EE Graduate Seminar

Stochastic Graph Grammars

Prof. Tim Oates
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, UMBC

11:30am Friday November 11, ITE 231, UMBC

Many important domains are naturally described relationally, often using graphs in which nodes correspond to entities and edges to relations. Stochastic graph grammars compactly represent probability distributions over graphs and can be learned from data, such as a set of graphs corresponding to proteins that have the same function.

In this talk we consider the problem of learning the parameters (i.e., the production probabilities) of stochastic graph grammars and the structure of the grammar (i.e., the productions) given a representative sample of graphs taken from the underlying distribution. We also present efficient algorithms for computing properties of the distribution over graphs defined by a graph grammar such as expectations of graph size, node degree, and number of edges.

Dr. Tim Oates is an Associate Professor in the CSEE Department at UMBC. He received B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1989, and M.S. and PhD degrees from the Univ of Massachusetts Amherst in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Prior to coming to UMBC in Fall 2001, Prof. Oates spent a year as a postdoc in the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT.

Host: Prof. Joel M. Morris

EE Graduate Seminar

Stochastic Graph Grammars

Prof. Tim Oates
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, UMBC

11:30am Friday November 11, ITE 231, UMBC

Many important domains are naturally described relationally, often using graphs in which nodes correspond to entities and edges to relations. Stochastic graph grammars compactly represent probability distributions over graphs and can be learned from data, such as a set of graphs corresponding to proteins that have the same function.

In this talk we consider the problem of learning the parameters (i.e., the production probabilities) of stochastic graph grammars and the structure of the grammar (i.e., the productions) given a representative sample of graphs taken from the underlying distribution. We also present efficient algorithms for computing properties of the distribution over graphs defined by a graph grammar such as expectations of graph size, node degree, and number of edges.

Dr. Tim Oates is an Associate Professor in the CSEE Department at UMBC. He received B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1989, and M.S. and PhD degrees from the Univ of Massachusetts Amherst in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Prior to coming to UMBC in Fall 2001, Prof. Oates spent a year as a postdoc in the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT.

Host: Prof. Joel M. Morris

Thanks to Politico!

Ohio’s closely watched ballot initiative, Issue 2, was defeated on Election Day. The vote stops a recent anti-union bill from becoming law.

If passed, the law would have limited the bargaining rights of public employees, including police officers and firefighters. Republican Gov. John Kasich faced backlash for his support of the measure.

Ohio sent a message to every politician out there: Go in and make war on your employees rather than make jobs with your employees, and you do so at your own peril.

Issue 2 was one of many talked-about votes as Americans headed to the polls.

Image from Reuters

Wave goodbye: Italy’s Prime Minister on his way out.

This train don’t stop: Cain vows to stay in the race.

Can you find me now? GPS tracking worries highest court.

Heaven getting heavy? Rapper Heavy D dies.

And, is there anything that can’t be live-tweeted?!

The Team for Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology (TRUST) will sponsor 20 undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience located at TRUST partner campuses: UC Berkeley, Cornell University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University. These students will work with graduate student and faculty mentors throughout the summer performing research and supporting activities in the area of information technology and TRUST related topics. The program will run from June 3 to July 27, 2012 and provide room and board, a travel allowance and a $4,000 stipend. Apply by February 17. See the flyer for more information and the Trust REU site for details and to apply.

The Team for Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology (TRUST) will sponsor 20 undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience located at TRUST partner campuses: UC Berkeley, Cornell University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University. These students will work with graduate student and faculty mentors throughout the summer performing research and supporting activities in the area of information technology and TRUST related topics. The program will run from June 3 to July 27, 2012 and provide room and board, a travel allowance and a $4,000 stipend. Apply by February 17. See the flyer for more information and the Trust REU site for details and to apply.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Reflection:
With the immense popularity of social media outlets like Facebook, My Space, Google Plus and Twitter, we live in an era that is captivated by self-expression.  An individual’s achievements, social status, opinions and possessions are continually monitored, promoted and even applauded by others. So basically much of today’s life is centered on the expression and approval of “me” or “I”.

Jesus Christ also entered into a self-centered world where people were continually jockeying for their own recognition and status.  His presence even threatened the status of the religious leaders of that time.  Jesus proceeds to turn the whole world upside down by coming here to serve others and not to be served.  He sets the ultimate example of how we are to be before God and how to relate with one another as He humbled Himself and poured out His life for others.  As we come to understand Christ’s heart and experience His mercy in our own lives, we can overcome the “me” culture, and overflow His love and mercy into our relationships with one another.

Responding to the Transmission:
In response to God’s mercy, let’s pray that we would have the same heart and mindset as Jesus in our relationships with one another.

Three-fourths of UMBC’s opening day backline earned 2011 America East Conference Men’s Soccer All-Academic team honors, the league announced today.

Seniors Vince Savarese and Andy Streilein and junior Liam Paddock were among the 12 student-athletes named to the team. Savarese is one of five America East players to repeat as a member of the team. The four-year letterwinner started his final 65 games of 70 in the black and gold. He served as a team captain this season and is earning his degree this semester in Business Technology Administration.Streilein started the year on defense, but shifted to midfield during the midpoint of the campaign. He started the first 17 games of the season, but missed the AEC quarterfinal vs. Hartford after suffering a concussion in the regular season finale at Vermont. The Business Technology Administration major won three letters at UMBC, after beginning his career at Delaware and amassed six goals and six assists in 70 collegiate contests.

Paddock is the lone 2011 All-Conference First-Team selection to earn All-Academic team honors. The central defender has started all 55 games he has dressed for in his tenure at UMBC. He is pursuing a double major in psychology/sociology and has recorded 4.00 grade point averages in his last three semesters at UMBC. All three Retrievers earned a place on the 2010 America East Conference Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

For the fourth straight year, America East will select the All-Academic teams using CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program as a model. Student-athletes worthy of consideration are nominated by member sports information directors and voted on by a committee of SIDs, academic advisors and faculty representatives from all nine member institutions.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time (e.g., 11 on the field for soccer) but can be more if there is a tie in voting. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.