Announcement of Erice School on Cortical Dynamics 31 Oct - 6 Nov 2003

[Silvia Scarpetta]

*International School on Neural Nets "E.R. Caianiello"*
JOINTLY ORGANIZED BY
IIASS <http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/www.iiass.it> International 
Institute for Advanced Scientific Studies and
EMFCSC <http://www.ccsem.infn.it/> Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center 
for Scientific Culture 
 
*8th Course:**
Computational Neuroscience:  Cortical Dynamics *
  
*31 Oct.- 6 Nov.  2003 *

*Ettore Majorana Centre* <http://www.ccsem.infn.it/>* *Erice (Sicily) ITALY

homepage:  http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/ 

*Directors of the Course:*

Maria Marinaro 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/Marinaro/index.html>(Dept. of Physics 
"E.R. Caianiello", Univ. of Salerno, Italy)
Peter Erdi <http://cc.kzoo.edu/%7Eperdi/>(Kalamazoo College, USA  
& _KFKI Res. Inst. Part. and Nucl. Phys. Hung. Acad. Sci._ Hungary 
<http://www.rmki.kfki.hu/biofiz/cneuro/cneuro.html>)

*Lecturers:*

*Luigi Agnati *- Dept. of Neuroscience Karolinka Inst.,Sweden & Modena 
Univ. Italy

*Peter Dayan * <http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/>- Gatsby Computational 
Neuroscience Unit, UCL,  UK - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#dayan>

_*Peter Erdi *_ <http://cc.kzoo.edu/%7Eperdi/> - CCSS Kalamazoo College 
USA & KFKI Hung. Accad.of Science Hungary - Codirector - abstract
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#erdi> 

*Bruce P Graham* <mailto:b.graham at cs.stir.ac.uk>  - Dept of Computer 
Science and Mathematics, Univ. of Stirling UK- abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#graham>

*John Hertz* <http://www.nordita.dk/%7Ehertz/>  - Nordita, DK - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#hertz>

*Zhaoping Li* <http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/%7Ezhaoping/index.html> - 
Univ. College of London, UK - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#zhaoping> 

*Ronen Segev * <http://www.tau.ac.il/%7Esegevr/> - School of Physics and 
Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Israel - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#segev>

*Ivan Soltesz* <mailto:isoltesz at uci.edu> - Dept. of Anatomy and 
Neurobiology, Univ. of California, USA - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#soltesz>

*Misha Tsodyks* <http://www.weizmann.ac.il/%7Ebnmisha/> - Dept. of 
Neurobiology Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

*Ichiro Tsuda* <mailto:tsuda at math.sci.hokudai.ac.jp> - Dept. of 
Mathematics, Hokkaido University, Japan -abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#tsuda>

*Alessandro Treves* <http://www.sissa.it/%7Eale/> - Sissa, Cognitive 
Neuroscience, Trieste,  It - abstract 
<http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/program.htm#treves>


**Scientific Program **

/Recently the amount of experimental data available to computational 
neuroscience community grows steadily, //due to the development of new 
experimental technique.//The data obtained with these modern techniques 
allows a degree of comparison with modeling results that so far was not 
possible. At the same time new and stronger theoretical ideas are being 
developed from all over the world, borrowing ideas and tools from 
different fields of science, such as physics and mathematics. /

/The goal of the school is to present an up-to-date description of the 
experimental and theoretical results and of the current efforts to 
investigate processing, transmission and imprinting of information in 
the brain, focusing on cortical area. Cortical areas play a key role in 
important functions like those related to the memory. A systematic 
description of cortical rhythms and cortical neural plasticity will be 
given, from its structural basis to its functional significance. /

/The school is devoted to students with different scientific background 
(physics, mathematics, biology, neuroscience, etc.) who wish to learn 
recent developments in computational neuroscience and cortical dynamics. 
The basic concepts will be introduced, with emphasis on the underlying 
//physical concepts//, //common principles and connections between 
experimental data and biophysically-based as well abstract models. Then 
cortical dynamics will be investigated, focusing on recent developments 
and open problems./

**Registrations:**

Applications must be received before *May 15 2003* in order to be 
considered by the selection committee.  Registration fee of 900 Euro 
includes accomodation with full board. Application form and additional 
information are available from 
http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/. 
Applications should be sent by ordinary mail to the codirector of the 
school:

   Prof. Maria Marinaro  
   IIASS                
   Via Pellegrino 19,          
   I-84019 Vietri sul Mare (Sa) 
   Italy 

or by fax to:  +39 089 761 189 (att.ne: Prof. M. Marinaro) 
or by electronic mail to:   iiass.vietri at tin.it 
<mailto:iiass.vietri at tin.it>  subject: summer school

**Location**

The "Ettore Majorana" International Centre for Scientific Culture takes 
its inspiration from the outstanding Italian physicist, after whom the 
Centre was named.  Embracing 110 Schools 
<http://www.ccsem.infn.it/schools.html>, covering all branches of 
Science, the Centre is situated in the old pre-mediaeval city of Erice 
where three restored monasteries provide an appropriate setting for high 
intellectual endeavour. These monasteries 
<http://www.ccsem.infn.it/BlackettInst.html> are now named after great 
Scientists and strong supporters of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre.   
There are living quarters in all three Monasteries for people attending 
the Courses of the Centre.

**The John von Neumann (1903-1957) Centenary will be celebrated during 
the meeting.**

Additional information are available at: 

  http://www.sa.infn.it/NeuralGroup/CorticalDynamicsSchool2003/

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