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CFP- Special issue on Robots and Smart Environments
by Amir Aly Jan. 20, 2018

Jan. 20, 2018

*Cognitive Systems Research (CSR) Journal* CALL FOR PAPERS **Apologies for cross posting ** We are happy to call for papers for the journal special issue: "*Social Cognitive Systems in Smart Environments: Approaches for Learning, Reasoning, and Adaptation*" *Webpage: **https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitive-systems-research/call-for-papers/special-issue-social-cognitive-systems-in-smart-environment <https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitive-systems-research/call-for-paper…> * <http://cognitive-mirroring.org/en/events/hai2017_workshop/> *I. Aim and Scope * A “smart” environment incorporates intelligent systems (e.g., smart home, smart factory, smart city, smart car etc.) employing heterogeneous devices, such as: sensors, actuators, cameras, networks, and screens. Within such a smart environment, autonomous agents can take on an important mediating role between human users and the environment. This is particularly true if high-level cognitive functions and computational intelligence are employed to handle the uncertainty of the complex environment so as to allow agents to act appropriately within different contexts of interaction. Using robotic systems in smart environments opens the door to several socio-cognitive applications, such as: reducing cognitive load for individuals interacting with a smart environment, assisting the elderly and people with cognitive disabilities in mobility and daily tasks (which requires robots to learn the multimodal characteristics of human behavior and to spatially perceive the environment containing other smart objects to decide the best way to employ/manipulate them in order to successfully perform tasks), and developing a cloud-connected robot system to incrementally share knowledge between robots in different smart environments about the behavioral characteristics of human users in order to interact with them adaptively. To meet the requirements of these target applications, robots need to be able to learn how to use the capabilities of their smart environments to better address the needs of the human users. Industrial applications of such technologies include factories of the future and the digital eco-system within an autonomous car. This special issue aims to shed light on cutting edge lines of interdisciplinary research in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and robotics covering basic research and applications. Recent advances and possible future research avenues on smart robots and environments would be discussed in detail in this journal special issue. *II. Potential Topics* Topics relevant to this special issue include, but are not limited to: - Cyber-physical systems in smart environments - Multimodal human robot interaction - Cognitive modeling of human behavior - Cognitive architectures and strategies for intelligent interaction with the environment - AI and machine learning approaches applied to human-robot-environment interaction - Internet of things - Ambient assisted living - Infotainment in smart vehicles - Natural user interface design - Cloud robotics - Ubiquitous computing *III. Submission* Submissions to the special issue must include original research that has not been published nor submitted to other journals. Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the "Guide for Authors" available at the journal homepage: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitive-systems- research/. Papers should be submitted through the EVISE system: https://www.evise.com/evise/jrnl/cogsys. Authors should select "*VSI:Smart Environments"* as the article type during the submission process. *IV. Timline (Submission portal will be open on March 1, 2018)* - Deadline for paper submission: April 30, 2018 - First notification for authors: July 31, 2018 - Deadline for revised papers submission: September 30, 2018 - Final notification for authors: November 30, 2018 - Deadline for submission of camera-ready manuscripts: January 15, 2019 *V. Guest editors* Dr. Amir Aly, Ritsumeikan University, Japan (amir.aly(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp) Dr. Shashank Pathak,Visteon Corporation, Germany ( shashank.pathak(a)visteon.com) Dr. Sean Andrist, Microsoft Research, USA (sandrist(a)microsoft.com) Prof. Armando Tacchella, University of Genoa, Italy ( armando.tacchella(a)unige.it) -- *Amir Aly, Ph.D.* Senior Researcher Emergent Systems Laboratory College of Information Science and Engineering Ritsumeikan University 1-1-1 Noji Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan

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Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience - recent articles
by Stephen Coombes Jan. 20, 2018

Jan. 20, 2018

The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience publishes research articles on the mathematical modeling and analysis of all areas of neuroscience. The current list of journal articles is available at http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ : Sparse Functional Identification of Complex Cells from Spike Times and the Decoding of Visual Stimuli Aurel A. Lazar, Nikul H. Ukani and Yiyin Zhou https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… Robust Exponential Memory in Hopfield Networks Christopher J. Hillar and Ngoc M. Tran https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… A Rate-Reduced Neuron Model for Complex Spiking Behavior Koen Dijkstra, Yuri A. Kuznetsov, Michel J. A. M. van Putten and Stephan A. van Gils https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… The Dynamics of Neural Fields on Bounded Domains: An Interface Approach for Dirichlet Boundary Conditions Aytül Gökçe, Daniele Avitabile and Stephen Coombes https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… Fundamental Limits of Forced Asynchronous Spiking with Integrate and Fire Dynamics Anirban Nandi, Heinz Schättler, Jason T. Ritt and ShiNung Ching https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… All articles are Open Access. ------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Coombes Professor of Applied Mathematics School of Mathematical Sciences Nottingham, UK Tel: 0115 846 7836 http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/~sc/ ------------------------------------------------------- This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

