[Sci-all-l] Computer Science Asprey Lecture

[csdept]

>Computer Science
>
>Asprey Lecture Series
>
>Clare Congdon
>Colby College
>
>
>"It's Not "Junk": Using Genetic Algorithms to Search for Functional 
>Regions in Noncoding DNA"
>
>1:00 pm, Friday, November 10, 2006
>OLB 105, Vassar College
>
>Abstract: Over 95 percent of our DNA does not directly code for 
>genes. Formerly called junk DNA, it is now understood that some of 
>these noncoding regions are functional... but determining which 
>regions are functional is a complex problem. Our hypothesis is that 
>regions of noncoding DNA that have been conserved across 
>evolutionary time are more likely to be functional. As computer 
>scientists, our role is to identify patterns (aka motifs) that 
>appear to be conserved through evolution. To find these motifs, we 
>use a search approach called genetic algorithms, in which one 
>"evolves" the solution to a problem. _    In this talk, I'll 
>describe GAMI, a genetic algorithms approach to motif inference. The 
>talk will describe the motif inference problem, the genetic 
>algorithms approach in general, and the specific GAMI system design, 
>as well as some of the datasets that we have studied using this 
>approach, and our initial results with these.
>
>Speaker Bio:
>Clare Bates Congdon received her BA from Wesleyan University and MS 
>and PhD from The University of Michigan. She is an advocate and 
>mentor for undergraduate research, and is currently a Research 
>Scientist in the Computer Science Department at Colby College. Her 
>research project "Machine Learning for Phylogenetics and Genomics" 
>is funded by the NIH INBRE program

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