Maine IDeA Data Science Conference

Join us for a conference on Biomedical Data Science in Maine! This event unites researchers, data enthusiasts, and innovators. Experience engaging scientific talks, an interactive poster session, and roundtable discussions that promote collaboration and innovation in the field.

February 27-28, 2026
MDI Biological Laboratory
Contact Our Education Office

Overview

Data science in the biological and biomedical sciences, with a focus on Maine-based efforts.

We expect to cover the broad areas of:

Application of data science
Algorithms and tool development
Education in data science

Deadline
January 31, 2026: Poster & Oral Presentations

2026 Keynote Speaker

C. Titus Brown, Ph.D. Professor, Population Health and Reproduction

UC Davis, Veterinary Medicine

Organizers

James A. Coffman, Ph.D. Associate Professor; Director, Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)

MDI Biological Laboratory

Joel Graber, Ph.D. Senior Staff Scientist, Director of Comparative Genomics and Data Science Core

MDI Biological Laboratory

Benjamin King, Ph.D. Associate Professor

University of Maine

Invited Speakers

Gary Churchill, Ph.D. Professor, Karl Gunnar Johansson Chair

The Jackson Laboratory

Joshua Kelley, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

University of Maine

Susan McClatchy, M.S. Senior Program Manager, Bioinformatics Education

The Jackson Laboratory

Student Housing

Double occupancy rooms and shared bathrooms are available for $113 per night. Please email Melissa at mjohnson@mdibl.org for more information.

Local accommodations:

Registration Fees

$0 Undergraduate Students
$50 Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars
$100 Faculty/Staff — ME IDeA Network (INBRE, COBRE, CTR)
$250 Industry
$50 Virtual Attendance

Agenda

ME IDeA Data Science Conference
MDI Biological Laboratory

Friday, 27 February

09:00-09:20 Welcome and Introduction
Joel Graber, MDI Biological Laboratory

09:20-10:30 Presentations 1
Gary Churchill, The Jackson Laboratory
Genetically Diverse Mice Reveal Mechanisms of Lifespan Extension by Dietary Restriction

Michael Babcock, Dahl-Chase Diagnostic Services & Pathology Associates
Increasing rural lung cancer patient access to precision medicine improves overall survival

Joe Nadeau, MaineHealth Institute for Research
The non-genetic non-environmental origins of the missing 50% of disease risk

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00 Special session AI/ Intro
Seamus Mawe, The Jackson Laboratory
A Whirlwind Tour of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Mark Royer, University of Maine at Presque Isle
Hands-On Tutorial: Deploying Open-Source AI Assistants for Bioinformatics

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:00 Panel 1 – How universities and colleges are dealing with AI
Eric Aaron, Colby College
Peter Schilling, University of Maine
Kelley Thomas, University of New Hampshire

14:00-15:10 Presentations 2 – Discussion on Education in Data Science
Sarah Delmar, Maine Technology Institute
How Connections Turn Research into Real-World Impact

Sue McClatchy, The Jackson Laboratory
Title TBD

Riley Grindle, MDI Biological Laboratory
Introduction to Bioinformatics workflows with Nextflow

15:10-15:30 Break

15:30-17:00 Poster session

17:00-19:00 Dinner

19:00-21:00 Keynote and Reception
C. Titus Brown, UCDavis, Veterinary Medicine
Adventures in (biological) data science – a lifetime endeavor

Saturday, 28 February

09:00-10:10 Presentations 3
Qingchu Jin, Roux Institute, Northeastern University
AI-Based Risk Prediction in Cardiac Surgery and Critical Care Unit

Xin Zhang, University of Southern Maine
Attention-Based CNN for Enhanced Detection of Arsenic Exposure

Glen Beane, The Jackson Laboratory
Active Learning for Scalable Behavioral Classification in JABS

10:10-10:30 Break

10:30-11:45 Panel 2 – Data in Scientific Research
Barry Lawson, Bates College
Jason Castro, Bates College
Benjamin King, University of Maine
April Horton, Bates College

11:45-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:00 Presentations 4
Ben Harrison, University of New England
Tonic Modulation of Sensory Neuron Excitability by RNA-Protein Interactions

Benjamin King, University of Maine
MicroRNA and Gene Co-Expression Networks in the Innate Immune Response to Influenza A Virus

Eric LeFlore, Bates College
Assessing Sustainable Lethal Take for Great Blue Heron in the Northeastern United States

14:00-15:00 Panel 3 – Ethical considerations of AI/ML/LLM
Gray Cox, College of the Atlantic
Tahiya Chowdhury, Colby College
Jon Ippolito, University of Maine
Fernando Nascimento, Bowdoin College

15:00-16:00 Presentations 5
Joshua Kelley, University of Maine
Pointing Shmoo North: Mapping the Yeast Polarized Proteome

Michelle Berger, The Jackson Laboratory
Machine learning as a powerful tool for phenotyping rare disease mouse models

16:00 Wrap-up and close

Partners

Become a sponosor!

Sponsorship Opportunities at MDI Biological Laboratory
Please contact Melissa at mjohnson@mdibl.org.

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