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University of Sussex PhD programme: 'From Sensation and Perception to Awareness'
by Miguel Maravall Jan. 19, 2018

Jan. 19, 2018

Dear comp-neuro colleagues, We are inviting applications for studentships in an exciting new PhD programme at the University of Sussex, 'From Sensation and Perception to Awareness', for entry in September 2018. Could you please kindly distribute to potentially interested students? Thank you Best wishes Miguel Maravall The University of Sussex has been awarded a Leverhulme Trust grant to create a new Doctoral Scholarship Programme entitled 'From Sensation and Perception to Awareness'. This brings together researchers and doctoral students from across neuroscience, robotics, psychology and the arts. The ultimate aim of this research programme is to advance our understanding of the interactions between sensing, perception, and awareness in humans, animals, and machines. Our doctoral scholars will be immersed in an inter-disciplinary training environment including monthly seminars and an annual student-led conference on a topic related to the theme. A strong emphasis is placed on developing technical skills, and we will provide specialist training in areas such as programming and use of virtual and augmented reality. As part of this programme, Sussex will be providing fully-funded studentships for three cohorts of seven students. The first of these cohorts will start studying at Sussex in September 2018. Individual research projects are listed on the webpage linked below. Each successful applicant will receive a tax free stipend at Research Council rates (currently £14553 per annum), a Home/EU fee waiver and generous research and training costs. On completion of their PhD, our programme alumni will be eligible to apply for one of several 12 month postdoctoral research fellowships at Sussex, available only to completing Leverhulme DSP scholars. Application deadline is March 5th 2018. For further information, a listing of research projects and application instructions, please visit: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/internal/doctoralschool/funding/sussexleverhulme

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PhD Studentship in Computational and Systems Neuroscience
by Christopher Buckley Jan. 19, 2018

Jan. 19, 2018

PhD Studentship: Distributed neural processing of self-generated visual input in a vertebrate brain A PhD studentship in Computational and Systems Neuroscience is available in the groups of Dr Christopher L Buckley (Department of Informatics) and Prof. Leon Lagnado (School of Life Sciences) at the University of Sussex from September 2017. During movement, sensory input and motor output are bound in a closed-loop: motor actions shape sensory input and sensory inputs inform future motor commands. We will characterise the neural circuits involved in the interactions between the sensory and motor systems using light-sheet microscopy to image neural activity across the brain of live zebrafish in a virtual reality environment (Nature. 2013;493: 466–468). The project will involve computational modeling and “big-data” analysis as well as experiments. Appropriate backgrounds therefore include physical and computational science as well as neuroscience. Experience with programming and a quantitative approach are essential. More information about the project is available at https://tinyurl.com/kjtxoq9. Informal enquiries can be made to Chris Buckley<http://www.christopherlbuckley.com/> (c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk>) or Leon Lagnado<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/lagnadolab/> (l.lagnado(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:l.lagnado@sussex.ac.uk>). Sussex Neuroscience<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience> is one of the foremost centers for Neuroscience research in the UK and the University of Sussex has a beautiful campus on the outskirts of the lively South Coast town of Brighton. Application: Please apply through the post-graduate application system of the University of Sussex (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/apply) Please include a brief statement of your scientific interests and skills/experience in the mandatory “research proposal”, including how you would imagine your role in the project (max 2 pages) and include a full CV. Indicate Dr Christopher L Buckley as your preferred advisor and clearly state the title of the studentship. When you apply, please send a copy of your application documents to c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk>. Funding Notes The studentship includes a three year stipend at a standard rate (currently £14,296 per annum) and, in addition, fees at the UK/EU rate. Since the studentship only covers fees at the UK/EU rate, overseas applicants are kindly requested to state in their application how they propose to cover the difference between UK/EU and overseas fees. Deadline Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but candidates applying before 15 July can be sure to be considered. Christopher L Buckley Lecturer in Neural Computation University of Sussex Department of Informatics Sussex Neuroscience Falmer Brighton, UK email: c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk> twitter: @drclbuckley

