From n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk Fri Jul 2 10:34:10 2004 From: n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk (Neil Burgess) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 15:34:10 +0100 Subject: Post-doc postion in cognitive/computational neuroscience at UCL Message-ID: <006501c46041$a3ab74c0$4afe2880@Kinkajou> Research topic: The role of the human hippocampus Location: The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK. Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position to work on the role of the human hippocampus. Work will include the use of virtual reality combined with fMRI and experimental psychology to refine neural-level computational models of the role of the hippocampus in memory for locations in large-scale space, and its dependence on environmental geometry and landmarks. Research will be performed in collaboration with groups working on single unit recording (Jeffery, UCL) and behavioural and lesion studies (Killcross, Good, Honey, Cardiff University) in rats. Motivated scientists recently trained in psychology or neuroscience or with a computational background and interest in these areas are encouraged to apply. Knowledge of human memory or spatial cognition, computer programming (e.g. MatLab), use of video games/virtual reality, or fMRI analysis would be desirable. The position is available from October 2004, starting salary =A323,774 (inc. London Allowance). Appointments will be made for 1 year in the first instance, the BBSRC grant runs for 3 years. The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience houses several world-class research groups and is located close to the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience unit and the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience. Informal enquiries should be addressed to Professor Neil Burgess (email: n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk). For an outline of the lab's research interests see: http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/groups/space_memory For full details and instructions on how to apply see: http://www.anat.ucl.ac.uk/vacancy/nb04001.doc The closing date for applications will be 2nd August 2004 From bogus@does.not.exist.com Thu Jul 1 08:34:00 2004 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 13:34:00 +0100 Subject: CFP - Connection Science Journal - Special Issue on The Emergence of Language: Neural and Adaptive Agent Models Message-ID: <736F0925D69F9941B3BA8AEED0F5E75C02454598@02-CSEXCH.uopnet.plymouth.ac.uk> From kamps at in.tum.de Mon Jul 5 13:01:40 2004 From: kamps at in.tum.de (Marc de Kamps) Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2004 19:01:40 +0200 Subject: Obidos neuroscience video lectures available Message-ID: <003001c462b1$be07eb60$383c9f83@atknoll3> On the nEUro-IT.net website you can find a set of about thirty excellent lectures in neuroscience and related topics, including artificial neural networks and robotics. The lectures were recorded during the Obidos 2003 summerschool under supervision of Tim Pearce This initiative was possible thanks to the speakers, who made their materials freely available to us. The level ranges from introductory to state-of-the-art research and is=20 therefore an interesting educational resource. The videos have been encoded such that they still can be viewed over a DSL conection. You can find these lectures on nEUro-IT.net's website under: http://www.neuro-it.net/NeuroIT/Education/Obidos_Lectures We are interested in extending this archive, and if you organize a workshop or conference which would form an interesting set of video lectures, we may be able provide you with a video team. For information, please contact: info at neuro-it.net Dr. Marc de Kamps nEUro-IT.net Robotics and Embedded System Institut fuer Informatik TU Muenchen Boltzmannstrasse 3 D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen Germany From geos at etf.ukim.edu.mk Wed Jul 7 17:32:47 2004 From: geos at etf.ukim.edu.mk (Georgi Stojanov) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 23:32:47 +0200 Subject: Call for participation: EpiRob04, Genoa, Italy, August 25-27, 2004 Message-ID: <000001c46469$f2544850$97b9a088@toshibauser> ------------------------------------------------------------------- Apologizes for multiple postings ------------------------------------------------------------------- EpiRob04 Fourth International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics - Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems - University of Genoa, Italy August 25-27, 2004 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION www.epigenetic-robotics.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- This workshop focuses on combining developmental psychology, neuroscience, biology, and robotics with the goal of understanding the functioning of biological systems. The final program of the 4th Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics 2004 - EpiRob04 - is available at www.epigenetic-robotis.org a and the organizing committee cordially invites you to participate. EpiRob04 will take place in Genoa, Italy, 25-27 August 2004 and it is sponsored by the NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), Japan, and co-sponsored by LIRA-Lab, DIST, University of Genoa, Italy. Please send any questions to the workshop co-chairs: Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) or Luc Berthouze (Luc.Berthouze at aist.go.jp) We hope to see you in Genoa! EpiRob04 Organizing Committee: Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Hideki Kozima (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan) Giorgio Metta (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Christopher G. Prince (Computer Science, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA) Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia) From s.renals at ed.ac.uk Thu Jul 8 05:55:41 2004 From: s.renals at ed.ac.uk (Steve Renals) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 10:55:41 +0100 Subject: Faculty positions at Edinburgh Message-ID: <16621.6685.373716.545957@dunduff.inf.ed.ac.uk> These two lectureship (= assistant professor) positions at the University of Edionburgh may be of interest to some of you. Steve Renals -------- Lectureship in Statistical Natural Language Processing School of Informatics The successful candidate will be highly-qualified and have expertise in statistical natural language processing, in one or more of the following areas: statistical parsing, interpretation, or generation, multimodal processing, machine learning for NLP, statistical machine translation, information retrieval/extraction, or language resources.? A track record of research in semantics or discourse, or an interest in how human models of language processing can inform language engineering would also be an advantage.? You should demonstrate a world-class research record and both interest and ability in teaching.? This is a permanent position. Further information: https://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/jobs/index.cfm?action=jobdet&jobid=3002169 -------- Lectureship in Speech Technology Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics / Centre for Speech Technology Research Following the appointment of Simon King to an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship at Edinburgh, applications are invited for a fixed term Lectureship in Speech Technology in the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR). The successful applicant will be highly qualified, have expertise in spoken language processing, particularly speech recognition, speech synthesis or speech signal processing, and will demonstrate an excellent research record as well as interest and ability in teaching. He or she will be expected to develop and participate in research activities at CSTR, which is a collaborative activity of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (TAAL) and the School of Informatics.? The appointment is tenable from 1 January 2005 for a fixed term of five years. Further information: https://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/jobs/index.cfm?action=jobdet&jobid=3002230 From bpg at cs.stir.ac.uk Thu Jul 8 12:08:20 2004 From: bpg at cs.stir.ac.uk (B.P. Graham) Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:08:20 +0100 Subject: postdoc in computational neuroscience Message-ID: <40ED7174.7090900@cs.stir.ac.uk> Dear all, The following postdoc position in computational neuroscience is now available in my laboratory at the University of Stirling, Scotland, U.K. Regards, Bruce Graham ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS, UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING, SCOTLAND, U.K. A 36-month Research Assistant post to work on a BBSRC funded project concerning ?Changes in information transmission at an auditory synapse in the binaural pathway during short-term synaptic modulation. Salary: ? 18,265 - ? 20,311 p.a. The information required for sound source localization is carried in the firing times of neurones in brain stem auditory nuclei. These neurones exhibit synaptic and cellular specializations that contribute to precisely timed electrical signalling. The project will investigate the information transmission characteristics of the glutamatergic calyx of Held synapse in the mammalian MNTB using a combination of mathematical modelling, computer simulation and physiological experiments. This post, to be held in the laboratory of Dr Bruce Graham at the University of Stirling, involves carrying out the modelling and computer simulation work. This will be based on data from physiological experiments to be carried out by another RA funded by this BBSRC award, in the laboratory of Prof. Ian Forsythe at the University of Leicester. The overall objective is to determine whether multiple forms of short term synaptic modulation interact to alter, and perhaps optimise, information transmission through this pathway in response to behaviourally-relevant sound stimuli, tuning it to aid in sound source localization. This project is an exciting opportunity for a mathematician / computer scientist to gain experience of neuroscience, and for an electrophysiologist to gain experience of computational modelling. There are travel funds for research visits between the two laboratories. You will have a PhD in Mathematics / Computing Science or be shortly about to complete such a PhD. You will be familiar with numerical mathematics, information theory, and dynamic and stochastic systems. You should also have proven computer programming ability in a high-level language such as Java or C++. Knowledge of MATLAB and the NEURON simulation package would be highly beneficial. You should have a willingness to learn sufficient neuroscience to understand the system being studied. Depending on experience, a 36 month appointment will be made on the RA scale up to point 6: a maximum of ?20,311 p.a. The successful candidate will be expected to take up the position by the beginning of October 2004. Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Bruce Graham: Tel: 01786 467432, Fax: 01786 464551 or e-mail b.graham at cs.stir.ac.uk, from whom further details of the project can be obtained. The project is conducted jointly with Professor Ian Forsythe at the University of Leicester. For further information about the electrophysiological RA contact Prof. Forsythe: Tel: 0116 252 3301, e-mail idf at le.ac.uk. Further Particulars are available from the Personnel Office, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA. Tel: (01786) 467028, Fax: (01786) 466155, e-mail personnel at stir.ac.uk Closing date for applications: Thursday 29th July 2004 Reference No. see Personnel website: www.personnel.stir.ac.uk AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER -- Dr Bruce Graham, Lecturer (b.graham at cs.stir.ac.uk) Dept. of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA phone: +44 1786 467 432 fax: +44 1786 464 551 -- The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. From DGB at CDRH.FDA.GOV Thu Jul 8 16:06:54 2004 From: DGB at CDRH.FDA.GOV (Brown, David G.) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 16:06:54 -0400 Subject: IJCNN'05 Call for Papers Message-ID: <60E5EBF1DFB4EC498E0ACAE75A49F8ED0B94FD63@DRM558.CDRH.FDA.GOV> International Joint Conference on Neural Networks IJCNN 2005 July 31-August 4, 2005 Hilton Montreal Bonaventure Hotel Montreal, Canada Call for Papers deadline January 31, 2005 Internet based paper submission opens October 15, 2004 IJCNN05 is organized by the International Neural Network Society and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, and is supported by funding from the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Texas-Arlington. This annual meeting has a rich history dating back to 1987 and is the largest international neural network conference in the world. The conference invites submissions addressing theoretical and practical topics in neural networks including: * Perception and motor function: vision and image processing, auditory and speech processing, pattern recognition,... * Cognitive function: learning and memory; conditioning, reward and behavior, mental disorders, attention and consciousness, language, emotion and motivation,... * Computational neuroscience: models of neurons, systems neurobiology, spiking neurons,... * Informatics: neuro- and bio- informatics; brain models,... * Hardware: neuromorphic hardware; embedded NN, reconfigurable systems,... * Neurodynamics: recurrent nets, chaotic systems, ... * Adaptation and decision making: reinforcement learning, approximate dynamic programming, advanced learning methods and optimization, self-organizing systems, probabilistic and information-theoretic methods, support vector machines, intelligent agents, fuzzy neural systems and evolutionary computation, ... * Applications: signal processing, control, diagnostics, robotics, telecom, biomedical, financial, security, ... The complete list of topics is available at http://faculty.uwb.edu/ijcnn05 . Selected conference papers will be included in "Advances in Neural Network Research: IJCNN'05", a Special Issue of the journal Neural Networks, tentatively planned for Summer 2005. The IJCNN 2005 Program will also include a variety of special sessions, and a series of post-conference workshops devoted to recent and important developments in neural networks is planned for August 4 (evening) and August 5 (full day), 2005. Plenary lectures will feature Pierre Baldi (University of California, Irvine), Mitsuo Kawato (ATR Computational Neuroscience Labs, Japan), Frank Lewis (University of Texas-Arlington), Michael Petrides (McGill University, Canada) and Carver Mead (California Institute of Technology). The IJCNN 2005 Organizing Committee: General Chair: Danil Prokhorov, Ford Research Program Chair: Daniel Levine, University of Texas-Arlington Program Co-Chairs: Fredric Ham, Florida Institute of Technology, William Howell, Natural Resources Canada Publicity Chair: David Brown, US Food and Drug Administration. Web Co-Chairs: Michael Stiber, University of Washington-Bothell and Tomasz Cholewo, Lexmark Corp. Tutorial Co-Chairs: Carlo Morabito, Italy, and Mary Lou Padgett, PCI, Inc. Workshop Chair: Ivica Kostanic, Florida Institute of Technology Student Travel Chair: Slawo Wesolkowski, University of Waterloo, Canada Exhibits Chair: Dmitry Gorodnichy, National Research Council, Canada For more information, please visit http://faculty.uwb.edu/ijcnn05 , or www.inns.org , or contact Danil Prokhorov, General Chair of IJCNN 2005, at dprokhor at ford.com. David G. Brown, Ph.D. Publicity Chair, IJCNN'05 Center for Devices and Radiological Health (HFZ-140) 12720 Twinbrook Parkway Rockville, MD 20852 301-443-3314 ext. 133 301-443-9101 (fax) david.brown at fda.hhs.gov From jyoshimi at ucsd.edu Thu Jul 8 19:15:18 2004 From: jyoshimi at ucsd.edu (Jeff Yoshimi) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 16:15:18 -0700 Subject: New data visualization program Message-ID: Greetings, We are writing to announce the initial release of HiSee, a software package for visualizing high-dimensional datasets. See http://hisee.sourceforge.net/ We have done some work using HiSee to analyze data from neural networks, and it is currently being integrated into the software package "Simbrain." Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Scott Hotton and Jeff Yoshimi From sandini at dist.unige.it Thu Jul 8 17:58:05 2004 From: sandini at dist.unige.it (Giulio Sandini) Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:58:05 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship on Humanoid Robotics and Cognitive Developmen Message-ID: <001a01c46536$a5f39560$5d16ff05@BACCO> Humanoid Robotics and Cognitive Development? Short- term Fellowship for PhD Candidates? LIRA-Lab ? Department of Communication, Computer and System Sciences ? University of Genoa - Italy http://www.liralab.it/projects/fellowship/fellowship.htm ----------------------------------------------- POSITION OFFERED Within the framework of the internationalization of the university system the University of Genoa has established grants for the purpose of conducting short-term research (three months). These grants are reserved for students of foreign nationality who are not resident in Italy and are interested in pursuing a PhD program in Genoa. The three months period will be used to define the topic of the PhD and to allow the candidate to get acquainted with the research and living environment. This specific fellowships is aimed at defining a PhD program in the field of: "Humanoid robotics: study of cognitive development in natural and artificial beings". The activity will be carried out at the LIRA-Lab in Genoa (http://www.liralab.it) under the supervision of Prof. Giulio Sandini. The background of the candidate could either be in bioengineering/computer-science/robotics (in this case good programming skills are required) or in computational and cognitive neuroscience (and possibly both). ----------------------------------------------- PERSPECTIVE The start of the fellowship coincides with the beginning of a five-ye ar research project supported by the European Union aimed at realizing an "open" humanoid robot to study the development of cognitive manipulation skills (project RobotCub). Within this project the LIRA-Lab will hire other post-docs and technicians for the duration of the project. ----------------------------------------------- ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES The grants, available from the University of Genoa, are reserved for students of foreign citizenship who are not resident in Italy. The grants last three months and are paid in monthly installments deferred starting from the beginning of the research period as certified and transmitted by the tutor. The monthly salary is ?1,000.00 and it is paid for the effective duration of the research project. In addition to the grant, upon arrival in Italy, a payment is scheduled amounting to a lump sum of ? 500.00 for citizens of the European Union and ? 1,500.00 for citizens from countries outside the EU, as reimbursement for travel expenses. Important Dates Deadline for application is JULY 30 Position will start not later than SEPTEMBER 24. The start date for the research will not be later than 24th Sep 2004. Applicants are asked to read carefully the full text of the call and its attachments that can be found here: http://www.liralab.it/projects/fellowship/fellowship.htm ------------------------------------------------- FURTHER INFORMATION Requests for scientific information can be addressed to: Prof. Giulio Sandini (sandini at dist.unige.it) or Dr. Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) LIRA-Lab, DIST ? Universit? degli Studi di Genova Viale Francesco Causa, 13 16145 Genova Italy Tel: +39 0103532779 Fax: +39 0103532948 Information regarding application procedures and preparation of documents can be addressed to: Ms. Ingrid Sica Tel. +39 0103532994 Fax +39 0103532948 E-mail: ingrid at dist.unige.it -- Prof. Giulio Sandini LIRA-Lab, DIST - University of Genova Viale F. Causa, 13 - 16145 Genova - Italy www.lira.dist.unige.it Ph: +39 010 353 2779 Fax: +39 010 353 2948 From morasso at dist.unige.it Fri Jul 9 10:21:24 2004 From: morasso at dist.unige.it (Pietro Morasso) Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:21:24 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship on Neuroengineering @ the NEUROLAB - Genoa University Message-ID: <40EEA9E4.8060906@dist.unige.it> NEUROENGINEERING & COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE Short- term Fellowship for PhD Candidates NEUROLAB University of Genoa - Italy POSITIONS OFFERED Within the framework of the internationalization of the university system the University of Genoa has established grants for the purpose of conducting short-term research (three months). These grants are reserved for students of foreign nationality who are not resident in Italy and are possibly interested in pursuing a PhD program in Genoa. Seven positions are offered by NEUROLAB on the following topics: 1. Neuroengineering and computational neuroscience (Prof. Martinoia) 2. Neural interfaces and neuroengineering (Prof. V. Sanguineti) 3. Neuromorphic algorithms for visual perception (Prof. Sabatini) 4. Neural control of movement and motor learning (Prof. P. Morasso). 5. Technologies for neurorehabilitation (Prof. V. Sanguineti) 6. Bionanotechnology and biosensor based Microsystems (Prof. Raiteri) 7. Atomic Force Microscopy for biomedical applications (Prof. Raiteri) The research groups in NEUROLAB are involved in different research projects and run the Summer Graduate School in Neuroengineering. ACADEMIC TITLE: a Master equivalent degree is required PREFERRED BACKGROUND: Engineering (Bioengineering, Electronics, Computer Science) or Neuroscience. FELLOWSHIP AMOUNT: EUR1,000 per month + travel expenses (EUR500.00 for citizens of the European Union and EUR1,500.00 for citizens from countries outside the EU). IMPORTANT DATES: Application: July 30; Beginning of the fellowship: September 24. INFORMATION & APPLICATION http://www.bio.dibe.unige.it/ Prof. Sergio Martinoia, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Biomedical Engineering e-mail: mailto:martinoia at dibe.unige.it Tel. +39-010-3532251; Fax. +39-010-3532133 Prof. Pietro Morasso e-mail: morasso at dist.unige.it Prof. Vittorio Sanguineti e-mail: sangui at dist.unige.it Prof. Roberto Raiteri e-mail: rr at dibe.unige.it -- ______________________________________________________________________ Pietro G. Morasso - University of Genova, DIST Via Opera Pia, 13, I-16145 Genova (Italy) V:+39 010 3532749; F:+39 010 3532154/3532948; E: morasso at dist.unige.it W: http://www.laboratorium.dist.unige.it/~piero - Center of Bioengineering - Hospital La Colletta Via Giappone 3, I-16011 Arenzano (Genova) - Laurea in Biomedical Engineering W: http://www.biomedica.laboratorium.dist.unige.it/ From juan at madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk Mon Jul 12 11:53:46 2004 From: juan at madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk (JuaN) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 16:53:46 +0100 Subject: Post or pre-doctoral applied mathematician/statistician/signal processing specialist. Message-ID: Departments of Medical Physics, Clinical Neurophysiology and Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit Post or pre-doctoral applied mathematician/statistician/signal processing specialist interested in the invention and application of theoretical methods to elucidate neural data. Applications are invited for a two year post-doctoral research fellow or predoctoral research assistant to work in developing mathematical methods for the imaging and analysis of EEG (electroencephalogram, brain waves) for two years. The research is at the interface between applied mathematics, statistics, signal processing, machine learning, computational neuroscience and clinical neuroscience. The project involves the development, testing and refinement of mathematical/statistical tools which can be used for intelligent analysis of physiological and brain signals. The work is one part of a broader project in developing Neuroinformatics techniques for EEG. A library of several hundred EEGs will be acquired and documented, and made available over the GRID network in the UK and internet. Using methods in computational neuroscience, a software suite will be developed for intelligent non-linear mathematical analysis of the EEG. This will then be tested and refined, in situations like evoked response activity in migraine sufferers, or for remote analysis of EEGs from ill babies in neonatal units around the UK. The post will be based in our interdisciplinary biophysics/neurophysiology laboratory at the Middlesex Hospital, which is part of the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, and a few minutes' walk from the main campus. It is in an attractive part of central London, near to Oxford Street and the West End. The work will be undertaken in collaboration with Peter Dayan in the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, which is an international centre for computational neuroscience and machine learning. Programming, clinical studies and bioengineering support is available in the research team. The principal work will be to review and study existing statistical procedures, and then expand and refine them using real life experimental data. The position is suitable for someone with a background in Mathematics or Mathematical Physics, who is interested in the application of new methods to imaging brain function. Applicants with backgrounds in signal processing, statistics, computer science, machine learning, or other physical sciences are also welcome to apply; some biomedical experience would be desirable. Training in the relevant interdisciplinary areas will be given. The salary will be on the RA1A scale Point 4 for 2 years (21594 pa including London weighting). There are no nationality restrictions, but applicants should state if a work permit would be needed. Details are at http://www.eit.org.uk/advert/job2004.html. Informal enquiries may be made to Dr. David Holder (d.holder at ucl.ac.uk) or Peter Dayan (dayan at gatsby.ucl.ac.uk) . Closing date 12/8/04. From cagnoni at Foresto.ce.unipr.it Tue Jul 13 12:38:18 2004 From: cagnoni at Foresto.ce.unipr.it (Stefano Cagnoni) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 18:38:18 +0200 Subject: CFP: Pattern Recognition Letters: Special Issue on Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding Message-ID: <200407131638.i6DGcILW011192@Cassio.ce.unipr.it> CALL FOR PAPERS PATTERN RECOGNITION LETTERS Special Issue on Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding http://cienciascomp.cicese.mx/CallxPapersPRL.htm Guest Editors Gustavo Olague, CICESE Mexico Evelyne Lutton, INRIA, France Stefano Cagnoni, Univ. degli Studi di Parma, Italy Submission Deadline: September 30, 2004 In the last years, Evolutionary algorithms as well as other bio-inspired approaches have been shown to be tools which can be used effectively in the development of systems (software or hardware) for Computer Vision, Graphics and Robotics techniques. We strive to provide a high quality special issue on behalf of the Pattern Recognition Community, which illustrates the state-of-the-art in Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding. We are soliciting papers on these topics to appear in a special issue of Pattern Recognition Letters. Papers appropriate to this issue will have theoretical and experimental evaluation of vision algorithms as their central focus, with the application cutting across the following areas, but which are not necessarily limited to: 1) Low-level vision Evolutionary optimization, adaptation and learning algorithms for edge detection, image segmentation, figure-ground separation, texture analysis, feature selection, shape-from-shading, denoising and surface reconstruction. 2) High-level vision Evolutionary computation for object recognition, scene analysis, indexing and search of model/image databases, and high-level learning of symbolic descriptions. 3) Active vision Evolutionary computation for autonomous vision-guided navigation, path planning, sensing strategies, sensor integration, visual servoing, vergence and gaze control, hand-eye coordination, active tracking and vision-guided task planning. 4) Neural vision Evolutionary computation for learning, adaptation and optimization of neural network structure and topology for computer vision problems. All submitted papers will be reviewed according to the guidelines and standards of Pattern Recognition Letters. All submissions will be peer reviewed for originality, significance, technical content and relevance to the special issue. A digital manuscript, as well as, 5 hard-copies (not exceeding 20 double-spaced pages in 12 pt size font including figures and tables) describing previously unpublished and original research should be submitted to reach the guest editor on or before September 30, 2004. Dr. Gustavo Olague Computer Science Department, Applied Physics Division CICESE, Research Center, P.O. Box 434944, San Diego, CA., 92143-4944 USA mailto:olague at cicese.mx http://cienciascomp.cicese.mx/CallxPapersPRL.htm From anguita at dibe.unige.it Mon Jul 12 14:10:13 2004 From: anguita at dibe.unige.it (Davide Anguita) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 20:10:13 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship Message-ID: <036a01c4683b$7aaace70$b759fb82@dibe.unige.it> SmartLab Dept. of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering University of Genoa, Italy is offering TWO short-term research positions for recently graduated foreign students willing to pursue a Ph.D. degree at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Genoa, Italy. Participation is restricted to foreign citizens residing in a foreign country (other than Italy). Position 1 (Research Area) Neural-inspired architectures for micro/nano electronic devices. (Research subject) The research will focus on the study of new neural-inspired digital circuits and architectures for building new generation electronic devices in cooperation with several research centers worldwide (http://www.cnina.de/). Position 2 (Research area) Computational intelligence with programmable logic devices. (Research subject) The research will focus on the study and implementation of machine learning algorithms (esp. Kernel Methods) on Field Programmable Gate Arrays for the realization of intelligent embedded systems. *** GRANT INFO Amount: 1000 Euro/month Duration: three months Relocation/travel allowance: 500 Euro (or 1500 Euro for citizens outside EU) The three months period will be used to focus more precisely the topic of the Ph.D. and to allow the candidate to get acquainted with the research and living environment. *** DEADLINES Applications must be received by: 30th of July, 2004. Starting date: no later than 24th of September, 2004. *** INFORMAL INTERVIEWS Attendees of IJCNN04 in Budapest are especially encouraged to apply: informal interviews will take place during the Conference. *** FOR MORE INFORMATION Informal enquires and requests for application forms should be addressed to: Davide Anguita DIBE - University of Genoa Via Opera Pia 11A 16145 Genoa, Italy http://www.smartlab.dibe.unige.it/smartlab/fellowship.htm e-mail: anguita at dibe.unige.it phone: +39 010 353 2800 fax: +39 010 353 2175 From noel at dcs.shef.ac.uk Thu Jul 15 04:01:56 2004 From: noel at dcs.shef.ac.uk (Professor Noel Sharkey) Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 09:01:56 +0100 Subject: Special Issue on Navigation - CFP Message-ID: <001801c46a42$0426e460$6601a8c0@leanardo> Dear Connectionist, You may be interested to hear about the following planned special issue. Please send queries etc directly to the Special Editor Kate Jeffery k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk regards, noel Noel Sharkey Professor of Computer Science EPSRC Senior Media Fellow University of Sheffield=20 Dear All, I recently sent a request to animal forum for ideas for a special issue. I am now pleased to announce the following call for papers. Please send queries etc directly to the Special Editor Kate Jeffery k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk regards, noel Connection Science Call for Papers A Special Issue on Navigation Guest Editor: K.J. Jeffery Biologists and designers of artificial systems share an interest in understanding how mobile agents can not only move around the world in an adaptive manner, but also learn the locations of salient places so that they can return there later. Those who study animal navigation have provided a wealth of data with which to formulate hypotheses about how animals navigate. Roboticists and computational modellers, in turn, have elucidated some of the underlying principles of spatial representation and navigation. Nevertheless, convincing models of animal navigation remain elusive, as do useful artificial navigation systems. This issue aims to bring to the fore some of the most important questions from both domains. Key research issues and topics in the area include: =A7 The evolution of navigation =A7 Navigation across different scales =A7 How are places represented? =A7 Representing and reaching a goal =A7 The problem of multiple goals =A7 Planning trajectories =A7 Shortcutting and detours =A7 Navigating in featureless environments =A7 Interactions between multiple navigation systems =A7 Is there a geometric module in animals? =A7 Multisensory integration =A7 Spatial learning The main aims of this special issue are to approach the theoretical questions pertaining to navigation from a biological perspective. Contributions are encouraged both from biologists with an interest in the theoretical implications of biological data, and from designers of artificial navigational systems (including computer models and robots). Papers may be straightforwardly computational or more theoretical, and presentation of new experimental data is welcomed. Submission Instructions Manuscripts, either full papers or shorter research notes (up to 4000 words), following the Connection Science guidelines http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/ccosauth.asp) should be emailed to the guest editor by October 14, 2004. Reviews will be completed by December 1, 2004, and final drafts will be accepted no later than February 28, 2005. Guest Editor K.J. Jeffery Department of Psychology University College London 26 Bedford Way London WC1H OAP UK Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 207 679 5308 E-mail: k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk Web: http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/people/profiles/jeffery_kate.htm Special Editorial board Simon Benhamou, Behavioural Ecology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionelle et Evolutive, CNRS, Montpelier, France Michael Hasselmo, Department of Psychology, Center for Memory and Brain and Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, USA David Redish, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA Matthew Shapiro, Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA. From schunn+ at pitt.edu Wed Jul 14 11:43:36 2004 From: schunn+ at pitt.edu (Christian Schunn) Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 11:43:36 -0400 Subject: ICCM2004 schedule posted Message-ID: <91D39C2A-D5AC-11D8-9818-000393BCD4AC@pitt.edu> International Conference on Cognitive Modeling Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Mellon University + University of Pittsburgh July 29 - Aug 1, 2004 The schedule of tutorials, talks, symposia, and posters has been posted at: http://simon.lrdc.pitt.edu/~iccm/proceedings/schedule.htm. Note that all the pdf files of the papers and abstracts are available from this page as well. The hotel and local information page has also been updated to include more detailed maps. For further information about ICCM2004, see http://simon.lrdc.pitt.edu/~iccm/ CONFERENCE CHAIRS Marsha Lovett (lovett at cmu.edu) Christian Schunn (schunn at pitt.edu) Christian Lebiere (clebiere at maad.com) Paul Munro (pmunro at mail.sis.pitt.edu) From mhb0 at Lehigh.EDU Fri Jul 9 12:31:07 2004 From: mhb0 at Lehigh.EDU (Mark H. Bickhard) Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 12:31:07 -0400 Subject: Epigenetic Robotics Message-ID: <61153658-D1C5-11D8-B09E-0003934BD1F2@lehigh.edu> ------------------------------------------------------------------- Apologies for multiple postings ------------------------------------------------------------------- EpiRob04 Fourth International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics - Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems - University of Genoa, Italy August 25-27, 2004 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION www.epigenetic-robotics.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- This workshop focuses on combining developmental psychology, neuroscience, biology, and robotics with the goal of understanding the functioning of biological systems. The final program of the 4th Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics 2004 - EpiRob04 - is available at www.epigenetic-robotis.org a and the organizing committee cordially invites you to participate. EpiRob04 will take place in Genoa, Italy, 25-27 August 2004 and it is sponsored by the NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), Japan, and co-sponsored by LIRA-Lab, DIST, University of Genoa, Italy. Please send any questions to the workshop co-chairs: Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) or Luc Berthouze (Luc.Berthouze at aist.go.jp) We hope to see you in Genoa! EpiRob04 Organizing Committee: Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Hideki Kozima (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan) Giorgio Metta (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Christopher G. Prince (Computer Science, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA) Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia) Mark H. Bickhard Lehigh University 17 Memorial Drive East Bethlehem, PA 18015 mark at bickhard.name http://bickhard.ws/ From michael at jupiter.chaos.gwdg.de Sat Jul 10 21:09:26 2004 From: michael at jupiter.chaos.gwdg.de (Michael Herrmann) Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 03:09:26 +0200 (CEST) Subject: Course in Computational Neuroscience Message-ID: Applications are invited for a tutorial course on COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE at Goettingen, Germany September 22 - 26, 2004 organized by J. M. Herrmann, M. Diesmann, and T. Geisel The course is intended to provide graduate students and young researchers from all parts of neuroscience with working knowledge of theoretical and computational methods in neuroscience and to acquaint them with recent developments in this field. The course includes tutorials and lectures on the following topics: - Cognitive Neuroscience (Alexa Riehle) - Neural coding in the Bayesian brain (Klaus Pawelzik) - Dynamics in local neural networks (Nicolas Brunel) - High Level Vision: Linking physiology, fMRI and behavior through computational modeling (Max Riesenhuber) - New Trends in Theoretical Neuroscience (Markus Diesmann) The course takes place at the Department of Nonlinear Dynamics of the Max-Planck Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Bunsenstr. 10, D-37073 Goettingen. A course fee of 100 Euro includes participation in the tutorials, study materials, and part of the social events. The number of participants is limited to about 25. Course language is English. To apply please fill in the application form at: www.chaos.gwdg.de/CNS-course by July 23, 2004. For further information please contact: cns-course at chaos.gwdg.de ********************************************************************* * Dr. J. Michael Herrmann Georg August University Goettingen * * Tel. : +49 (0)551 5176424 Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics * * Fax : +49 (0)551 5176439 Bunsenstrasse 10 * * mobil: 0176 2800 4268 D-37073 Goettingen, Germany * * EMail: michael at chaos.gwdg.de http://www.chaos.gwdg.de * ********************************************************************* From keinanak at post.tau.ac.il Sun Jul 11 13:42:06 2004 From: keinanak at post.tau.ac.il (Alon Keinan) Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 20:42:06 +0300 (IDT) Subject: MSA paper and package Message-ID: I would like to announce the availability of the following paper describing our recently developed Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA) method, as well as a matlab package implementing the different MSA variants. Both are available at http://cns.tau.ac.il/msa, where you can find some more MSA-related papers, inlcuding implementations to the analysis of neurally-driven evolved autonomous agents and gene multi-knockout experiments. A. Keinan, B. Sandbank, C. C. Hilgetag, I. Meilijson, and E. Ruppin (2004). Fair attribution of functional contribution in artificial and biological networks. Neural Computation, 16(9), 1887-1915 Abstract: This paper presents the Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA), an axiomatic, scalable and rigorous method for deducing causal function localization from multiple perturbations data. The MSA, based on fundamental concepts from game theory, accurately quantifies the contributions of network elements and their interactions, overcoming several shortcomings of previous function localization approaches. Its successful operation is demonstrated in both the analysis of a neurophysiological model and of reversible deactivation data. The MSA has a wide range of potential applications, including the analysis of reversible deactivation experiments, neuronal laser ablations and transcranial magnetic stimulation "virtual lesions", as well as in providing insight on the inner workings of computational models of neurophysiological systems. Any comments you may have on this work are very welcome. Best, Alon Keinan From bower at uthscsa.edu Thu Jul 15 18:43:23 2004 From: bower at uthscsa.edu (Jim Bower) Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 17:43:23 -0500 Subject: GENESIS job announcement Message-ID: Please bring the opportunity described below to the attention of anyone who might be interested. GENESIS software developer We are seeking several software developer/programmers to contribute to the further design and development of the GENESIS neural simulation system. GENESIS is used throughout the world to construct realistic models of the nervous system at many different levels of scale. The main duty will be to reimplement the X Windows graphical user interface of GENESIS in Java. The successful candidate will work within a software team based in San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center, but will also work collaboratively via the Internet with GENESIS developers and users around the world. He or she will work in an academic environment with considerable freedom to pursue own interests within the larger project. Requirements Include: A bachelor's Degree in computer science, mathematics, a physical science, or neuroscience, and demonstrated experience developing and testing graphical user interfaces and displays in Java, C, and C++ on UNIX platforms. Some previous experience with GENESIS or realistic neural modeling would be a plus. For further information about the project, see: http://www.genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/newgrant Application Procedure: Please send your curriculum vita, and a short statement of how your skills and background would be useful for this project to: James M. Bower email: bower at uthscsa.edu Research Imaging Center University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 16 12:26:50 2004 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 17:26:50 +0100 Subject: Postdoctoral position in stochastic modelling/data analysis at University of Plymouth, UK Message-ID: <736F0925D69F9941B3BA8AEED0F5E75C029A748F@02-CSEXCH.uopnet.plymouth.ac.uk> From bernhard.schoelkopf at tuebingen.mpg.de Wed Jul 7 11:20:21 2004 From: bernhard.schoelkopf at tuebingen.mpg.de (Bernhard Schoelkopf) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 17:20:21 +0200 Subject: Openings at the MPI for Biological Cybernetics: Group Leader, PhD Student Message-ID: Dear Connectionists, My department "Empirical Inference for Machine Learning and Perception" (see http://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bs) is looking for a group leader for learning theory (successor of O. Bousquet). It is an "Assistent" position, which roughly translates into a non-tenured assistant professor position with no teaching obligations. Funding for travel, equipment, students etc. is generous. Applicants should be academically excellent and have a very good publication record in statistical learning theory and kernel methods (in particular, at NIPS/COLT). We will also consider applicants who only finish their PhD this year, provided that they show outstanding promise. The starting date is flexible. In addition, we are looking for a PhD-student to join our computer vision and robotics lab (see http://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bs). The position is funded by the EU and is open only to non-German EU citizens. We require an outstanding academic record including a strong mathematical or analytical background. In particular we seek people interested in the application of kernel methods to problems in robotics and/or computer vision. Max Planck Institutes are publicly funded research labs with an emphasis on excellence in basic research. Tuebingen is a small international university town in southern Germany, see http://www.tuebingen.de/1560.html. Inquiries and applications, including a complete CV, a statement of research interests and accomplishments should be sent to sabrina.nielebock at tuebingen.mpg.de. In addition, two letters of reference should be emailed to Sabrina directly by the referees. best regards Bernhard Schoelkopf From bert at snn.kun.nl Sat Jul 17 16:22:53 2004 From: bert at snn.kun.nl (Bert Kappen) Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 22:22:53 +0200 (CEST) Subject: postdoc and phd student position at SNN Nijmegen Message-ID: PhD student and postdoc position available at SNN Nijmegen. SNN Nijmegen is a research group dedicated to fundamental research in the areas of machine learning and computational neuroscience. Specific topics are Bayesian networks, approximate inference methods, time-series modeling, bio-informatics, expert systems, stochastic control and collaborative decision making. The group consists currently of 8 researchers and three programmers. In our group, we have two positions available that can be filled at either the PhD student level or at the postdoc level. PhD student position: The requirement for the PhD student position is a completed university degree in physics, mathematics or computer science. The position if full-time for a period of 4 jears. Postdoc position: The requirement for the postdoc position is a PhD and publications on one of the above research topics. The postdoc position is full-time for a period of 2.5 years. For more information see www.snn.kun.nl/nijmegen or contact dr. H.J. Kappen (bert at snn.kun.nl, 024 3614241), or dr. W. Wiegerinck (wimw at snn.kun.nl). Application: Three copies of applications should be sent before October 1 2004 to SNN University of Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein 21, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Applications should contain a complete CV, a brief description of his or her research interests and a copy of a recent publication or dissertation (optional). Bert Kappen SNN University of Nijmegen URL: www.snn.kun.nl/~bert The Netherlands tel: +31 24 3614241 fax: +31 24 3541435 The University of Nijmegen will be named Radboud University Nijmegen as of September 1st, 2004 From dbub at uvic.ca Mon Jul 19 16:22:47 2004 From: dbub at uvic.ca (Daniel Bub) Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 13:22:47 -0700 Subject: PDF Message-ID: A postdoctoral fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience is available at the University of Victoria, for a minimum of one year with a strong possibility of renewal for a further term. This position is affiliated with the Perceptual Expertise Network, which is sponsored by the McDonnell Foundation. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to interact with the members of this network. We seek an individual with excellent research ability in one or more of the following areas relevant to the question of how perceptual processes interact with higher level knowledge, especially knowledge leading to perceptual expertise: face recognition and memory for individuals, the understanding of emotions and facial expressions, object recognition in relation to action or functional knowledge, conceptual expertise and its effects on perception, and the interaction between orthography and visual word recognition. The position will begin as soon as the successful candidate is identified. For further enquiries, please contact Daniel Bub (dbub at uvic.ca). From justin at cnel.ufl.edu Wed Jul 7 07:26:59 2004 From: justin at cnel.ufl.edu (Justin Sanchez) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 07:26:59 -0400 Subject: POSTDOCTORAL AND GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITIONS: BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES Message-ID: <200407071127.i67BR1PG091808@smtp.ufl.edu> POSTDOCTORAL AND GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITIONS: BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES Positions are available in the Computational NeuroEngineering Laboratory at the University of Florida for individuals with experience in adaptive systems, analysis of multidimensional biomedical time-series, and neuroscience. This person will interact with electrical and computer engineers, neurosurgeons, and biomedical scientists working on brain-machine interfaces. This position requires knowledge time/frequency/model based analysis approaches, programming in Matlab or C, functional neuroanatomy, and experimental design. The position is available starting August 1, 2004. If interested, please send via email a CV, a summary of skills and experience, and the names of three references to: Jose C. Principe, Ph.D. principe at cnel.ufl.edu Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, BellSouth Professor and Director Computational NeuroEngineering Laboratory EB 451, Bldg #33 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 From levys at wlu.edu Mon Jul 19 15:17:23 2004 From: levys at wlu.edu (Simon Levy) Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:17:23 -0400 Subject: AAAI Fall 2004 Symposium on Compositional Connectionism: Speakers and Venue In-Reply-To: <3F98E794.40701@ai.unime.it> References: <3F98E794.40701@ai.unime.it> Message-ID: <1090264643.3049.237.camel@dijkstra.cs.wlu.edu> Abstracts of accepted papers, as well as links to venue information, are now available for the fall 2004 AAAI symposium on Compositional Connectionism, to be held Oct 22-24 in Washington DC: http://www.cs.wlu.edu/~levy/aaai04/ -- Simon D. Levy Assistant Professor Computer Science Department Washington & Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 540-458-8419 (voice) 540-458-8479 (fax) levys at wlu.edu http://www.cs.wlu.edu/~levy From info at neoxi.com Wed Jul 21 01:05:50 2004 From: info at neoxi.com (info@neoxi.com) Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 22:05:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Neural Network Resources Site: www.neoxi.com Message-ID: <3738.150.29.217.232.1090386350.squirrel@webmail.neoxi.com> Neural Network Resources Site: www.neoxi.com * Content: Professionally selected extensive collection of neural network resources. * Audience: Communities of commerce, industry, academics, engineers, practitioners, and individuals interested in neural networks, machine learning, data mining, artificial intelligence, soft-computing, and numerous other fields directly or indirectly utilizing the neural network technology. From wduch at phys.uni.torun.pl Wed Jul 21 08:51:12 2004 From: wduch at phys.uni.torun.pl (Wlodzislaw Duch) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:51:12 +0200 Subject: Preliminary CfP: ICANN 2005 conference In-Reply-To: <9CFE75F87A78564887952466CA3F4E4D03713E90@exchange02.staff.main.ntu.edu.sg> Message-ID: <20040721125111.654734A3D0@nobel.phys.uni.torun.pl> ICANN 2005 Preliminary Call for Papers The 15th International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks, ICANN 2005, will be held from September 11 to September 14, 2005, at the Gromada Hotel Conference Center in Warsaw, Poland. ICANN is an annual meeting organized by the European Neural Network Society in cooperation with the International Neural Network Society, Japanese Neural Network Society, and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (the last one waiting for approval). ICANN 2005 welcomes contributions on theory, algorithms, applications and implementations in the following broad areas: Applications of computational intelligence methods; Computational neuroscience; Connectionist cognitive science; Data analysis and pattern recognition; Hardware implementations; Neural and hybrid models and algorithms; Robotics, control, planning; Signal and time series processing; Self-organization; Vision and image processing. Ideas and nominations for interesting plenary lecturers, tutorials, special sessions, workshops and experts willing to organize various session tracks are called for. Most active experts will be included in the scientific committee of the conference. Each special session should have at least 5 presentations and a conference track about twice as many. Special session chairs will be responsible for all aspects of their sessions, including soliciting, reviewing, and selecting the papers. To ensure quality of the papers the program committee of ICANN 2005 will provide final review and approval for all sessions. Proposals to organize special sessions/tracks/workshops should include: the title and form of the proposed session (track/special session/workshop); name, affiliation, mailing address and e-mail address of the proposer(s); description of the topic of the session, not exceeding 100 words, or 1000 for tutorials. The deadline for these proposal submission is December 31, 2004, but early submissions are strongly encouraged. Proceedings of ICANN will be published in the "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" series of Springer-Verlag. Paper length is restricted to a maximum of 6 pages, including figures, but expanded versions of papers may be published in an electronic form on a CD. Detailed author instructions will be available at the web site. Submissions will be possible by file uploading or via e-mail postscript or PDF file attachment. Deadlines and conference calendar in 2005: 3.01 Submission page opens 15.02 End of submission of papers to regular sessions 30.02 End of submission of papers to special sessions 30.04 Acceptance/rejection notification 15.06 Deadline for camera ready papers 1.07 Deadline for early registration 11.09 Tutorials - first day of the conference 12-14.09 The main part of the conference 15 .09 Workshops You may also be interested to know that the Intelligent Systems Design and Applications (ISDA 2005) conference will be organized just before ICANN in Wroclaw, Poland. For further information and/or contacts, send inquiries to icann05 at ibspan.waw.pl or to ICANN 2005 Conference Secretariat Mrs. Krystyna Warzywoda Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences ul. Newelska 6, 01-447 Warszawa, Poland General Program Chairs: Wlodzislaw Duch, Nicholaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, duch, at server: ieee.org (Google: Duch) Janusz Kacprzyk, System Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, kacprzyk, at server ibspan.waw.pl (Google: Janusz Kacprzyk) e-mail: icann05 at ibspan.waw.pl http://icann05.ibspan.waw.pl http://www.phys.uni.torun.pl/ICANN-2005 From poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu Wed Jul 21 14:04:58 2004 From: poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu (Roman R. Poznanski) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 13:04:58 -0500 Subject: JIN (Vol.3, No.3) In-Reply-To: <40A11464.9000908@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> References: <40A11464.9000908@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> Message-ID: <40FEB04A.6080008@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 (SEPTEMBER, 2004) Short Communications Siren Call of Metaphor : Subverting the Proper Task of System Neuroscience. By G. Werner A Functional View of Consciousness and Its Relations in Brain. By R.J. MacGregor Research Reports A discrete approach for a model of dynamic learning by the cerebellum By A. Garenne, J.-M. Dupont, P. Chauvet and G. Chauvet Analytical Solutions of the Frankenhaeuser-Huxley Equations. I. Minimal Model for backpropagation of action Potentials in Sparsely Excitable Dendrites. By Roman R. Poznanski Control of Neuronal Discharge Timing by Afferent Fiber Number and the Temporal Pattern of Afferent Impulses By A.D.Coop and G.N. Reeke Complexity of Dense Array EEG Reflected in Single and Multiscale Sample Entropy Analysis By Pravitha Ramanand , V. P. N. Nampoori, R. Sreenivasan Graph Theoretical Characterization and Tracking of Neural Connectivity During Episodes Mesial Temporal Epiletic Seizures By LUIZ A. BACCAL=C1, MILKES Y. ALVARENGA, KOICHI SAMESHIMA, CARMEN L. JORGE and LUIZ H. CASTRO Book Review The Quest for Consciousness (by C. Koch) Roberts & Co., 2004 By R.J.MacGregor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For orders within Europe, please contact the Imperial College Press sales department at: Tel: +44 (0)20 7836-0888 Fax: +44 (0)20 7836-2020 during U.K. business hours. Outside Europe, our books and journals are distributed by World Scientific Publishing Co. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, SINGAPORE 596224 Fax: 65-6467-7667 Tel: 65-6466-5775 E-mail: wspc at wspc.com.sg Price Information: ISSN: 0219-6352 ; Vol. 3/2004; 4 Issues Special Rates: Individuals -- Roman R. Poznanski, Ph.D Associate Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience Department of Psychology Indiana University 1101 E. 10th St. Bloomington, IN 47405-7007 email: poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu phone (Office): (812) 856-7195 http://www.worldscinet.com/jin/mkt/editorial.shtml From georg at ai.univie.ac.at Wed Jul 21 14:20:12 2004 From: georg at ai.univie.ac.at (Georg Dorffner) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:20:12 +0200 Subject: 2 open positions: Biosignal processing / cognitive robotics Message-ID: <40FEB3DC.3070807@ai.univie.ac.at> The Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (http://www.oefai.at) has an opening for a position in Biosignal processing This position will be open starting Sep. 1, 2004 and will be limited to 2 years. Work will be done as part of the EU-commission funded project SENSATION (Advanced Sensor Development for Attention, Stress, Vigilance & Sleep/Wakefulness Monitoring, www.sensation-eu.org). In this project, work will focus on building novel models of a person's sleep-wake cycle based on biosignal data like EEG, EOG or EMG. This will be done based on probabilistic models of pattern recognition, clustering and modeling, exploiting methods such as hidden Markov models, Gaussian mixtures and the like. Required background: - know-how in signal processing (e.g. EEG) - academic degree in computer science or engineering (with focus on signal processing) or equivalent degree - motivation for and interest in application-oriented research - basic programming skills (in particular, Matlab) - proficiency in English Desired background - background in probabilistic pattern recognition methods - research experience - publications related to the field - basic understanding of German (minor requirement) A Ph.D. degree is not required but will be preferred. Interested applicants should apply by email, mail or fax, no later than August 20, 2004, at the address below. Include a short vita, a list of publications, and any other information demonstrating your qualification. Send applications to: Georg Dorffner Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence Freyung 6/6 A-1010 Vienna fax: +43-1-5336112-77 email: georg at ai.univie.ac.at [use the keyword 'SENSATION' in the subject line!] ============================================================================ The Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (http://www.oefai.at) has an opening for a position in Cognitive robotics This position will be open starting Sep. 1, 2004 and will be limited to 3 years. Work will be done as part of the EU-commission funded project MACS (Multi-sensory Autonomous Cognitive Systems Interacting with Dynamic Environments for Perceiving and Using Affordances) and/or MindRACES (From Reactive to Anticipatory Cognitive Embodied Systems). These projects are in the domain of cognitive robotics dealing with learning interaction-based representations of objects, with foci on affordances (what a robot can do with objects) and anticipation of actions as the major driving force behind robotic cognition. Required background: - know-how in and hands-on experience with robotics - academic degree in computer science or engineering (with focus on autonomous robots) or equivalent degree - motivation for and interest in cognitive science research - basic programming skills (Matlab, C++, or Java) - proficiency in English Desired background - research experience - publications related to the field - basic understanding of German (minor requirement) A Ph.D. degree is not required but will be preferred. Interested applicants should apply by email, mail or fax, no later than August 20, 2004, at the address below. Include a short vita, a list of publications, and any other information demonstrating your qualification. Send applications to: Georg Dorffner Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence Freyung 6/6 A-1010 Vienna fax: +43-1-5336112-77 email: georg at ai.univie.ac.at [use the keyword 'Robots' in the subject line!] From stuetzle at intellektik.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de Thu Jul 22 04:12:08 2004 From: stuetzle at intellektik.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de (Thomas Stuetzle) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:12:08 +0200 (CEST) Subject: New Book: Ant Colony Optimization Message-ID: The book "Ant Colony Optimization" by M. Dorigo and T. Stuetzle has recently been published my MIT Press. Contents: 1 From Real to Artificial Ants 2 The Ant Colony Optimization Metaheuristic 3 Ant Colony Optimization Algorithms for the Traveling Salesman Problem 4 Ant Colony Optimization Theory 5 Ant Colony Optimization for NP-Hard Problems 6 AntNet: An ACO Algorithm for Data Network Routing 7 Conclusions and Prospects for the Future Short description: The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of ant colony optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. Information on the book can be found on the web site of the book: http://mitpress.mit.edu/0262042193 Best regards, M. Dorigo and T. Stuetzle From sakas at hunter.cuny.edu Thu Jul 22 09:38:06 2004 From: sakas at hunter.cuny.edu (William Gregory Sakas) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:38:06 -0400 Subject: Announcement: Psychocomputational Models of Human Language Acquisition Message-ID: <1090503486.40ffc33e8349e@ms1web.hunter.cuny.edu> *************************************************************************** Call for Participation Psycho-computational Models of Human Language Acquisition A COLING 2004 Workshop Geneva Switzerland 28 August 2004 http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/ **************************************************************************** Workshop Topic -------------- The workshop is devoted to psychologically-motivated computational models of language acquisition. That is, models that are compatible with research in psycholinguistics, developmental psychology and linguistics. Invited Speakers ---------------- * Walter Daelemans, University of Antwerp and Tilburg University * Elan Dresher, University of Toronto * Jerome A. Feldman, University of California at Berkeley * Charles D. Yang, Yale University Registration ------------ http://www.issco.unige.ch/coling2004/ Workshop Description -------------------- How children acquire the grammar of their native language(s) is one of the most beguiling open questions of modern science. The principal goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds who are interested in the study of human language acquisition from a computational perspective. Cross-discipline discussion will be encouraged. Presented research draws computational linguistics, formal learning theory, machine learning, artificial intelligence, linguistics, cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. Psycho-computational models of language acquisition are of particular interest in light of recent results in developmental psychology which suggest that very young infants are adept at detecting statistical patterns in an audible input stream. This begs the question, to what extent can a psychologically plausible statistical learning strategy be successfully exploited in a "full-blown" psycho-computational acquisition model? Accepted Papers (full text and presentation schedule available at http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/program.html ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A Quantitative Evaluation of Naturalistic Models of Language Acquisition; the Efficiency of the Triggering Learning Algorithm Compared to a Categorial Grammar Learner -- Paula Buttery On Statistical Parameter Setting -- Damir Cavar, Joshua Herring,Toshikazu Ikuta, Paul Rodrigues -- and Giancarlo Schrementi Putting Meaning into Grammar Learning -- Nancy Chang Grammatical Inference and First Language Acquisition -- Alexander Clark A Developmental Model of Syntax Acquisition in the Construction Grammar Framework with Cross-Linguistic Validation in English and Japanese -- Peter Ford Dominey and Toshio Inui On the Acquisition of Phonological Representations -- B. Elan Dresher Statistics Learning and Universal Grammar: Modeling Word Segmentation -- Timothy Gambell and Charles Yang Modelling Syntactic Development in a Cross-Linguistic Context -- Fernand Gobet, Daniel Freudenthal and Julian M. Pine A Computational Model of Emergent Simple Syntax: Supporting the Natural Transition from the One-Word Stage to the Two-Word Stage -- Kris Jack, Chris Reed and Annalu Waller On a Possible Role for Pronouns in the Acquisition of Verbs -- Aarre Laakso and Linda Smith Some Tests of an Unsupervised Model of Language Acquisition -- Bo Pedersen, Shimon Edelman, Zach Solan, David Horn -- and Eytan Ruppin Modelling Atypical Syntax Processing -- Michael S. C. Thomas and Martin Redington Combining Utterance-Boundary and Predictability Approaches to Speech Segmentation -- Aris Xanthos Workshop Organizer ------------------ William Gregory Sakas, City University of New York Program Committee ----------------- * Robert Berwick, MIT, USA * Antal van den Bosch, Tilburg University, The Netherlands * Ted Briscoe, University of Cambridge, UK * Damir Cavar, Indiana University, USA * Morten H. Christiansen, Cornell University, USA * Stephen Clark, University of Edinburgh, UK * James Cussens, University of York, UK * Walter Daelemans, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Tilburg ersity, The Netherlands * Jeffrey Elman, University of California, San Diego, USA * Gerard Kempen, Leiden University, The Netherlands and The Max Planck Institute, Nijmegen * Vincenzo Lombardo, University of Torino, Italy * Larry Moss, University of Indiana, USA * Miles Osborne, University of Edinburgh, UK * Dan Roth, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA * Ivan Sag, Stanford University, USA * Jeffrey Siskind, Purdue University, USA * Mark Steedman, University of Edinburgh, UK * Menno van Zaanen, Tilburg University, The Netherlands * Charles Yang, Yale University, USA Contact: -------- Psycho.Comp at hunter.cuny.edu or sakas at hunter.cuny.edu http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/ William Gregory Sakas, Ph.D. Computer Science and Linguistics Hunter College and the Graduate Center City University of New York Voice: (212) 772.5211 Fax: (212) 772.5219 Email: sakas at hunter.cuny.edu WWW: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/cs/Faculty/Sakas/ From doya at irp.oist.jp Thu Jul 22 12:15:52 2004 From: doya at irp.oist.jp (Kenji Doya) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:15:52 -0700 Subject: Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course -- Call for Applications Message-ID: <6758E810-DBFA-11D8-8D2A-000A95C0CA8A@irp.oist.jp> Call for Applications OKINAWA COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE COURSE November 9-19, 2004. Okinawa, Japan. http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc The aim of Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course is to provide opportunities for young researchers with theoretical backgrounds to learn up-to-date neurobiological findings, and those with experimental backgrounds to have hands-on experience in computational modeling. We invite graduate students and postgraduate researchers to participate in the course, held from November 9th through 19th at Bankoku Shinryokan, a seaside conference facility that hosted 2000 Okinawa Summit. The special topic for this year's course is "Bayesian Brain: Probabilistic Approaches to Neural Coding and Learning." Lectures by leading theoretical and experimental neuroscientists will be given in the morning and evening, and the afternoon will be open for free discussions and student projects. Each student will give a short presentation of his/her current work at the beginning of the course and present the summary of his/her project work at the end of the course. Those interested in attending the course should send the materials below by the course web page, e-mail, or postal mail to the course secretariat by SEPTEMBER 10TH. We will accept 30 students by considering the matching of each student's background and motivation to the course content, and also by considering the balance of members' research disciplines, geographic origins, and genders. The sponsor will provide lodging expenses during the course and a support for travel to Okinawa. This course is the second of the tutorial courses sponsored by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government as a precursory activity for Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. We hope that this course will be a good opportunity for theoretical and experimental neuroscientists to meet together and to explore the attractive nature and culture of Okinawa, the southernmost island prefecture of Japan. ******** Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course (OCNC 2004) - Bayesian Brain: Probabilistic Approaches to Neural Coding and Learning - Date: November 9th to 19th, 2004 Place: Bankoku Shinryo-kan (http://www.shinryokan.com/) Lodging: The Busena Terrace (http://www.terrace.co.jp/index-e.html) Sponsor: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Project, Cabinet Office, Japan Co-sponsors: Japanese Neural Network Society Center of Excellence Program, Tamagawa University Center of Excellence Program, Kyushu Institute of Technology Advisory Board: Sydney Brenner, Salk Institute Masao Ito, RIKEN Brain Science Institute Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Susumu Tonegawa, MIT Torsten Wiesel, Rockfeller University Co-organizers: Kenji Doya, Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Shin Ishii, Nara Institute of Science and Technology Alex Pouget, University of Rochester Rajesh Rao, University of Washington LECTURES (confirmed speakers and topics) Theoretical Foundations Shun-ichi Amari (RIKEN Brain Science Inst.): Statistical approach to neural learning and population coding Neurobiological Foundations Barry Richmond (National Inst. of Health): Neural coding Alex Pouget (U. Rochester): Population coding Adrienne Fairhall (U. Washington): Spike Coding Computational Modeling Anthony Bell (Redwood Neuroscience Inst.): Unsupervised machine learning with spike timings: rigorous results Peter Latham (UCL): Computing with population codes Richard Zemel (U. Toronto): Coding and decoding uncertainty Rajesh Rao (U. Washington): Bayesian computation in cortical networks Bruno Olshausen (UC Davis): Representing what and where in? time-varying images Emanuel Todorov (UC, San Diego): Optimality principles in sensorimotor control Experimental Approaches Tai-Sing Lee (Carnegie Mellon U.): Hierarchical Bayesian inference in?visual cortex David Knill (U. of Rochester): Multiple cue integration Konrad Koerding (UCL): Bayesian combination of priors and perception Michael Shadlen (U. of Washington): Decision making Karl Friston (UCL): Dynamic causal modelling APPLICATION Please send the following through the web application page to be opened in early August (http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc/), an e-mail (ocnc at irp.oist.jp), or postal mail to the secretariat below by SEPTEMBER 10TH. 1) Name, 2) Date of birth, 3) Gender, 4) Nationality, 5) Affiliation, 6) Postal address, 7) Phone, 8) Fax, 9) E-mail, 10) Web page URL (if any), 11) Educational background, 12) Work experience, 13) List of publications, 14) Research interests (up to 500 words), 15) Motivations for attending the course (up to 500 words), 16) Two letters of recommendation. The items 11) to 14) can be replaced by a CV. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the referees to the secretariat by e-mail or postal mail. SECRETARIAT Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course c/o Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology 12-22 Suzaki, Gushikawa Okinawa 904-2234, Japan Phone: +81-98-921-3795 Fax: +81-98-934-1401 E-mail: ocnc at irp.oist.jp For updated information, please visit the web page: http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc ---- Kenji Doya Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology 12-22 Suzaki, Gushikawa, Okinawa 904-2234, Japan Phone:+81-98-921-3843; Fax:+81-98-921-3873 http://www.irp.oist.jp/ From nipsinfo at salk.edu Fri Jul 23 17:58:26 2004 From: nipsinfo at salk.edu (nipsinfo@salk.edu) Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 14:58:26 -0700 Subject: NIPS 2004 Demo and Workshop Proposal Deadline Message-ID: This is a reminder that the deadline for receipt of proposals for Demonstrations and Workshops for NIPS 2004 is August 1, 2004. NIPS 2004 Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, December 13 -16. The Workshops will be held at The Westin Resort and Spa in Whistler, B.C., Canada, December 17-18. Please see the NIPS website for details: http://www.nips.cc./ From bassis at dsi.unimi.it Tue Jul 27 04:46:07 2004 From: bassis at dsi.unimi.it (Simone Bassis) Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:46:07 +0200 Subject: WIRN04 Technical program (Sep 15-17, 2004) Message-ID: <200407271046.07943.bassis@dsi.unimi.it> The presentation schedule of WIRN04 - the Annual Italian Workshop of the Italian Society for Neural Networs (SIREN, http://siren.dsi.unimi.it) - is now available at the WEB site http://siren.dsi.unimi.it/conferences/SI/html/PScheduling2004.html We remark that this year WIRN04 will be in conjunction with the analogous conferences of the Italian Society for Artificial Intelligence (AIIA) and Italian Society for Pattern Recognition (GIRPR). The program of the overall event is available at the WEB site http://dipmat.unipg.it/si04 At the same sites it is possible to register for the meeting. Best regards Bruno Apolloni & Simone Bassis From shadmehr at jhu.edu Thu Jul 29 08:08:25 2004 From: shadmehr at jhu.edu (Reza Shadmehr) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 08:08:25 -0400 Subject: Advances in Computational Motor Control Message-ID: <200407291206.i6TC6LZ11018@storey.bme.jhu.edu> Advances in Computational Motor Control (ACMC) Symposium Where: Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego CA When: Friday, Oct. 22, 1-9 PM, 2004 Abstract submission deadline: September 1, 2004 More information: www.acmc-conference.org The goal of this annual symposium is to look beyond empirical observations of motor function and focus on the deeper principles underlying those observations. The program will include invited and contributed talks. We invite extended abstract submissions. Each abstract will be reviewed and ranked by three referees, and the top abstracts will be selected for presentation. Any work that has a substantial theoretical component and is relevant to motor control will be considered. While formal ideas expressed as computational models are preferred, intuitive ideas that await formalization are also welcome. We encourage presentations by the researchers who were most directly involved in the work being submitted. Invited speakers: John Donoghue and Mitsuo Kawato Organizers: Emo Todorov and Reza Shadmehr From n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk Fri Jul 2 10:34:10 2004 From: n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk (Neil Burgess) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 15:34:10 +0100 Subject: Post-doc postion in cognitive/computational neuroscience at UCL Message-ID: <006501c46041$a3ab74c0$4afe2880@Kinkajou> Research topic: The role of the human hippocampus Location: The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK. Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position to work on the role of the human hippocampus. Work will include the use of virtual reality combined with fMRI and experimental psychology to refine neural-level computational models of the role of the hippocampus in memory for locations in large-scale space, and its dependence on environmental geometry and landmarks. Research will be performed in collaboration with groups working on single unit recording (Jeffery, UCL) and behavioural and lesion studies (Killcross, Good, Honey, Cardiff University) in rats. Motivated scientists recently trained in psychology or neuroscience or with a computational background and interest in these areas are encouraged to apply. Knowledge of human memory or spatial cognition, computer programming (e.g. MatLab), use of video games/virtual reality, or fMRI analysis would be desirable. The position is available from October 2004, starting salary =A323,774 (inc. London Allowance). Appointments will be made for 1 year in the first instance, the BBSRC grant runs for 3 years. The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience houses several world-class research groups and is located close to the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience unit and the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience. Informal enquiries should be addressed to Professor Neil Burgess (email: n.burgess at ucl.ac.uk). For an outline of the lab's research interests see: http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/groups/space_memory For full details and instructions on how to apply see: http://www.anat.ucl.ac.uk/vacancy/nb04001.doc The closing date for applications will be 2nd August 2004 From bogus@does.not.exist.com Thu Jul 1 08:34:00 2004 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 13:34:00 +0100 Subject: CFP - Connection Science Journal - Special Issue on The Emergence of Language: Neural and Adaptive Agent Models Message-ID: <736F0925D69F9941B3BA8AEED0F5E75C02454598@02-CSEXCH.uopnet.plymouth.ac.uk> From kamps at in.tum.de Mon Jul 5 13:01:40 2004 From: kamps at in.tum.de (Marc de Kamps) Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2004 19:01:40 +0200 Subject: Obidos neuroscience video lectures available Message-ID: <003001c462b1$be07eb60$383c9f83@atknoll3> On the nEUro-IT.net website you can find a set of about thirty excellent lectures in neuroscience and related topics, including artificial neural networks and robotics. The lectures were recorded during the Obidos 2003 summerschool under supervision of Tim Pearce This initiative was possible thanks to the speakers, who made their materials freely available to us. The level ranges from introductory to state-of-the-art research and is=20 therefore an interesting educational resource. The videos have been encoded such that they still can be viewed over a DSL conection. You can find these lectures on nEUro-IT.net's website under: http://www.neuro-it.net/NeuroIT/Education/Obidos_Lectures We are interested in extending this archive, and if you organize a workshop or conference which would form an interesting set of video lectures, we may be able provide you with a video team. For information, please contact: info at neuro-it.net Dr. Marc de Kamps nEUro-IT.net Robotics and Embedded System Institut fuer Informatik TU Muenchen Boltzmannstrasse 3 D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen Germany From geos at etf.ukim.edu.mk Wed Jul 7 17:32:47 2004 From: geos at etf.ukim.edu.mk (Georgi Stojanov) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 23:32:47 +0200 Subject: Call for participation: EpiRob04, Genoa, Italy, August 25-27, 2004 Message-ID: <000001c46469$f2544850$97b9a088@toshibauser> ------------------------------------------------------------------- Apologizes for multiple postings ------------------------------------------------------------------- EpiRob04 Fourth International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics - Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems - University of Genoa, Italy August 25-27, 2004 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION www.epigenetic-robotics.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- This workshop focuses on combining developmental psychology, neuroscience, biology, and robotics with the goal of understanding the functioning of biological systems. The final program of the 4th Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics 2004 - EpiRob04 - is available at www.epigenetic-robotis.org a and the organizing committee cordially invites you to participate. EpiRob04 will take place in Genoa, Italy, 25-27 August 2004 and it is sponsored by the NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), Japan, and co-sponsored by LIRA-Lab, DIST, University of Genoa, Italy. Please send any questions to the workshop co-chairs: Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) or Luc Berthouze (Luc.Berthouze at aist.go.jp) We hope to see you in Genoa! EpiRob04 Organizing Committee: Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Hideki Kozima (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan) Giorgio Metta (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Christopher G. Prince (Computer Science, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA) Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia) From s.renals at ed.ac.uk Thu Jul 8 05:55:41 2004 From: s.renals at ed.ac.uk (Steve Renals) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 10:55:41 +0100 Subject: Faculty positions at Edinburgh Message-ID: <16621.6685.373716.545957@dunduff.inf.ed.ac.uk> These two lectureship (= assistant professor) positions at the University of Edionburgh may be of interest to some of you. Steve Renals -------- Lectureship in Statistical Natural Language Processing School of Informatics The successful candidate will be highly-qualified and have expertise in statistical natural language processing, in one or more of the following areas: statistical parsing, interpretation, or generation, multimodal processing, machine learning for NLP, statistical machine translation, information retrieval/extraction, or language resources.? A track record of research in semantics or discourse, or an interest in how human models of language processing can inform language engineering would also be an advantage.? You should demonstrate a world-class research record and both interest and ability in teaching.? This is a permanent position. Further information: https://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/jobs/index.cfm?action=jobdet&jobid=3002169 -------- Lectureship in Speech Technology Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics / Centre for Speech Technology Research Following the appointment of Simon King to an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship at Edinburgh, applications are invited for a fixed term Lectureship in Speech Technology in the Centre for Speech Technology Research (CSTR). The successful applicant will be highly qualified, have expertise in spoken language processing, particularly speech recognition, speech synthesis or speech signal processing, and will demonstrate an excellent research record as well as interest and ability in teaching. He or she will be expected to develop and participate in research activities at CSTR, which is a collaborative activity of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (TAAL) and the School of Informatics.? The appointment is tenable from 1 January 2005 for a fixed term of five years. Further information: https://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/jobs/index.cfm?action=jobdet&jobid=3002230 From bpg at cs.stir.ac.uk Thu Jul 8 12:08:20 2004 From: bpg at cs.stir.ac.uk (B.P. Graham) Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 17:08:20 +0100 Subject: postdoc in computational neuroscience Message-ID: <40ED7174.7090900@cs.stir.ac.uk> Dear all, The following postdoc position in computational neuroscience is now available in my laboratory at the University of Stirling, Scotland, U.K. Regards, Bruce Graham ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS, UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING, SCOTLAND, U.K. A 36-month Research Assistant post to work on a BBSRC funded project concerning ?Changes in information transmission at an auditory synapse in the binaural pathway during short-term synaptic modulation. Salary: ? 18,265 - ? 20,311 p.a. The information required for sound source localization is carried in the firing times of neurones in brain stem auditory nuclei. These neurones exhibit synaptic and cellular specializations that contribute to precisely timed electrical signalling. The project will investigate the information transmission characteristics of the glutamatergic calyx of Held synapse in the mammalian MNTB using a combination of mathematical modelling, computer simulation and physiological experiments. This post, to be held in the laboratory of Dr Bruce Graham at the University of Stirling, involves carrying out the modelling and computer simulation work. This will be based on data from physiological experiments to be carried out by another RA funded by this BBSRC award, in the laboratory of Prof. Ian Forsythe at the University of Leicester. The overall objective is to determine whether multiple forms of short term synaptic modulation interact to alter, and perhaps optimise, information transmission through this pathway in response to behaviourally-relevant sound stimuli, tuning it to aid in sound source localization. This project is an exciting opportunity for a mathematician / computer scientist to gain experience of neuroscience, and for an electrophysiologist to gain experience of computational modelling. There are travel funds for research visits between the two laboratories. You will have a PhD in Mathematics / Computing Science or be shortly about to complete such a PhD. You will be familiar with numerical mathematics, information theory, and dynamic and stochastic systems. You should also have proven computer programming ability in a high-level language such as Java or C++. Knowledge of MATLAB and the NEURON simulation package would be highly beneficial. You should have a willingness to learn sufficient neuroscience to understand the system being studied. Depending on experience, a 36 month appointment will be made on the RA scale up to point 6: a maximum of ?20,311 p.a. The successful candidate will be expected to take up the position by the beginning of October 2004. Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Bruce Graham: Tel: 01786 467432, Fax: 01786 464551 or e-mail b.graham at cs.stir.ac.uk, from whom further details of the project can be obtained. The project is conducted jointly with Professor Ian Forsythe at the University of Leicester. For further information about the electrophysiological RA contact Prof. Forsythe: Tel: 0116 252 3301, e-mail idf at le.ac.uk. Further Particulars are available from the Personnel Office, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA. Tel: (01786) 467028, Fax: (01786) 466155, e-mail personnel at stir.ac.uk Closing date for applications: Thursday 29th July 2004 Reference No. see Personnel website: www.personnel.stir.ac.uk AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER -- Dr Bruce Graham, Lecturer (b.graham at cs.stir.ac.uk) Dept. of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA phone: +44 1786 467 432 fax: +44 1786 464 551 -- The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. From DGB at CDRH.FDA.GOV Thu Jul 8 16:06:54 2004 From: DGB at CDRH.FDA.GOV (Brown, David G.) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 16:06:54 -0400 Subject: IJCNN'05 Call for Papers Message-ID: <60E5EBF1DFB4EC498E0ACAE75A49F8ED0B94FD63@DRM558.CDRH.FDA.GOV> International Joint Conference on Neural Networks IJCNN 2005 July 31-August 4, 2005 Hilton Montreal Bonaventure Hotel Montreal, Canada Call for Papers deadline January 31, 2005 Internet based paper submission opens October 15, 2004 IJCNN05 is organized by the International Neural Network Society and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, and is supported by funding from the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Texas-Arlington. This annual meeting has a rich history dating back to 1987 and is the largest international neural network conference in the world. The conference invites submissions addressing theoretical and practical topics in neural networks including: * Perception and motor function: vision and image processing, auditory and speech processing, pattern recognition,... * Cognitive function: learning and memory; conditioning, reward and behavior, mental disorders, attention and consciousness, language, emotion and motivation,... * Computational neuroscience: models of neurons, systems neurobiology, spiking neurons,... * Informatics: neuro- and bio- informatics; brain models,... * Hardware: neuromorphic hardware; embedded NN, reconfigurable systems,... * Neurodynamics: recurrent nets, chaotic systems, ... * Adaptation and decision making: reinforcement learning, approximate dynamic programming, advanced learning methods and optimization, self-organizing systems, probabilistic and information-theoretic methods, support vector machines, intelligent agents, fuzzy neural systems and evolutionary computation, ... * Applications: signal processing, control, diagnostics, robotics, telecom, biomedical, financial, security, ... The complete list of topics is available at http://faculty.uwb.edu/ijcnn05 . Selected conference papers will be included in "Advances in Neural Network Research: IJCNN'05", a Special Issue of the journal Neural Networks, tentatively planned for Summer 2005. The IJCNN 2005 Program will also include a variety of special sessions, and a series of post-conference workshops devoted to recent and important developments in neural networks is planned for August 4 (evening) and August 5 (full day), 2005. Plenary lectures will feature Pierre Baldi (University of California, Irvine), Mitsuo Kawato (ATR Computational Neuroscience Labs, Japan), Frank Lewis (University of Texas-Arlington), Michael Petrides (McGill University, Canada) and Carver Mead (California Institute of Technology). The IJCNN 2005 Organizing Committee: General Chair: Danil Prokhorov, Ford Research Program Chair: Daniel Levine, University of Texas-Arlington Program Co-Chairs: Fredric Ham, Florida Institute of Technology, William Howell, Natural Resources Canada Publicity Chair: David Brown, US Food and Drug Administration. Web Co-Chairs: Michael Stiber, University of Washington-Bothell and Tomasz Cholewo, Lexmark Corp. Tutorial Co-Chairs: Carlo Morabito, Italy, and Mary Lou Padgett, PCI, Inc. Workshop Chair: Ivica Kostanic, Florida Institute of Technology Student Travel Chair: Slawo Wesolkowski, University of Waterloo, Canada Exhibits Chair: Dmitry Gorodnichy, National Research Council, Canada For more information, please visit http://faculty.uwb.edu/ijcnn05 , or www.inns.org , or contact Danil Prokhorov, General Chair of IJCNN 2005, at dprokhor at ford.com. David G. Brown, Ph.D. Publicity Chair, IJCNN'05 Center for Devices and Radiological Health (HFZ-140) 12720 Twinbrook Parkway Rockville, MD 20852 301-443-3314 ext. 133 301-443-9101 (fax) david.brown at fda.hhs.gov From jyoshimi at ucsd.edu Thu Jul 8 19:15:18 2004 From: jyoshimi at ucsd.edu (Jeff Yoshimi) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2004 16:15:18 -0700 Subject: New data visualization program Message-ID: Greetings, We are writing to announce the initial release of HiSee, a software package for visualizing high-dimensional datasets. See http://hisee.sourceforge.net/ We have done some work using HiSee to analyze data from neural networks, and it is currently being integrated into the software package "Simbrain." Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Scott Hotton and Jeff Yoshimi From sandini at dist.unige.it Thu Jul 8 17:58:05 2004 From: sandini at dist.unige.it (Giulio Sandini) Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:58:05 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship on Humanoid Robotics and Cognitive Developmen Message-ID: <001a01c46536$a5f39560$5d16ff05@BACCO> Humanoid Robotics and Cognitive Development? Short- term Fellowship for PhD Candidates? LIRA-Lab ? Department of Communication, Computer and System Sciences ? University of Genoa - Italy http://www.liralab.it/projects/fellowship/fellowship.htm ----------------------------------------------- POSITION OFFERED Within the framework of the internationalization of the university system the University of Genoa has established grants for the purpose of conducting short-term research (three months). These grants are reserved for students of foreign nationality who are not resident in Italy and are interested in pursuing a PhD program in Genoa. The three months period will be used to define the topic of the PhD and to allow the candidate to get acquainted with the research and living environment. This specific fellowships is aimed at defining a PhD program in the field of: "Humanoid robotics: study of cognitive development in natural and artificial beings". The activity will be carried out at the LIRA-Lab in Genoa (http://www.liralab.it) under the supervision of Prof. Giulio Sandini. The background of the candidate could either be in bioengineering/computer-science/robotics (in this case good programming skills are required) or in computational and cognitive neuroscience (and possibly both). ----------------------------------------------- PERSPECTIVE The start of the fellowship coincides with the beginning of a five-ye ar research project supported by the European Union aimed at realizing an "open" humanoid robot to study the development of cognitive manipulation skills (project RobotCub). Within this project the LIRA-Lab will hire other post-docs and technicians for the duration of the project. ----------------------------------------------- ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES The grants, available from the University of Genoa, are reserved for students of foreign citizenship who are not resident in Italy. The grants last three months and are paid in monthly installments deferred starting from the beginning of the research period as certified and transmitted by the tutor. The monthly salary is ?1,000.00 and it is paid for the effective duration of the research project. In addition to the grant, upon arrival in Italy, a payment is scheduled amounting to a lump sum of ? 500.00 for citizens of the European Union and ? 1,500.00 for citizens from countries outside the EU, as reimbursement for travel expenses. Important Dates Deadline for application is JULY 30 Position will start not later than SEPTEMBER 24. The start date for the research will not be later than 24th Sep 2004. Applicants are asked to read carefully the full text of the call and its attachments that can be found here: http://www.liralab.it/projects/fellowship/fellowship.htm ------------------------------------------------- FURTHER INFORMATION Requests for scientific information can be addressed to: Prof. Giulio Sandini (sandini at dist.unige.it) or Dr. Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) LIRA-Lab, DIST ? Universit? degli Studi di Genova Viale Francesco Causa, 13 16145 Genova Italy Tel: +39 0103532779 Fax: +39 0103532948 Information regarding application procedures and preparation of documents can be addressed to: Ms. Ingrid Sica Tel. +39 0103532994 Fax +39 0103532948 E-mail: ingrid at dist.unige.it -- Prof. Giulio Sandini LIRA-Lab, DIST - University of Genova Viale F. Causa, 13 - 16145 Genova - Italy www.lira.dist.unige.it Ph: +39 010 353 2779 Fax: +39 010 353 2948 From morasso at dist.unige.it Fri Jul 9 10:21:24 2004 From: morasso at dist.unige.it (Pietro Morasso) Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:21:24 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship on Neuroengineering @ the NEUROLAB - Genoa University Message-ID: <40EEA9E4.8060906@dist.unige.it> NEUROENGINEERING & COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE Short- term Fellowship for PhD Candidates NEUROLAB University of Genoa - Italy POSITIONS OFFERED Within the framework of the internationalization of the university system the University of Genoa has established grants for the purpose of conducting short-term research (three months). These grants are reserved for students of foreign nationality who are not resident in Italy and are possibly interested in pursuing a PhD program in Genoa. Seven positions are offered by NEUROLAB on the following topics: 1. Neuroengineering and computational neuroscience (Prof. Martinoia) 2. Neural interfaces and neuroengineering (Prof. V. Sanguineti) 3. Neuromorphic algorithms for visual perception (Prof. Sabatini) 4. Neural control of movement and motor learning (Prof. P. Morasso). 5. Technologies for neurorehabilitation (Prof. V. Sanguineti) 6. Bionanotechnology and biosensor based Microsystems (Prof. Raiteri) 7. Atomic Force Microscopy for biomedical applications (Prof. Raiteri) The research groups in NEUROLAB are involved in different research projects and run the Summer Graduate School in Neuroengineering. ACADEMIC TITLE: a Master equivalent degree is required PREFERRED BACKGROUND: Engineering (Bioengineering, Electronics, Computer Science) or Neuroscience. FELLOWSHIP AMOUNT: EUR1,000 per month + travel expenses (EUR500.00 for citizens of the European Union and EUR1,500.00 for citizens from countries outside the EU). IMPORTANT DATES: Application: July 30; Beginning of the fellowship: September 24. INFORMATION & APPLICATION http://www.bio.dibe.unige.it/ Prof. Sergio Martinoia, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Biomedical Engineering e-mail: mailto:martinoia at dibe.unige.it Tel. +39-010-3532251; Fax. +39-010-3532133 Prof. Pietro Morasso e-mail: morasso at dist.unige.it Prof. Vittorio Sanguineti e-mail: sangui at dist.unige.it Prof. Roberto Raiteri e-mail: rr at dibe.unige.it -- ______________________________________________________________________ Pietro G. Morasso - University of Genova, DIST Via Opera Pia, 13, I-16145 Genova (Italy) V:+39 010 3532749; F:+39 010 3532154/3532948; E: morasso at dist.unige.it W: http://www.laboratorium.dist.unige.it/~piero - Center of Bioengineering - Hospital La Colletta Via Giappone 3, I-16011 Arenzano (Genova) - Laurea in Biomedical Engineering W: http://www.biomedica.laboratorium.dist.unige.it/ From juan at madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk Mon Jul 12 11:53:46 2004 From: juan at madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk (JuaN) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 16:53:46 +0100 Subject: Post or pre-doctoral applied mathematician/statistician/signal processing specialist. Message-ID: Departments of Medical Physics, Clinical Neurophysiology and Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit Post or pre-doctoral applied mathematician/statistician/signal processing specialist interested in the invention and application of theoretical methods to elucidate neural data. Applications are invited for a two year post-doctoral research fellow or predoctoral research assistant to work in developing mathematical methods for the imaging and analysis of EEG (electroencephalogram, brain waves) for two years. The research is at the interface between applied mathematics, statistics, signal processing, machine learning, computational neuroscience and clinical neuroscience. The project involves the development, testing and refinement of mathematical/statistical tools which can be used for intelligent analysis of physiological and brain signals. The work is one part of a broader project in developing Neuroinformatics techniques for EEG. A library of several hundred EEGs will be acquired and documented, and made available over the GRID network in the UK and internet. Using methods in computational neuroscience, a software suite will be developed for intelligent non-linear mathematical analysis of the EEG. This will then be tested and refined, in situations like evoked response activity in migraine sufferers, or for remote analysis of EEGs from ill babies in neonatal units around the UK. The post will be based in our interdisciplinary biophysics/neurophysiology laboratory at the Middlesex Hospital, which is part of the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, and a few minutes' walk from the main campus. It is in an attractive part of central London, near to Oxford Street and the West End. The work will be undertaken in collaboration with Peter Dayan in the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, which is an international centre for computational neuroscience and machine learning. Programming, clinical studies and bioengineering support is available in the research team. The principal work will be to review and study existing statistical procedures, and then expand and refine them using real life experimental data. The position is suitable for someone with a background in Mathematics or Mathematical Physics, who is interested in the application of new methods to imaging brain function. Applicants with backgrounds in signal processing, statistics, computer science, machine learning, or other physical sciences are also welcome to apply; some biomedical experience would be desirable. Training in the relevant interdisciplinary areas will be given. The salary will be on the RA1A scale Point 4 for 2 years (21594 pa including London weighting). There are no nationality restrictions, but applicants should state if a work permit would be needed. Details are at http://www.eit.org.uk/advert/job2004.html. Informal enquiries may be made to Dr. David Holder (d.holder at ucl.ac.uk) or Peter Dayan (dayan at gatsby.ucl.ac.uk) . Closing date 12/8/04. From cagnoni at Foresto.ce.unipr.it Tue Jul 13 12:38:18 2004 From: cagnoni at Foresto.ce.unipr.it (Stefano Cagnoni) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 18:38:18 +0200 Subject: CFP: Pattern Recognition Letters: Special Issue on Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding Message-ID: <200407131638.i6DGcILW011192@Cassio.ce.unipr.it> CALL FOR PAPERS PATTERN RECOGNITION LETTERS Special Issue on Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding http://cienciascomp.cicese.mx/CallxPapersPRL.htm Guest Editors Gustavo Olague, CICESE Mexico Evelyne Lutton, INRIA, France Stefano Cagnoni, Univ. degli Studi di Parma, Italy Submission Deadline: September 30, 2004 In the last years, Evolutionary algorithms as well as other bio-inspired approaches have been shown to be tools which can be used effectively in the development of systems (software or hardware) for Computer Vision, Graphics and Robotics techniques. We strive to provide a high quality special issue on behalf of the Pattern Recognition Community, which illustrates the state-of-the-art in Evolutionary Computer Vision and Image Understanding. We are soliciting papers on these topics to appear in a special issue of Pattern Recognition Letters. Papers appropriate to this issue will have theoretical and experimental evaluation of vision algorithms as their central focus, with the application cutting across the following areas, but which are not necessarily limited to: 1) Low-level vision Evolutionary optimization, adaptation and learning algorithms for edge detection, image segmentation, figure-ground separation, texture analysis, feature selection, shape-from-shading, denoising and surface reconstruction. 2) High-level vision Evolutionary computation for object recognition, scene analysis, indexing and search of model/image databases, and high-level learning of symbolic descriptions. 3) Active vision Evolutionary computation for autonomous vision-guided navigation, path planning, sensing strategies, sensor integration, visual servoing, vergence and gaze control, hand-eye coordination, active tracking and vision-guided task planning. 4) Neural vision Evolutionary computation for learning, adaptation and optimization of neural network structure and topology for computer vision problems. All submitted papers will be reviewed according to the guidelines and standards of Pattern Recognition Letters. All submissions will be peer reviewed for originality, significance, technical content and relevance to the special issue. A digital manuscript, as well as, 5 hard-copies (not exceeding 20 double-spaced pages in 12 pt size font including figures and tables) describing previously unpublished and original research should be submitted to reach the guest editor on or before September 30, 2004. Dr. Gustavo Olague Computer Science Department, Applied Physics Division CICESE, Research Center, P.O. Box 434944, San Diego, CA., 92143-4944 USA mailto:olague at cicese.mx http://cienciascomp.cicese.mx/CallxPapersPRL.htm From anguita at dibe.unige.it Mon Jul 12 14:10:13 2004 From: anguita at dibe.unige.it (Davide Anguita) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 20:10:13 +0200 Subject: Short-term fellowship Message-ID: <036a01c4683b$7aaace70$b759fb82@dibe.unige.it> SmartLab Dept. of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering University of Genoa, Italy is offering TWO short-term research positions for recently graduated foreign students willing to pursue a Ph.D. degree at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Genoa, Italy. Participation is restricted to foreign citizens residing in a foreign country (other than Italy). Position 1 (Research Area) Neural-inspired architectures for micro/nano electronic devices. (Research subject) The research will focus on the study of new neural-inspired digital circuits and architectures for building new generation electronic devices in cooperation with several research centers worldwide (http://www.cnina.de/). Position 2 (Research area) Computational intelligence with programmable logic devices. (Research subject) The research will focus on the study and implementation of machine learning algorithms (esp. Kernel Methods) on Field Programmable Gate Arrays for the realization of intelligent embedded systems. *** GRANT INFO Amount: 1000 Euro/month Duration: three months Relocation/travel allowance: 500 Euro (or 1500 Euro for citizens outside EU) The three months period will be used to focus more precisely the topic of the Ph.D. and to allow the candidate to get acquainted with the research and living environment. *** DEADLINES Applications must be received by: 30th of July, 2004. Starting date: no later than 24th of September, 2004. *** INFORMAL INTERVIEWS Attendees of IJCNN04 in Budapest are especially encouraged to apply: informal interviews will take place during the Conference. *** FOR MORE INFORMATION Informal enquires and requests for application forms should be addressed to: Davide Anguita DIBE - University of Genoa Via Opera Pia 11A 16145 Genoa, Italy http://www.smartlab.dibe.unige.it/smartlab/fellowship.htm e-mail: anguita at dibe.unige.it phone: +39 010 353 2800 fax: +39 010 353 2175 From noel at dcs.shef.ac.uk Thu Jul 15 04:01:56 2004 From: noel at dcs.shef.ac.uk (Professor Noel Sharkey) Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 09:01:56 +0100 Subject: Special Issue on Navigation - CFP Message-ID: <001801c46a42$0426e460$6601a8c0@leanardo> Dear Connectionist, You may be interested to hear about the following planned special issue. Please send queries etc directly to the Special Editor Kate Jeffery k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk regards, noel Noel Sharkey Professor of Computer Science EPSRC Senior Media Fellow University of Sheffield=20 Dear All, I recently sent a request to animal forum for ideas for a special issue. I am now pleased to announce the following call for papers. Please send queries etc directly to the Special Editor Kate Jeffery k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk regards, noel Connection Science Call for Papers A Special Issue on Navigation Guest Editor: K.J. Jeffery Biologists and designers of artificial systems share an interest in understanding how mobile agents can not only move around the world in an adaptive manner, but also learn the locations of salient places so that they can return there later. Those who study animal navigation have provided a wealth of data with which to formulate hypotheses about how animals navigate. Roboticists and computational modellers, in turn, have elucidated some of the underlying principles of spatial representation and navigation. Nevertheless, convincing models of animal navigation remain elusive, as do useful artificial navigation systems. This issue aims to bring to the fore some of the most important questions from both domains. Key research issues and topics in the area include: =A7 The evolution of navigation =A7 Navigation across different scales =A7 How are places represented? =A7 Representing and reaching a goal =A7 The problem of multiple goals =A7 Planning trajectories =A7 Shortcutting and detours =A7 Navigating in featureless environments =A7 Interactions between multiple navigation systems =A7 Is there a geometric module in animals? =A7 Multisensory integration =A7 Spatial learning The main aims of this special issue are to approach the theoretical questions pertaining to navigation from a biological perspective. Contributions are encouraged both from biologists with an interest in the theoretical implications of biological data, and from designers of artificial navigational systems (including computer models and robots). Papers may be straightforwardly computational or more theoretical, and presentation of new experimental data is welcomed. Submission Instructions Manuscripts, either full papers or shorter research notes (up to 4000 words), following the Connection Science guidelines http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/ccosauth.asp) should be emailed to the guest editor by October 14, 2004. Reviews will be completed by December 1, 2004, and final drafts will be accepted no later than February 28, 2005. Guest Editor K.J. Jeffery Department of Psychology University College London 26 Bedford Way London WC1H OAP UK Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 207 679 5308 E-mail: k.jeffery at ucl.ac.uk Web: http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/people/profiles/jeffery_kate.htm Special Editorial board Simon Benhamou, Behavioural Ecology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionelle et Evolutive, CNRS, Montpelier, France Michael Hasselmo, Department of Psychology, Center for Memory and Brain and Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, USA David Redish, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA Matthew Shapiro, Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA. From schunn+ at pitt.edu Wed Jul 14 11:43:36 2004 From: schunn+ at pitt.edu (Christian Schunn) Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 11:43:36 -0400 Subject: ICCM2004 schedule posted Message-ID: <91D39C2A-D5AC-11D8-9818-000393BCD4AC@pitt.edu> International Conference on Cognitive Modeling Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Mellon University + University of Pittsburgh July 29 - Aug 1, 2004 The schedule of tutorials, talks, symposia, and posters has been posted at: http://simon.lrdc.pitt.edu/~iccm/proceedings/schedule.htm. Note that all the pdf files of the papers and abstracts are available from this page as well. The hotel and local information page has also been updated to include more detailed maps. For further information about ICCM2004, see http://simon.lrdc.pitt.edu/~iccm/ CONFERENCE CHAIRS Marsha Lovett (lovett at cmu.edu) Christian Schunn (schunn at pitt.edu) Christian Lebiere (clebiere at maad.com) Paul Munro (pmunro at mail.sis.pitt.edu) From mhb0 at Lehigh.EDU Fri Jul 9 12:31:07 2004 From: mhb0 at Lehigh.EDU (Mark H. Bickhard) Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 12:31:07 -0400 Subject: Epigenetic Robotics Message-ID: <61153658-D1C5-11D8-B09E-0003934BD1F2@lehigh.edu> ------------------------------------------------------------------- Apologies for multiple postings ------------------------------------------------------------------- EpiRob04 Fourth International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics - Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems - University of Genoa, Italy August 25-27, 2004 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION www.epigenetic-robotics.