Reading Group: Introduction

The machine learning reading group will meet for the first time on the Danforth Campus of Washington University on Wednesday, the 10th of July. Several of us have suggested texts and Stephen Marsland's Machine Learning: An Algorithmic Perspective seems to be an acceptable choice so let's start with it. It seems like a relatively concise yet thorough treatment of the field and we can move on to other books later if folks find the group useful.

For the first meeting we'll read the "Introduction" from the book and because it's quite short (15pp.) and straightforward, we might also discuss a short pamphlet from the scikit-learn developers - Applied Machine Learning in Python with scikit-learn (https://www.meetup.com/St-Louis-Machine-Learning/files/). It's a great overview of basic concepts as well as a nice introduction to scikit-learn if you haven't used it before. These should get us through our first session which will also, of course, be a planning session of how we might proceed with the reading group.

We'll meet on Wednesday, the 10th of July - a fortnight before the D3 session.

Readings:

Marsland. "Introduction" (https://www.meetup.com/St-Louis-Machine-Learning/files/) Applied Machine Learning in Python with scikit-learn (https://www.meetup.com/St-Louis-Machine-Learning/files/) Both texts can be downloaded from the files section of the Meetup page. Thanks for your feedback and help in getting this off the ground.

Location:
224 Umrath Hall
Washington University in Saint Louis
Danforth Campus

Umrath Hall is on the quadrangle in the WUSTL campus. There is free parking after 6 beside Edison Theater and the Campus Bookstore (intersection of Forsyth and Wallace). As you enter the quadrangle from the parking lot, you will see a sculpture called "Thinker on a Rock" (it's a giant rabbit!) and a church. Umrath hall is right next to them. It has two wings - we'll meet on the second floor of the west wing (the one away from the church/rabbit). There'll be directions posted at the elevator. See you there!