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ICNR2018 - FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT & CALL FOR PAPERS, SPECIAL SESSIONS and WORKSHOPS
by Alberto Mazzoni Jan. 18, 2018

Jan. 18, 2018

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this announcement --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2018) Pisa, Italy October 16-20 http://www.icnr2018.org <https://mail.sssup.it/Redirect/D03C6F58/www.icnr2018.org/>info(a)icnr2018.org On behalf of all the organizers, it is our pleasure to invite you to the genuine International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2018) that will take place in Pisa (Italy) in October 16-20, 2018. Please, visit the website at http://www.icnr2018.org <https://mail.sssup.it/Redirect/D03C6F58/www.icnr2018.org/>. The 2018 International Conference on Neurorehabilitation will bring together researchers and students from the fields of Motor Control, Neurtotechnologies, Clinical Rehabilitation, Applied Neurophysiology, Biomedical Engineering and Neuromechanics to promote, feed and encourage a technology-based therapeutic global shift. On this occasion, ICNR2018 will be held in parallel at the same venue with The International Symposium on Wearable Robotics (WeRob2018). Please, visit the website at http://www.werob2018.org <https://mail.sssup.it/Redirect/D03C6F58/www.werob2018.org/>. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Pisa on October 2018! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *- Call for Special sessions-* ICNR2018 seeks to provide focused discussions on new topics and innovative applications of established approaches during the conference. Therefore, the organization of Special Sessions is encouraged. March 15 is the final deadline for Special Session Proposals submission. *- Call for Workshops-* ICNR2018 seeks to provide an extensive program of workshops to be held prior the conference. Proposals that address topics related to the conference theme are welcome. We invite proposals for half-day or full-day workshops. March 15 is the final deadline for Workshop Proposals submission. *- Submission of contributions-* Extended abstract (2 pages) contributions are welcome. April 15 is the final deadline for extended abstracts. All contributions will be peer reviewed. Accepted contributions will appear in Conference Proceedings. After a selection process, accepted articles will be announced to authors on June 15, 2018. *- Important Deadlines -* Special session proposal submission deadline: March 15, 2018 Workshops proposal submission deadline: March 15, 2018 Contributions submission deadline: April 15, 2018 Notification to authors: June 15, 2018 Authors registration deadline: July 1, 2018 Final version submission: July 15, 2018 Early registration: July 1, 2018 *- Registration Fees -* Early student (until July 1): 300€ Early regular (until July 1): 550€ Early Single day student (until July 1, 2018): 200€ Early Single day regular (until July 1, 2018): 300€ Student: 450€ Regular: 750€ Single day student: 300€ Single day regular: 450€ *- Confirmed Plenary speakers -* Michael Goldfard (Vanderbilt University) Maria Chiara Carrozza (SSSA) Katja Mombaur (Heidelberg University) Herman van der Kooij (University of Twente) (tentative) Oskar Aszmann (Medical University of Vienna) (tentative) Hugh Herr (MIT) (tentative) Mitsuo KAWATO (ATR) *- Logistics -* ICNR obtained special rates for accommodation with hotels nearby the conference venue. During the conference, transportation services will be facilitated between these hotels and the venue. For updated information on accommodation, trasportation and conference venue please visit our website frequently. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For further and up-to-date information, please visit the conference website: http://www.icnr2018.org <https://mail.sssup.it/Redirect/D03C6F58/www.icnr2018.org/> Prof. José L. Pons & Prof. Silvestro Micera Co-Chairs ICNR2018 http://www.ICNR2018.org <https://mail.sssup.it/Redirect/D03C6F58/www.icnr2018.org/>

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Cortical Codes at the EITN Paris on February 5 & 6 - registration opened
by EITN Jan. 18, 2018

