2008 Summer Program in Computational Neuroscience

at

The University of Pennsylvania

 

 

in collaboration with

Drexel University, Temple University, Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, and Lincoln University

 

 

June 16 – July 25, 2008

 

 

 

Applications are invited for an intensive summer program of hands-on training to introduce undergraduate students to the principles and techniques of computational neuroscience.  An initial short course will train students to carry out electrophysiological recordings on a variety of preparations including invertebrate ganglia and mammalian hippocampal slices.  Data obtained in the laboratory will serve as the foundation for an exploration of neuronal and network modeling techniques conducted in the simulation environment, NEURON.

 

The summer program will be directed by Dr. Alan Gelperin and Dr. Leif Finkel, of the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with over 22 Neuroscience faculty from Penn and allied institutions.  After the initial short course, students will carry out research rotations in Penn laboratories, under the supervision of the faculty.  Lectures, chalk talks, and social events will continue through the summer.

 

Undergraduates with interests in computational neuroscience are encouraged to apply.  Students are encouraged from a variety of backgrounds — biology or psychology students seeking an introduction to more quantitative approaches, or students from engineering, physics, and related fields who seek exposure to neuroscience.  The goal of the program is to foster training that integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to understanding neural function.

 

Housing is available, if needed, on the Penn campus, and a stipend will be provided to cover living expenses.

 

To apply, please email (1) a transcript of your college coursework (unofficial transcript), (2) a CV or resume including a description of any research experience and your level of computer proficiency, (3) a short statement of your areas of interest and career goals.  Please send information by April 15, 2008 to Dr. Leif Finkel at leif@neuroengineering.upenn.edu.  For further information, please contact Dr. Finkel or Dr. Gelperin at agelperin@monell.org.

 

for further information on Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania see http://www.med.upenn.edu/pennbrain/index.htm

for general information about Penn and the Philadelphia area see http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/visiting/

 

Visit the 2008 Summer Program in Computational Neuroscience wiki.

 

 

 

supported by NIH Training Grant in Computational Neuroscience T90 DA 22763-01 which is part of the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research

Faculty Preceptors

 

 

·      Ted Abel, Associate Professor, Biology

Genetic approaches to study the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity, memory storage and sleep/wake regulation.  Applications to schizophrenia, autism, and other disorders.  Ted is Director of the BBB undergraduate program. Ted is currently collaborating with Kim Blackwell (George Mason University), a distinguished alumna of Penn, to model signal transduction pathways in neurons on a grant from the Human Frontiers Science Program.

 

·      Vijay Balasubramanian, Associate Professor, Physics

           Theoretical studies of neural information processing, statistical models.  Specific focus on retinal circuitry.

 

·      Gordon Baltuch, Associate Professor, Neurosurgery

Clinical neurosurgeon, director of deep brain stimulation program at Penn.  Collaborations with physiologists and modelers in mechanisms of deep brain stimulation, and human electrophysiological recording studies.  Worked in computational neuroscience as an undergraduate.

 

·      David Brainard, Professor & Chair, Psychology

           Visual psychophysics, computation, and machine learning.  Interest in Bayesian models and color vision.

 

·      Gershon Buchsbaum, Professor, Bioengineering

           Visual signal processing and image coding, models of retina and visual system.  Undergrad Chair, Bioengineering.

 

·      Diego Contreras, Associate Professor, Neuroscience

Expertise in intracellular in vivo, extracellular, and optical recording. Work in barrel cortex, visual cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia.  Known for fundamental work on cortico-thalamic oscillation mechanisms.  Has interacted with many leading modelers.

 

·      Ed Cooper, Assistant Professor, Neurology

Studies of the axon initial segment and role of K channels in neurological disease.  Collaboration with modelers on seizure mechanisms in hippocampus.

 

·      Douglas Coulter, Associate Professor, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Hippocampal physiology, in vitro slice electrophysiology and optical recording.  Epilepsy, neuronal excitability, CNS rhythm generation, GABA receptors, development of neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels, synaptic function

 

·      Nabil Farhat, Professor, Electrical Engineering (also)

           Nonlinear dynamical systems, chaos, biomorphic and optical neural networks.

