NEURON Workshop August 2003

[Kathleen Clinton]

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NEURON Workshop Space Still Available
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Michael Hines and Ted Carnevale of Yale University will conduct a three 
to five day workshop on NEURON, a computer code that simulates neural 
systems.  The workshop will be held from Monday to Friday, August 25-29, 
2003 in Elliott Hall 121 on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus 
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Registration is open to students and 
researchers from academic, government, and commercial organizations. 
Space is limited, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, 
first-serve basis.

The workshop is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Computational 
Neuroscience Program which is supported by a National Science 
Foundation-Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee grant and 
the University of Minnesota Graduate School, Institute of Technology, 
Medical School, and Supercomputing Institute for Digital Simulation and 
Advanced Computation.

**Topics and Format**

Participants may attend the workshop for three or five days.  The first 
three days cover material necessary for the most common applications in 
neuroscience research and education.  The fourth and fifth days deal 
with advanced topics of users whose projects may require 
problem-specific customizations. Windows platform will be used.

Days 1 - 3

"Fundamentals of Using the NEURON Simulation Environment"

The first three days will cover the material that is required for 
informed use of the NEURON simulation environment.  The emphasis will be 
on applying the graphical interface, which enables maximum productivity 
and conceptual control over models while at the same time reducing or 
eliminating the need to write code.  Participants will be building their 
own models from the start of the course.  By the end of the third day 
they will be well prepared to use NEURON on their own to explore a wide 
range of neural phenomena.  Additional information about the topics can 
be found at www.compneuro.umn.edu .

Days 4 and 5

"Beyond the GUI"

The fourth and fifth days deal with advanced topics for users whose 
projects may require problem-specific customizations.

Topics will include:
Advanced use of the CellBuilder, Network Builder,
 and Linear Circuit Builder.
When and how to modify model specification, initialization,
 and NEURON's main computational loop.
Exploiting special features of the Network Connection class
 for efficient implementation of use-dependent synaptic
 plasticity.
Using NEURON's tools for optimizing models.
Parallelizing computations.
Using new features of the extracellular mechanism for
 --extracellular stimulation and recording
 --implementation of gap junctions and ephaptic interactions
Developing new GUI tools.

**Registration**

For academic or government employees the registration fee is $175 for 
the first three days and $270 for the full five days.  These fees are 
$350 and $540, respectively, for commercial participants. Registration 
forms can be obtained at  www.compneuro.umn.edu/NEURONregistration.html 
or from the workshop coordinator, Kathleen Clinton, at 
clinton at compneuro.umn.edu or (612) 625-8424.

**Lodging**

Out-of-town participants may stay at the Days Inn, 2407 University 
Avenue SE in Minneapolis.  It is within walking distance of Elliott 
Hall, but a shuttle bus is also available.  Participants are responsible 
for making their own hotel reservations.  The phone number is 
612-623-9303.  When making reservations, participants should state that 
they are attending the NEURON Workshop.  A small block of rooms is 
available until July 24, 2003.