Jan. 18, 2018

Announcement : Workshop Cortical codes Organized by Sacha van Albada and the EITN on February 5th and 6th, at the EITN Paris. Programme and registration: https://eitnconf-050218.sciencesconf.org/ The cerebral cortex plays a key role in high-level brain functions including sensory processing, memory, attention, planning, and the internal modeling of the external world. To make sense of the wealth of experimental data available on cortical anatomy and physiology, and the relation of its activity to behavior, theoretical approaches are essential. A variety of tools are used for this purpose: bottom-up modeling starting from biological knowledge, top-down including normative approaches, investigations of the coding properties at the single-neuron and neuronal population levels, analytical work and simulations, and comparisons between healthy and disease conditions. This workshop brings together a cross-section of these theoretical approaches toward unraveling the mechanisms used by the cerebral cortex for achieving its functionality, with the goal of facilitating mutual fertilization between the various approaches. **/The registration is free however mandatory due to a limited number of seats./** Speakers:**/ /** Claudia Clopath, Cold Spring Harbor, USA Sophie Denève, ENS Paris, France Maria Sanchez-Vives, IDIBAPS Barcelona, Spain Yulia Sandamirskaya, University and ETH, Zurich, Switzerland Tatyana Sharpee, Salk Institute, La Jolla, USA (via video conference) Hamutal Slovin, Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv, Israel Alexa Riehle, AMU, France Angela Yu, University of California San Diego, USA (via video conference) Fleur Zeldenrust, Radboud University, The Netherlands Looking forward to seeing you there ! -- The EITN Team Phone : +33 (0)1 69 82 34 39 http://www.eitn.org follow us on Twitter: @EITN_Paris

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2018 ACT-R Summer School and Master Class
by db30＠andrew.cmu.edu Jan. 17, 2018

Jan. 17, 2018

2018 ACT-R Summer School and Master Class Carnegie Mellon University July 9-13, 2018 ACT-R is a unified theory of cognition that has been implemented in a software system called a cognitive architecture that can be used to develop computational cognitive models. It has been applied to modeling tasks that range from experimental tasks like simple reaction time and list learning, to real world tasks like driving a car and air traffic control. The 2018 ACT-R Summer School will take place at CMU in Pittsburgh from July 9-13. It consists of both a Summer School for beginning users and a Master Class for more experienced users. The Summer School will train researchers in the use of ACT-R for cognitive modeling using the ACT-R tutorial. Each day will consist of a morning theory lecture covering one or two tutorial units, an afternoon discussion session on the topics of the day, and modeling assignments which participants are expected to complete during the day and evening. The Master Class is organized in parallel with the Summer School. The Master Class offers the opportunity for ACT-R modelers to work on their own projects with guidance from experienced ACT-R researchers. There is no curriculum for the Master Class, but Master Class students are welcome to attend the Summer School lectures and discussion sessions. To provide an optimal learning environment, admission to the Summer School and Master Class will be limited. To apply for the Summer School, please email a curriculum vitae and a statement of purpose to db30(a)andrew.cmu.edu. Demonstrated experience with a modeling formalism similar to ACT-R will strengthen a Summer School application. To apply for the Master Class please email a curriculum vitae along with some information about your level of experience with ACT-R and some details on the project you expect to work on during the Master Class. Applications are due by April 15th and applicants will be notified of admission by April 30th. Admission to the Summer School and Master Class is free. Housing will be available in the CMU dormitories for approximately $60/day (single) or $40/day (shared). More information about ACT-R, including papers published by the ACT-R community, can be found on the ACT-R web site: <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/>. For more information on the Summer School and Master Class you can email Dan Bothell at db30(a)andrew.cmu.edu.

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AREADNE 2018 Call for Abstracts
by John Pezaris Jan. 16, 2018

Jan. 16, 2018

AREADNE 2018 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles Nomikos Conference Centre, Santorini, Greece 20-24 June 2018 http://areadne.org info(a)areadne.org Dear Colleague, We are pleased to announce solicitation of abstracts for poster presentation at AREADNE 2018, 20-24 June 2018, our seventh meeting to be held at the Nomikos Conference Centre in Santorini, Greece. Continuing with the same highly successful format, AREADNE 2018 will bring scientific leaders from around the world to present their theoretical and experimental work on the functioning of neuronal ensembles. The meeting will provide an informal yet spectacular setting in which attendees can discuss their recent ideas and discoveries, with a relaxed pace that emphasizes interaction. Please see the Call for Abstracts for additional details, including links for templates, at http://areadne.org/call-for-abstracts Submissions of abstracts for poster presentations are due by 9 Feb 2018; notifications will be provided by 13 March 2018. We strongly encourage potential attendees to submit an abstract as presenters have registration priority. For information about the conference, please refer to the main web page http://areadne.org or send email to us at info(a)areadne.org. We hope to see you at AREADNE 2018! Best, - J. --- John S. Pezaris, Ph.D. AREADNE 2018 Co-Chair Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114, USA john(a)areadne.org jpezaris(a)gmail.com

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Call for Papers: Special Track on "Brain-Inspired Circuits & Architectures" @ IEEE NANO 2018 - Cork, Ireland
by Harkin, Jim Jan. 15, 2018