 

·      Leif Finkel, Professor, Bioengineering

Computational models of neurological and psychiatric disorders, linking cortical models to visual perception, biophysical-level modeling.

 

·      Alan Gelperin, Professor, Monell Chemical Senses Center

Olfactory physiology and modeling.  Alan recently moved to Penn from Princeton, where he was the Director of the Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience.  He is the Founding Director of the Neural Systems and Behavior course at the Wood’s Hole MBL, and he has been a long-time member of the course faculty in the MBL course, Methods in Computational Neuroscience.

 

·      Josh Gold, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience

Mechanisms of decision making in cortex.  Awake behaving monkey recording paradigms.  Josh is interested in linking physiology to information-theoretic and probabilistic models of cortical activity.

 

·      Ruben Gur, Professor, Psychiatry, Neurology, & Radiology

Functional imaging of schizophrenia, neuropsychology, integration of neurobehavioral data with neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic data on regional brain function in healthy, neurologic and psychiatric populations

 

·      Phil Haydon, Professor, Neuroscience

Regulation of synaptic transmission. Fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, near-field microscopy, electrophysiology, patch clamp recording, calcium imaging, photolytic uncaging, cell and tissue culture, cell and molecular biology. Director of NIMH Conte Center on synaptic imaging.

 

·      Mike Kahana, Professor, Psychology

Computational and mathematical modeling of human memory.  Analysis of human electrophysiological recordings in patients with implanted intracranial electrodes

 

·      Mike Kaplan, Professor, Biology

Electrophysiology, synaptic function, learning and memory.

 

·      Maciej Lazarewicz, Bioengineering

Cortical and Hippocampal modeling.  Neurophysiological signal processing.

 

·      Daniel Lee, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering

           Computational neuroscience, machine learning, robotics, nonlinear dimensionality reduction algorithms

 

·      Brian Litt, Assoc. Professor, Neurology & Bioengineering

Mechanisms of seizure generation, human electrophysiological signal analysis, hippocampal modeling, seizure detection algorithms, implantable devices for seizure detection and termination, director of the intracranial monitoring unit and clinical epileptologist.

 

·      Karen Anne Moxon, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering & Neurobiology (Drexel University)

Karen is located 2 blocks away at Drexel.  Extracellular recordings in rodent barrel cortex, in conjunction with modeling, and is also involved in Parkinson’s related DBS research.  There is a very strong engineering undergraduate population at Drexel, and she will be our conduit to these students.

 

·      Mike Nusbaum, Professor, Neuroscience

Stomatogastric ganglion. Neural network modulation; motor pattern selection from multifunctional networks; local, presynaptic influences; neuropeptide function, cotransmission, sensory influence on central neuronal networks. Chair, Neuroscience Graduate Group.

 

·      Larry Palmer, Professor, Neuroscience

Striate and extrastriate visual cortical physiology. Single and multiple spike train analysis, crosscorrelation techniques, intracellular recording in vivo.

 

·      Marc Schmidt, Associate Professor, Biology

           Birdsong. Encoding of complex motor behaviors; auditory/motor integration; neural basis of vocal learning

 

·      Rob Smith, Research Associate Professor, Neuroscience

           Computational modeling and electrophysiological recording of retina

 

·      Peter Sterling, Professor, Neuroscience

           Microcircuitry of the retina.  Long history of modeling collaborations.

 

 

Faculty at Allied Universities

 

 

·      Peter Brodfuehrer (Chair, Biology, Bryn Mawr College)

 

·      John Chikwem (Dean of Natural Science, Lincoln University)

 

·      Mark Matlin (Physics, Bryn Mawr College)

 

·      Karen Moxon (Neuroscience, Drexel University)

 

·      Thomas Shipley (Psychology, Temple University)

 

·      Kathy Siwicki (Chair, Biology, Swarthmore College)