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Math Coffees

Math Coffees are weekly meetings of students and faculty to hear a local or visiting speaker. Check here frequently for updates!

		Nicholas Cain, DC'06 Sequence motif identification using artificial neural networks and distributed computing. 7:00--7:40 p.m., Thursday, April 26 Chambers 3084 Snacks at 6:45 p.m. in Mathematics Hall (Chambers 3rd floor, north end)
Many techniques in sequence motif recognition, such as MEME, rely on statistical analysis of biological information to identify conserved regions. Such techniques rely solely on primary structure information, and do not consider the more complicated molecular dynamics at work in a biological system. Often molecular secondary structure is essential to a motif's biological function. An algorithm that utilizes artificial neural networks to identify degenerate, conserved regions in mRNA molecules has therefore been developed, which exploits estimation of the molecule's secondary structure using MFOLD. A committee machine architecture is used, implemented in parallel with grid computing techniques. The CMMI algorithm successfully identifies a motif in mRNA sequences known to bind to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 rev protein. The algorithm also successfully identifies a known single-stranded seven-basepair motif in mRNA strands known to locomote to the forming bud-tip during mitosis in S. cerevisiae, where the importance of secondary structure in motif function has been established. (This presentation is the public portion of Nick's honors thesis defense.)

Spring 2006 Math Coffee Schedule     (click on an image at the left to view the Math Coffee announcement)
	January 19 4:00 p.m.	Michael Flake (DC '06) Mathematical Fallacies and Misteaks
	January 26 4:00 p.m.	Sam Hotchkiss (DC '08) Miscellaneous: the Endless Possibilities of Mathematica
	February 2 8:00 p.m.	Webcast: Prof. Michael Starbird, Univ. of Texas To Infinity and Beyond!
	February 9 7:00 p.m.	The Bernard Society presents a ... Mathematical Murder Mystery
	February 16 4:00 p.m.	Prof. Amy Langville, College of Charleston An Introduction to the Use of Link Analysis by Search Engines
	March 9 7:00 p.m.	Bridget Cook (DC '06) Get into the Zome
	March 23 4:00 p.m.	Brad Demeter, DC'06 Calculus over Coffee
	March 24 all day!	CarMa :       Carolinas Mathematics Undergraduate Research Conference,       this year at Furman University.
	April 6 4:00 p.m.	Peter Allison, DC'06, & Jordan Hauser, DC'06 Integers Incognito: Unusual Representations of Integers Derived from Cardano's Solution of the Cubic Equation
	April 13 7:00 p.m.	Martha Shott, DC'06 Super Size Me: An Optimization Problem
	April 21 3:30 p.m.	Prof. Sue Goodman, UNC-Chapel Hill Can randomness leads to order? The chaos game.
	April 23 4:00 p.m.	Bernard Society Spring Picnic (Lake Campus) (rsvp to Michael Flake so we can have a preliminary head count)
	April 24 12:30 p.m.	MAT 118 Poster Session Exploring Mathematical Ideas
	April 27 7:00 p.m.	Nicholas Cain, DC'06 Sequence motif identification using artificial neural networks and distributed computing.
Fall 2005 Math Coffee Schedule     (click on an image at the left to view the Math Coffee announcement)
	September 4 8:00 p.m.	Bernard Lecture Prof. Ronald L. Graham, University of California, San Diego Searching for the Shortest Network
	September 15 4:00 p.m.	Prof. Richard Neidinger Automatic Differentiation, MATLAB, and OOP
	September 21 4:00 p.m.	Dr. René Salinas, Appalachian State University Modeling the Effects of Hunting on the Black Bear Population on the Southern Appalachians: An Individual-Based Modeling Approach
	September 29 4:00 p.m.	Gavin Taylor (DC '06) Imagemosaics: Painting with Pictures
	October 2 4:00 p.m.	Bernard Society Picnic (Lake Campus) Food & Frolics with a Mathematical Theme
	October 6 4:00 p.m.	Prof. Paul Studtmann Philosophy of Mathematics
	October 26 4:00 p.m.	Aneesh Kulkarni (DC'09) A Problem in Ramsey Theory
	November 3 4:00 p.m.	Prof. Emeritus J. B. Stroud Barnaby and the Purple Heptagon
	November 30 12:30--1:30 p.m.	MAT 118 Poster Session Exploring Mathematical Ideas

Math Coffees in recent years:   [2004-2005]   [2003-2004]   [2002-2003]