Connecting Network Architecture and Network Computation (15w5158)
Organizers
Andrea Barreiro (Southern Methodist University)
Maurice Chacron (McGill University)
Brent Doiron (University of Pittsburgh)
Chris Eliasmith (University of Waterloo)
Kresimir Josic (University of Houston)
Eric Shea-Brown (University of Washington)
Description
The Banff International Research Station will host the "Connecting Network Architecture and Network Computation" workshop from December 6th to December 11th, 2015.
The brain solves an astonishing array of computational tasks -- from
representing multifaceted
sensory inputs, to making decisions based on these inputs, to the
expression and control of
motor outputs in response -- with a speed and precision that easily
exceeds the most powerful
computers to date. How do the circuits of neurons that perform these
tasks do so despite severe
constraints on energy consumption, volume, and communication speed?
A variety of new experimental techniques are maturing that allow an
unprecedented ability to
view large populations of neurons simultaneously, to map the detailed
connectivity in such
populations, and to manipulate the activity in these populations.
These experimental methods
generate a huge amount of data from a system of almost unimaginable
size and complexity, but
also give us a unique opportunity to learn how the architecture of the
neural networks underlie
and serve their functions. The size and scope of this problem
challenge the current capabilities
of mathematical modeling: advances in the mathematical fields of
dynamical systems, stochastic
processes, and network computation are needed to meet the challenge
that these exciting new
experimental advances present.
The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).
