Semantics in Healthcare and Life Sciences Conference to be held Feb. 22-24

Web scientist and Research Associate Professor Joanne Luciano in the Tetherless World Constellation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is co-chairing the 2012 Semantics in Healthcare and Life Sciences (CSHALS) conference Feb 22-24 in Boston, Mass. The conference is focused on the use of semantic web technologies in the pharmaceutical industry and academic research labs. The conference is open to any interested scientist.

"The conference is the only one of its kind directly focused on improving healthcare and the life sciences through smart technologies, with an emphasis on application to 'Big Data.'" Luciano said. "Rensselaer is proud to once again be in a leadership role at this conference to continue to enhance the capabilities and progress of healthcare and medicine."

Semantic web technology provides additional meaning to computational data, allowing for better and more meaningful links between data. Semantically enabled data can be more easily searched, cited, analyzed, and modeled, according to the scientists within the Tetherless World Constellation.

"We hope to demystify the use of semantics to the participants in the conference," Luciano said. "The pharmaceutical industry could greatly benefit from semantic technologies. The data these semantic systems can provide could improve drug safety and performance and create shorter drug development timelines. These are the reasons we started this conference."

The conference will include a full-day hands-on tutorial lead by web scientists in the Rensselaer constellation. The tutorial will focus on the basics of semantic technologies and how to build simple semantic applications. There will also be several keynotes from top computer scientists working in the healthcare arena, technology talks, and other presentations. Topics will range from linked data and modeling to the use of semantics in medical diagnoses.