This week I worked on researching the application of machine learning (ML) to chemistry for my independent study, and I created a video about the professional dress expectations for the class. I was happy to see a significant amount of literature on my topic and to learn that machine learning is increasingly being used by chemical engineers and pharmaceutical companies to synthesize new molecules or discover retrosynthesis procedures. Through my research, I learned some of the basics about the common techniques used when applying ML to chemistry. I also began working in Python on my computer to design an ML model, similar to one of the examples from the article I researched, so I could try to recreate a simple model. That specific example was predicting the boiling point of alkanes based on their chemical properties, like the number of carbon atoms, through multivariate linear regression. I ran into some humbling problems installing Python like forgetting to add the environment variable, but I plan to stick with it over JavaScript, so that I can learn the standard language for the field.
I’m looking forward to continuing my research and experimenting with machine learning models. Next week, I hope to learn more about applying ML techniques using TensorFlow. Of course, I’ll be continuing to try to find professionals to interview and eventually a mentor to gain experience under, hopefully as soon as possible.
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