Jan. 15, 2018

CFP: IEEE NANO 2018 Special Track on "Brain-Inspired Circuits & Architectures". http://ieeenano18.org/brain-inspired-circuits-architectures/ The call for papers is now open to the Special Track on "Brain-Inspired Circuits & Architectures". This track is intended to disseminate the research on Brain-inspired Circuits and Architectures to the Nano community and therefore is broad and includes applications. Topics of Interest include, but are not restricted to: * Neuromorphic hardware * Embedded neural systems (including FPGAs) * Brain-inspired cognitive architectures, evolutionary robotics * Self-configuring , Self-healing or Self-aware systems * Memristor based computation and learning * Novel neural hardware applications * Deep Learning Hardware * Other topics in Brain-Inspired Circuits & Architectures Submission of Abstract deadline: 28th February 2018 (Extended deadline) Notification of Acceptance : 29th March 2018 Deadline for final papers: 31st May 2018 Guidelines: http://ieeenano18.org/abstract-submission-guidelines/ Track Chair: Dr. Jim Harkin, Ulster University Track Co-Chair: Prof. Liam McDaid, Ulster University Track TPC Members Prof. Alejandro Linares-Barranco, University of Seville. Spain Prof Alice Parker, University of Southern California, USA Dr. Martin Trefzer, University of York, UK Dr. Junxiu Liu, Ulster University, UK [cid:image003.jpg@01D36D24.502F1730] Abstract Submission is now open for IEEE NANO 2018! The 18th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology | Cork, Ireland | 23-26 July 2018 | www.ieeenano18.org IEEE-NANO is the flagship IEEE Nanotechnology conference. The conference scope spans nanoscience and nanotechnology, from nanomaterials and nanofabrication to nanosensors, nanoactuators and nanoelectronic/nanophotonic devices. The thematic focus for this year's event is Nano-Enabled Smart Things: new materials, devices and systems that can benefit humanity through applications in communications, energy, healthcare, food and environment. The conference themes will encompass experimental contributions (e.g., materials development and integration, device fabrication, characterisation and metrology) as well as modelling and simulation. We welcome contributions from both academic and industry-based researchers. Confirmed plenary speakers for IEEE NANO 2018 already include: Prof. John A. Rogers, Northwestern University Prof. Malini Olivo, A*STAR<https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_org&hl=en&org=15632547241…> Singapore Prof. Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

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Call for Applications: Spring Course in Computational Neuroscience Paris March 19-23, 2018
by Alain Destexhe Jan. 14, 2018

Jan. 14, 2018

Hi All, I am forwarding this announcement as the deadline is in a month. Sorry for those who already received it. All the best, Alain ------------ Call for Applications: Spring Course in Computational Neuroscience, Paris, March 19-23, 2018 We hereby announce the EITN Spring Course in Computational Neuroscience of March 19-23, 2018. It will be held at the European Institute of Theoretical Neuroscience (EITN) in Paris, and is organized by the Theoretical Neuroscience Group of the Human Brain Project. The main focus of the course will be to understand and design neural models at multiple scales, ranging from cellular and circuit models to large-scale brain networks. Organizers: Idan Segev (Hebrew University), Markus Diesmann (Research Center Julich), Viktor Jirsa (CNRS, Marseille), Sonja Gruen (Research Center Julich), Gaute Einevoll (NMBU), Alain Destexhe (CNRS and EITN) and Gustavo Deco (University Pompeu Fabra). The goal of the course is to teach different techniques of computational neuroscience spanning different scales: Day 1: single-neuron models (Segev) Day 2: mean-field models (Destexhe) Day 3: model comparison and validation (Gruen, Einevoll) Day 4: from local circuits to whole-brain models (Diesmann, Jirsa) Day 5: resting state and sensory processing (Deco) The students will be asked to form 5 interdisciplinary working groups on each one of these themes, and will do a short modeling project using one of the simulation packages presented at the course (Python, NEST, Brian, The Virtual Brain...) Tutorials and use cases will be provided to teach students how to use these packages. The student selection will be based on their excellence, and also based on their need to follow such a course. Experimentalists and theoreticians are welcome, a prior background in basic neuroscience is required. We request that the students come to the course with their laptop computer and have software installed, which we will identify prior to the course, to allow working on the projects and tutorials. The deadline for applications is February 15th, 2018. Applications consist of a one-page CV and a motivation letter to explain why you would like to attend this course. Applications should be sent to the EITN, at eitn(a)unic.cnrs-gif.fr

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