Speaker: Marina Sirota (University of California, San Francisco)Title: From Data to Knowledge: Integrating Clinical and Molecular Data for Predictive MedicineAbstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains one of the most pressing medical challenges, with limited therapeutic options and heterogeneous disease trajectories complicating diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances in computational biology and artificial intelligence (AI) together with availability of rich molecular and clinical data, offer new opportunities to address these challenges by integrating molecular, clinical, and systems-level insights. In our recent studies, we developed a cell-type-directed, network-correcting approach to identify and prioritize rational drug combinations for AD, enabling targeted modulation of disease-relevant pathways across distinct cellular contexts (Li et al., Cell 2025). Complementarily, by leveraging large-scale electronic medical records (EMRs) integrated with biological knowledge networks, we demonstrated the ability to predict disease onset and progression while uncovering mechanistic insights into AD heterogeneity (Tang et al., Nature Aging 2024). Together, these complementary approaches illustrate the power of combining real-world clinical data, knowledge networks, and systems pharmacology to advance precision medicine for AD. This work highlights a paradigm shift toward AI-enabled, data-driven strategies that bridge molecular discovery and clinical application, ultimately informing novel therapeutic interventions and improving patient care.Biography: Marina is currently a Professor and the Interim Director at the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute at UCSF. Prior to that she has worked as a Senior Research Scientist at Pfizer where she focused on developing Precision Medicine strategies in drug discovery. She completed her PhD in Biomedical Informatics at Stanford University. Dr. Sirota’s research experience in translational bioinformatics spans nearly 20 years during which she has co-authored ove r 170 scientific publications. Her research interests lie in developing computational integrative methods and applying these approaches in the context of disease diagnostics and therapeutics with a special focus on women’s health. The Sirota laboratory is funded by NIA, NLM, NIAMS, Pfizer, March of Dimes and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. As a young leader in the field, she has been awarded the AMIA Young Investigator Award in 2017. She leads the UCSF March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at UCSF as well as co-directs ENACT, a center to study precision medicine for endometriosis. Dr. Sirota also is the founding director of the AI4ALL program at UCSF, with the goal of introducing high school girls to applications of AI and machine learning in biomedicine.In person or on Zoom at https://mit.zoom.us/j/93513735220

Professor Soyoung Lee from Yale University at will speak at the MIT Security Studies Program's Wednesday Seminar.Summary: Why do states and their citizens often fight over barren, seemingly worthless territories while not fighting over territories or issues that can be potentially more valuable? In this seminar, Professor Lee will discuss her book, which proposes a new theory of national interest to answer the puzzle. It argues that issues without clear economic value—such as barren lands—are more likely to be perceived as national interests precisely because they do not benefit any single domestic group. Since who benefits is unclear, politicians have an easier time framing such issues as benefiting the entire nation. This book draws on geospatial analyses of territorial claims, survey experiments, textual analyses of political rhetoric, and archival case studies to provide support for the theory. By showing how economic benefits can frequently become a liability in mobilizing unified support for conflict, this book challenges our conventional understanding of economic value in international relations and contributes to a new understanding of distributive politics and foreign policy. It also systematically unpacks how issue value in international relations is formed and deepens our insight into a core question in international relations: what states fight for and why.

Join us for a lunchtime concert with the MIT Ribotones featuring solo and small group chamber performances of classical music.

​​​​​​Are you looking to advance your GIS skills? This workshop offers a comprehensive review of GIS fundamentals and its practical applications. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of how to utilize spatial analysis tools in ArcGIS Pro to analyze geographic data effectively. Through a step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to model site suitability based on social vulnerability, temperature data, and cooling adaptation infrastructure, providing valuable insights for climate adaptation decision-making. Additionally, the workshop will guide you in refining and enhancing map designs using Adobe Illustrator, equipping you with the skills to produce professional-quality visualizations.Goals:Review GIS Essentials: Gain a solid understanding of GIS fundamentals and its practical applications. Suitability Analysis for Climate Adaptation: Engage in a step-by-step tutorial to model site suitability based on social vulnerability, temperature data, and cooling adaptation infrastructure. Enhance Maps with Adobe Illustrator: Learn how to refine and elevate map designs using Adobe Illustrator for professional-quality results.

The MIT Disabilities ERG is proud to present a series of events for Disability Employment Awareness Month this October. Join us for an informal presentation and discussion with author, advocate, and MIT Staff member Laura Beretsky.Laura successfully challenged her former employer when she was given a negative performance review after having a seizure at work. Her memoir "Seizing Control" explores the challenges of living with a mostly invisible disability and gives hope to anyone who fears their path to fulfillment might be impossible to navigate.Come hear her story and learn about best practices for workplace inclusion.Refreshments provided!Please register to attend either in-person or through Zoom. If attending online, a Zoom link will be provided closer to the event date.Other events in this series10/6 -Making Inclusion and Accessibility Part of All Your Work with Rachel Tanenhaus10/8 -Disabled Artists in Conversation10/3, 10/7, 10/17 -Festival Henge

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu