix). The underlying hypothesis of our approach is that by extracting information from protein-ligand activity matrix, we are drawing bridges between the structure of chemical compounds (chemical space) and the structure of the proteins and their functions (biological space).  I will present an approach used for mining relational data, especially when the data is sparse and high dimensional. I will also present methods that are based on the principles of multi-task learning and semi-supervised learning.

Huzefa Rangwala is an Assistant Professor at the department of Computer Science & Engineering, George Mason University. He holds affiliate positions with the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota in the year 2008. His core research interests include bioinformatics, machine learning, and high performance computing. Specifically, he is working on developing new data mining algorithms and applying them to the fields of genomics, structural bioinformatics, drug discovery and social media analysis.

Host: Dr. Marie desJardins

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – Application deadline for current URA Scholars

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 – Application deadline for MARC students

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 – Deadline for completed online application for all students

(inclusive of faculty mentor's recommendation).

Application: http://www.umbc.edu/undergrad_ed/research/URCAD/registration/

• Are you a female veteran?
• Are you currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces?

If so, please come and join us meet and network with other UMBC community members who, also, are. This support group is exclusively for women. Complimentary tea and coffee available for all guests.

First Meeting:

When: Monday, February 13th

Time: 4:00-5:00pm

Where: The Women's Center (Commons, 004)

For more info, please e-mail Jess at: jessm@umbc.edu

 All discussions will be held in the Office of Student Life’s Mosaic Center for Culture & Diversity, Commons Rm. 2B23 on Wednesdays during free hour (12-1pm).

Wednesday, February 15^th, 12-1pm

No Such Thing as “Post Racial”: Dealing with racism in a “post racial” society (In honor of Black History Month)

Wednesday, February 29^th, 12-1pm

The 2012 Elections: What’s at stake for minorities and women if the GOP is elected?

Wednesday, March 14^th, 12-1pm

The Other F Word: What feminism looks like in 2011 and how the role of women continues to evolve (In recognition of Women’s History Month)

Wednesday, March 28^th, 12-1pm  

Exploring Mixed Identities:  Examining identities and experiences from a mixed race/mixed ethnicity perspective.

Wednesday, April 11^th, 12-1pm

Navigating the Varying Cultural Aspects of Sexual Assault

(In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month)

Wednesday, April 25^th, 12-1pm

Where Do We Go From Here? Reviewing the legislative session and marriage equality in Maryland

(In early recognition of National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in June)

Wednesday, May 2^nd, 12-1pm

Being Asian American: Exploring and Dispelling the Model Minority Myth

(In recognition of Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month)

Invitation to participate: Students or faculty interested and able to serve as a co-facilitator for any of these dialogues are encouraged to contact the OSL Mosaic center at 471-455-2686 or mosaic@umbc.edu.

Please note: Groups of 10 or more must RSVP via email (mosaic@umbc.edu) at least 2 work days in advance of each dialogue.

We are proud to announce that UMBC will be hosting introductory workshops on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, as well as LGBTQ Safe Zone Ally Development Training, throughout the Spring 2012 semester. Our aim is to help students, faculty and staff promote a more welcoming atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning members of the UMBC community.

The first session is a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Introductory Workshop. It will cover basic ideas and terminology related to LGBTQ issues and is intended for those with a very general understanding of what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning. This session is for beginners.  The first Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity workshop will be taking place on Thursday,February 23rd, 2012 from 2:30pm - 4pm.

The second session is Safe Zone Ally Development Training.  It will prepare participants to join UMBC’s formal network of Safe Zone advocates, if they wish. Advocates are community members who agree to be publicly identified as being dedicated to making UMBC safer for students, faculty and staff of all sexual orientations and gender identities. One does not need to be a member of the LGBTQ community to become an advocate; all it takes is a genuine wish to be involved in helping students, faculty and staff feel safe and encouraged to be themselves as much as possible.

Since Safe Zone Ally Development Training does presume some level of knowledge and familiarity with LGBTQ ideas and terminology, Session II participants are expected to have a basic understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity through previous training (for example, the Session I Introductory Workshop), personal background or past experiences. 

A flyer with full descriptions for each workshop has been attached to this news story.  All community-wide workshops will take place in the OSL Mosaic Center, Commons 2B23 (unless otherwise noted).  RSVPs via email (mosaic@umbc.edu) are strongly encouraged.

V-DAY is coming and we need volunteers who'd be interested in reading excerpts of "The Vagina Monologues"!

Please join us in a special Valentine's Day coffeehouse where we'll be doing a community reading of Vagina Monolgues excerpts. Feel free to stop by and join us in some fellowship, conscious raising, and conversation!

V-Day Coffee House: Community Reading of Vagina Monologes

When: Wed, February 15, 12pm – 1pm
Where: Women's Center Lounge (Commons 004)

For more information, contact Jess at jessm@umbc.edu