Connectionists: Convergence in Computational Neuroscience: Joint BrainScaleS CodeJam/NeuroML workshop

[P Gleeson]

** Please accept our apologies for cross postings **

Dear all,

Announcing the Convergence in Computational Neuroscience 2012 workshop 
which will be held in Edinburgh from 12-16th March. The NeuroML 
Development Workshop and the BrainScaleS (previously FACETS) CodeJam 
have been two important workshops for developers of software tools for 
computational neuroscience for the past number of years, and this year 
they are being held over the same week.

The first 2 days will focus on the specifications & tool support for 
NeuroML, which has traditionally been focused on multicompartmental, 
conductance based neuronal models, but with version 2.0 is being 
extended to allow greater flexibility in creating new synapse, ion 
channel and abstract/point neuron models. Machine readable model 
definitions allow low level access to model parameters and equations, 
facilitating interoperability across simulators. Presentations and 
discussions will include updates on developments towards NeuroML 2, 
relationships to other modelling and neuroinformatics initiatives 
including COMBINE and the INCF, and talks on the latest developments in 
the Blue Brain Project, the Neural Tissue Simulator and the OpenWorm 
project.

More details for these days are here: http://www.neuroml.org/workshop2012

The remaining 3 days will have a similar format to previous CodeJams: 
presentations in the mornings with discussions & code sprints in the 
afternoon. The goal will be to catalyze open-source, collaborative 
software development in computational and systems neuroscience and 
neuroinformatics, by bringing together researchers, students and 
engineers to share ideas, present their work, and write code together. 
CodeJam #5 will focus on multi-compartmental modelling APIs, data 
analysis libraries, code generation and best practices in open source 
software development, with a slant towards the Python programming 
language. Speakers from a range of active areas in neuroscience-tool 
development have been invited; we will be hearing about the latest 
developments in NeuroDebian, Genesis 3.0, MOOSE, Topographica, 
OpenElectrophy, PyNN and many others. If you are starting a Ph.D. in 
computational neuroscience and want to get involved with the 
tool-building community, or are just interested in the state of the 
field, the CodeJam is a great opportunity to meet the developers behind 
the projects in an informal setting and discuss about ideas and future 
projects.

More details can be found here: http://neuralensemble.org/meetings/CodeJam5

Wednesday afternoon includes a mini workshop with the theme 
"Convergence, Interoperability and Reuse in Neuroscience Modelling 
Software", which seeks to develop a perspective on where the field is at 
and where we are going to.

This should be a very informative and useful week for anyone interested 
in learning about/sharing/integrating software tools for computational 
neuroscience.

There will be a limited number of bursaries available for travel to the 
meeting for UK based attendees through the UK Node of the INCF 
(http://www.neuroinformatics.org.uk/special-interest-groups-sigs/18-sig4). 
Contact p.gleeson at ucl.ac.uk <mailto:p.gleeson at ucl.ac.uk> for more details.

Regards,

Padraig Gleeson
On behalf of the NeuroML & CodeJam workshop organisers


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Padraig Gleeson
Room 321, Anatomy Building
Department of Neuroscience, Physiology&   Pharmacology
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom

+44 207 679 3214
p.gleeson at ucl.ac.uk
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