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----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The many non-correlates
of behavioral "The many non-correlates of behavioral Why do animals have as many cortical areas as they do? The mainstream view is that it is for functional reasons, in the sense that more areas implies a more functionally complex brain, and vice versa. Here I argue, however, that one of the principal drivers of neocortical parcellation is neocortex size alone, independent of the number of specialized functions. In building a neocortex of larger size, there are connectivity constraints that must be economically satisfied, and the number of cortical areas is expected to increase as the square root of network size (the total number of neocortical neurons). Examination of parcellation and connectivity for a variety of animals confirms this theoretical expectation. Comparisons are made with several other kindsof complex network. Bio: Mark Changizi received his undergraduate in Physics and Math atthe University of Virginia in 1991, and his PhD in applied mathematicsfrom the University of Maryland in 1997. While a graduate student he worked closely with Dr. Christopher Cherniak in theoretical neuroanatomy.He has since been a visiting assistant professor in computer science atthe National University of Ireland, worked as a computational neuroscienceconsultant for Schafer Biotechnology, and was a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University in the Psychological and Brain Sciences. He has recently taken a fellowship at the Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiologyat Caltech. Dr. Changizi's recent interests are in two main directions: (1) the organization of complex networks, with an emphasis on nervous systems, and (2) the function of the visual system.
Instructor: Brett Berlin,
George Mason University Instructor: Brett Berlin, George Mason University (REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED - JUST SHOW UP!)
In the beginning, what did it take to get government and research institutions to appreciate the need for supercomputing? What problems are best suited for massively parallel processing? What are the modern challenges facing this field. Find out what it takes to get scientists from diverse fields to harness this awesome power to solve problems. Given the recent advances in desktop and server systems, is supercomputing really dead? Meet scientist and Professor Brett Berlin, formerly of Cray Research, as he discusses the history, challenges and triumphs of modern supercomputing. Bio From 1980 until 1994, after leaving active duty to join Cray Research, he continued in the Air Force Reserve, focusing on computational science research and global assessment of HPC technology and application trends. F. Brett Berlin, President, Berlin Consulting Associates, Inc.(BCA), and Partner, Institute for Scientific Simulation, LLC.(SSI), is a computer scientist with over 30 years experience as a consultant, technologist and technology executive. He is a Vice President of the Washington DC Region Chapter of the Internet Society (DCISOC), the Security Architecture Review Panel for the U.S. Treasury Financial Management Service's Secure Payment System (currently under development by High Performance Technologies, Inc.(HPTi). http://www.brettberlin.com More information: www.nih-bcig.org.
The Digital Human: 21st
Century Tools for Collaboration Speaker: Henry Kelly, Ph.D. Abstract: Progress in biomedicine increasingly is becoming dependant on a skillful blending of modern software design and biology. Powerful tools for storing and searching data are already indispensable for making effective use of the gigantic amounts of genetic sequencing and protein data now available. Further, sophisticated visualization tools are becoming essential for understanding complex 3D data available from advanced imaging systems. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Entirely new software tools are being developed that will help us understand the dynamic operation of complex biological systems - particularly in the growing number of areas where the large numbers of variables and functions are otherwise intractable. Unfortunately, the community developing these systems lacks any formal way to promote technical interoperability of the tools or to manage the growing complexity of procedural issues involving review, maintenance, and ownership of the tools. The Digital Human project is attempting to remedy this problem. Its technical focus is on developing communities of practice that will facilitate sharing and re-use of simulation software encompassing all relevant physical and temporal scales. This means developing a shared ontology of biological elements, actions, and flows (material, charge, heat, force) and an agreed method for representing geometry. Procedural issues include: designing an effective method for peer review of software - including the ability to continuously test software and report problems; developing intellectual property management systems that protects inventors' rights but doesn't present prohibitive barriers to collaboration, and; developing accessible repositories for software components which can provide such as version control, bug reporting, and other services. The broad concept is being tested in several specific projects involving diverse university and corporate research teams. It is urgent that these collaborations grow quickly to involve a larger community - a process that requires a deft hand on the part of federal funding agencies such as NIH, NSF, NASA and DARPA. Bio Henry Kelly, Ph.D. is the President of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a privately funded non-profit organization founded in 1945. Dr. Kelly received a PhD in physics from Harvard University and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Before he joined FAS in July 2001, he spent over seven years as Assistant Director for Technology in the White House's Office of Science and Technology helping negotiate and implement major administration research partnerships in energy and the environment, information technology, and learning technology. These included partnerships for new automobile and truck technology, housing technology, bioprocessing technology, and information technology. He convened the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee and helped translate their advice into a large expansion and refocusing of federal information technology research. He also was instrumental in creating major federal programs in learning technology for children and adults, including an executive order accelerating the use of instructional technology for training federal civilian and military employees. Prior to his work in the White House he was a Senior Associate at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Assistant Director for the Solar Energy Research Institute, and worked on the staff of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Kelly is an elected fellow of the American Physical Society, 2002 winner of the APS' Leo Szilard Lectureship Award for "promoting the use of physics for the benefit of society" and was named the biannual "Champion of Energy Efficiency" in 2000 by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. He is the author of numerous books and articles on issues in science and technology policy. More information: www.nih-bcig.org.
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