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Author: Weimao Ke
  • Associate Professor
  • College of Computing and Informatics
  • Drexel University

Data: What do you see? 

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Time
t1 = np.arange(1,28)
t2 = np.arange(28,40)

# Data: what's happening...
c1 = t1**2
# Data: what's projected...
trend = t2**2

# Bend the curve? 
delta = 250
rate = 0.2
pivot = 28
bend = 1000/(1+np.exp((pivot-t2)*rate))+delta

fig = plt.figure(figsize=(9, 8), dpi= 80, facecolor='w', edgecolor='k')

plt.plot(t1, c1, 'b+')
plt.plot(t2, trend, 'r--')
plt.plot(t2, bend, 'g--')
plt.show()

I hope the code does not scare you away from this course. The point here is about data, how we process them, analyze them, and interpret them.

At the time of this recording, we are in the middle of a global coronavirus pandemic. The number of positive cases in the U.S. is skyrocketing, just like the blue data points. Many of us are asking what is going to happen next, when it is to going to bend the curve (just like the green dashed line), or whether it will continue the trend for a while (similar to what the red dashed line suggests). The current data are depressing and there is a lot of uncertainty. That's why we are staying at home and doing the courses online, hopefully, to help bend the curve as soon as possible.

Perhaps this is not about the pandemic. I propose this be your learning curve. It takes some initial effort to study and understand. But then you will learn faster once you get the ideas and become more familiar with related methods and tools. I hope in the end, your learning will take off and skyrocket as the red dashed line. And I am glad to be part of your journey of learning!

Weimao Ke

  • Associate Professor, CCI, Drexel University
  • Research:
    • Information Retrieval
    • Data-intensive Information Processing
    • Machine Learning
  • Teaching: ML, DM, IR, Web, Programming, ...

My name is Weimao Ke and I am your instructor for the course. I am an Associate Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel Unversity. I am passionate about working with data at extreme scales. My research is focused on large-scale information retrieval (IR) systems and data-intensive processing with machine learning methods. I have taught courses related to data mining, machine learning, information retrieval, web development, and programming, among others.

  • Education:
    • Ph.D. in Information Science, UNC Chapel Hill
    • Masters in Information Science, Indiana University
    • Bachelor of Engineering, ECUST

Prior to Drexel, I received my Ph.D. in Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Masters from Indiana University Bloomington, and a Bachelor of Engineering from East China University of Science and Technology.

  • Industry Experiences:
    • Project Manager, eBay
    • Software Development Manager, Lycos

I spent several years as a software engineer and manager in the industry with companies such as eBay and Lycos -- if you don't know what Lycos was, search Wikipedia and you may be surprised to find out how much the world has changed. And you can imagine, twenty years from now, people may start to ask what Google was.

Contact:

Please engage your instructor and class:

  • By email, on discussion board, or during office hours
  • See details in the course shell

I have always considered myself to be an engineer, a problem solver, and I enjoy putting hands-on tools, e.g. to create a piece of furniture or to repair a car. Likewise, this course, in particular, is hands-on and you are going to encounter issues and problems. I am here to help you learn so please do not hesitate to be in touch -- drop me an email, post a question on the discussion board, or simply stop by my office hours, virtually.

I hope we will enjoy working together in creativity and problem-solving. See you then!