Computer Science | Grinnell College

This week's topic is Elizabeth Holmes and her biotech company Theranos, from the cutting-edge technology making headlines in 2014 to the false claims investigated in 2017. We'll be discussing female entrepreneurs, skepticism within the tech world and regulation. There are three readings.

• James B. Stewart. “Shkreli vs. Holmes: 2 Frauds, 2 Divergent Outcomes. Were They Fair?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2018.
• Rogers, Adam. “Theranos Didn't Nuke the Diagnostics Business.” Wired, Conde Nast, 16 Mar. 2018.
• Roper, Caitlin. “This Woman Invented a Way to Run 30 Lab Tests on Only One Drop of Blood.” Wired, Conde Nast, 18 Feb. 2014.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–12:45pm in JRC 224A (inside the Marketplace). Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the Marketplace front desk).

On Thursday, October 11, Professor Alberto Maria Segre of the University of Iowa will discuss recent work on modeling and analyzing the incidence and geographical distribution of disease in human populations:

Computational epidemiology lies at the intersection of computer science, engineering, statistics, and health care. Our goal is to inform public and hospital policy decisions on topics such as disease surveillance, disease prevention measures, and outbreak containment.

Refreshments will be served at 4:15 p.m. in the Computer Science Commons (Noyce 3817). The talk, Computational epidemiology, will follow at 4:30 p.m. in Noyce 3821. Everyone is welcome to attend!