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- This workshop focuses on combining developmental psychology, neuroscience, biology, and robotics with the goal of understanding the functioning of biological systems. The final program of the 4th Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics 2004 - EpiRob04 - is available at www.epigenetic-robotis.org a and the organizing committee cordially invites you to participate. EpiRob04 will take place in Genoa, Italy, 25-27 August 2004 and it is sponsored by the NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), Japan, and co-sponsored by LIRA-Lab, DIST, University of Genoa, Italy. Please send any questions to the workshop co-chairs: Giorgio Metta (pasa at dist.unige.it) or Luc Berthouze (Luc.Berthouze at aist.go.jp) We hope to see you in Genoa! EpiRob04 Organizing Committee: Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Hideki Kozima (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan) Giorgio Metta (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Christopher G. Prince (Computer Science, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA) Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy) Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia) Mark H. Bickhard Lehigh University 17 Memorial Drive East Bethlehem, PA 18015 mark at bickhard.name http://bickhard.ws/ From michael at jupiter.chaos.gwdg.de Sat Jul 10 21:09:26 2004 From: michael at jupiter.chaos.gwdg.de (Michael Herrmann) Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 03:09:26 +0200 (CEST) Subject: Course in Computational Neuroscience Message-ID: Applications are invited for a tutorial course on COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE at Goettingen, Germany September 22 - 26, 2004 organized by J. M. Herrmann, M. Diesmann, and T. Geisel The course is intended to provide graduate students and young researchers from all parts of neuroscience with working knowledge of theoretical and computational methods in neuroscience and to acquaint them with recent developments in this field. The course includes tutorials and lectures on the following topics: - Cognitive Neuroscience (Alexa Riehle) - Neural coding in the Bayesian brain (Klaus Pawelzik) - Dynamics in local neural networks (Nicolas Brunel) - High Level Vision: Linking physiology, fMRI and behavior through computational modeling (Max Riesenhuber) - New Trends in Theoretical Neuroscience (Markus Diesmann) The course takes place at the Department of Nonlinear Dynamics of the Max-Planck Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Bunsenstr. 10, D-37073 Goettingen. A course fee of 100 Euro includes participation in the tutorials, study materials, and part of the social events. The number of participants is limited to about 25. Course language is English. To apply please fill in the application form at: www.chaos.gwdg.de/CNS-course by July 23, 2004. For further information please contact: cns-course at chaos.gwdg.de ********************************************************************* * Dr. J. Michael Herrmann Georg August University Goettingen * * Tel. : +49 (0)551 5176424 Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics * * Fax : +49 (0)551 5176439 Bunsenstrasse 10 * * mobil: 0176 2800 4268 D-37073 Goettingen, Germany * * EMail: michael at chaos.gwdg.de http://www.chaos.gwdg.de * ********************************************************************* From keinanak at post.tau.ac.il Sun Jul 11 13:42:06 2004 From: keinanak at post.tau.ac.il (Alon Keinan) Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 20:42:06 +0300 (IDT) Subject: MSA paper and package Message-ID: I would like to announce the availability of the following paper describing our recently developed Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA) method, as well as a matlab package implementing the different MSA variants. Both are available at http://cns.tau.ac.il/msa, where you can find some more MSA-related papers, inlcuding implementations to the analysis of neurally-driven evolved autonomous agents and gene multi-knockout experiments. A. Keinan, B. Sandbank, C. C. Hilgetag, I. Meilijson, and E. Ruppin (2004). Fair attribution of functional contribution in artificial and biological networks. Neural Computation, 16(9), 1887-1915 Abstract: This paper presents the Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA), an axiomatic, scalable and rigorous method for deducing causal function localization from multiple perturbations data. The MSA, based on fundamental concepts from game theory, accurately quantifies the contributions of network elements and their interactions, overcoming several shortcomings of previous function localization approaches. Its successful operation is demonstrated in both the analysis of a neurophysiological model and of reversible deactivation data. The MSA has a wide range of potential applications, including the analysis of reversible deactivation experiments, neuronal laser ablations and transcranial magnetic stimulation "virtual lesions", as well as in providing insight on the inner workings of computational models of neurophysiological systems. Any comments you may have on this work are very welcome. Best, Alon Keinan From bower at uthscsa.edu Thu Jul 15 18:43:23 2004 From: bower at uthscsa.edu (Jim Bower) Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 17:43:23 -0500 Subject: GENESIS job announcement Message-ID: Please bring the opportunity described below to the attention of anyone who might be interested. GENESIS software developer We are seeking several software developer/programmers to contribute to the further design and development of the GENESIS neural simulation system. GENESIS is used throughout the world to construct realistic models of the nervous system at many different levels of scale. The main duty will be to reimplement the X Windows graphical user interface of GENESIS in Java. The successful candidate will work within a software team based in San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center, but will also work collaboratively via the Internet with GENESIS developers and users around the world. He or she will work in an academic environment with considerable freedom to pursue own interests within the larger project. Requirements Include: A bachelor's Degree in computer science, mathematics, a physical science, or neuroscience, and demonstrated experience developing and testing graphical user interfaces and displays in Java, C, and C++ on UNIX platforms. Some previous experience with GENESIS or realistic neural modeling would be a plus. For further information about the project, see: http://www.genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/newgrant Application Procedure: Please send your curriculum vita, and a short statement of how your skills and background would be useful for this project to: James M. Bower email: bower at uthscsa.edu Research Imaging Center University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 16 12:26:50 2004 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 17:26:50 +0100 Subject: Postdoctoral position in stochastic modelling/data analysis at University of Plymouth, UK Message-ID: <736F0925D69F9941B3BA8AEED0F5E75C029A748F@02-CSEXCH.uopnet.plymouth.ac.uk> From bernhard.schoelkopf at tuebingen.mpg.de Wed Jul 7 11:20:21 2004 From: bernhard.schoelkopf at tuebingen.mpg.de (Bernhard Schoelkopf) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 17:20:21 +0200 Subject: Openings at the MPI for Biological Cybernetics: Group Leader, PhD Student Message-ID: Dear Connectionists, My department "Empirical Inference for Machine Learning and Perception" (see http://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bs) is looking for a group leader for learning theory (successor of O. Bousquet). It is an "Assistent" position, which roughly translates into a non-tenured assistant professor position with no teaching obligations. Funding for travel, equipment, students etc. is generous. Applicants should be academically excellent and have a very good publication record in statistical learning theory and kernel methods (in particular, at NIPS/COLT). We will also consider applicants who only finish their PhD this year, provided that they show outstanding promise. The starting date is flexible. In addition, we are looking for a PhD-student to join our computer vision and robotics lab (see http://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bs). The position is funded by the EU and is open only to non-German EU citizens. We require an outstanding academic record including a strong mathematical or analytical background. In particular we seek people interested in the application of kernel methods to problems in robotics and/or computer vision. Max Planck Institutes are publicly funded research labs with an emphasis on excellence in basic research. Tuebingen is a small international university town in southern Germany, see http://www.tuebingen.de/1560.html. Inquiries and applications, including a complete CV, a statement of research interests and accomplishments should be sent to sabrina.nielebock at tuebingen.mpg.de. In addition, two letters of reference should be emailed to Sabrina directly by the referees. best regards Bernhard Schoelkopf From bert at snn.kun.nl Sat Jul 17 16:22:53 2004 From: bert at snn.kun.nl (Bert Kappen) Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 22:22:53 +0200 (CEST) Subject: postdoc and phd student position at SNN Nijmegen Message-ID: PhD student and postdoc position available at SNN Nijmegen. SNN Nijmegen is a research group dedicated to fundamental research in the areas of machine learning and computational neuroscience. Specific topics are Bayesian networks, approximate inference methods, time-series modeling, bio-informatics, expert systems, stochastic control and collaborative decision making. The group consists currently of 8 researchers and three programmers. In our group, we have two positions available that can be filled at either the PhD student level or at the postdoc level. PhD student position: The requirement for the PhD student position is a completed university degree in physics, mathematics or computer science. The position if full-time for a period of 4 jears. Postdoc position: The requirement for the postdoc position is a PhD and publications on one of the above research topics. The postdoc position is full-time for a period of 2.5 years. For more information see www.snn.kun.nl/nijmegen or contact dr. H.J. Kappen (bert at snn.kun.nl, 024 3614241), or dr. W. Wiegerinck (wimw at snn.kun.nl). Application: Three copies of applications should be sent before October 1 2004 to SNN University of Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein 21, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Applications should contain a complete CV, a brief description of his or her research interests and a copy of a recent publication or dissertation (optional). Bert Kappen SNN University of Nijmegen URL: www.snn.kun.nl/~bert The Netherlands tel: +31 24 3614241 fax: +31 24 3541435 The University of Nijmegen will be named Radboud University Nijmegen as of September 1st, 2004 From dbub at uvic.ca Mon Jul 19 16:22:47 2004 From: dbub at uvic.ca (Daniel Bub) Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 13:22:47 -0700 Subject: PDF Message-ID: A postdoctoral fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience is available at the University of Victoria, for a minimum of one year with a strong possibility of renewal for a further term. This position is affiliated with the Perceptual Expertise Network, which is sponsored by the McDonnell Foundation. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to interact with the members of this network. We seek an individual with excellent research ability in one or more of the following areas relevant to the question of how perceptual processes interact with higher level knowledge, especially knowledge leading to perceptual expertise: face recognition and memory for individuals, the understanding of emotions and facial expressions, object recognition in relation to action or functional knowledge, conceptual expertise and its effects on perception, and the interaction between orthography and visual word recognition. The position will begin as soon as the successful candidate is identified. For further enquiries, please contact Daniel Bub (dbub at uvic.ca). From justin at cnel.ufl.edu Wed Jul 7 07:26:59 2004 From: justin at cnel.ufl.edu (Justin Sanchez) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 07:26:59 -0400 Subject: POSTDOCTORAL AND GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITIONS: BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES Message-ID: <200407071127.i67BR1PG091808@smtp.ufl.edu> POSTDOCTORAL AND GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITIONS: BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES Positions are available in the Computational NeuroEngineering Laboratory at the University of Florida for individuals with experience in adaptive systems, analysis of multidimensional biomedical time-series, and neuroscience. This person will interact with electrical and computer engineers, neurosurgeons, and biomedical scientists working on brain-machine interfaces. This position requires knowledge time/frequency/model based analysis approaches, programming in Matlab or C, functional neuroanatomy, and experimental design. The position is available starting August 1, 2004. If interested, please send via email a CV, a summary of skills and experience, and the names of three references to: Jose C. Principe, Ph.D. principe at cnel.ufl.edu Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, BellSouth Professor and Director Computational NeuroEngineering Laboratory EB 451, Bldg #33 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 From levys at wlu.edu Mon Jul 19 15:17:23 2004 From: levys at wlu.edu (Simon Levy) Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:17:23 -0400 Subject: AAAI Fall 2004 Symposium on Compositional Connectionism: Speakers and Venue In-Reply-To: <3F98E794.40701@ai.unime.it> References: <3F98E794.40701@ai.unime.it> Message-ID: <1090264643.3049.237.camel@dijkstra.cs.wlu.edu> Abstracts of accepted papers, as well as links to venue information, are now available for the fall 2004 AAAI symposium on Compositional Connectionism, to be held Oct 22-24 in Washington DC: http://www.cs.wlu.edu/~levy/aaai04/ -- Simon D. Levy Assistant Professor Computer Science Department Washington & Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 540-458-8419 (voice) 540-458-8479 (fax) levys at wlu.edu http://www.cs.wlu.edu/~levy From info at neoxi.com Wed Jul 21 01:05:50 2004 From: info at neoxi.com (info@neoxi.com) Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 22:05:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Neural Network Resources Site: www.neoxi.com Message-ID: <3738.150.29.217.232.1090386350.squirrel@webmail.neoxi.com> Neural Network Resources Site: www.neoxi.com * Content: Professionally selected extensive collection of neural network resources. * Audience: Communities of commerce, industry, academics, engineers, practitioners, and individuals interested in neural networks, machine learning, data mining, artificial intelligence, soft-computing, and numerous other fields directly or indirectly utilizing the neural network technology. From wduch at phys.uni.torun.pl Wed Jul 21 08:51:12 2004 From: wduch at phys.uni.torun.pl (Wlodzislaw Duch) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:51:12 +0200 Subject: Preliminary CfP: ICANN 2005 conference In-Reply-To: <9CFE75F87A78564887952466CA3F4E4D03713E90@exchange02.staff.main.ntu.edu.sg> Message-ID: <20040721125111.654734A3D0@nobel.phys.uni.torun.pl> ICANN 2005 Preliminary Call for Papers The 15th International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks, ICANN 2005, will be held from September 11 to September 14, 2005, at the Gromada Hotel Conference Center in Warsaw, Poland. ICANN is an annual meeting organized by the European Neural Network Society in cooperation with the International Neural Network Society, Japanese Neural Network Society, and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (the last one waiting for approval). ICANN 2005 welcomes contributions on theory, algorithms, applications and implementations in the following broad areas: Applications of computational intelligence methods; Computational neuroscience; Connectionist cognitive science; Data analysis and pattern recognition; Hardware implementations; Neural and hybrid models and algorithms; Robotics, control, planning; Signal and time series processing; Self-organization; Vision and image processing. Ideas and nominations for interesting plenary lecturers, tutorials, special sessions, workshops and experts willing to organize various session tracks are called for. Most active experts will be included in the scientific committee of the conference. Each special session should have at least 5 presentations and a conference track about twice as many. Special session chairs will be responsible for all aspects of their sessions, including soliciting, reviewing, and selecting the papers. To ensure quality of the papers the program committee of ICANN 2005 will provide final review and approval for all sessions. Proposals to organize special sessions/tracks/workshops should include: the title and form of the proposed session (track/special session/workshop); name, affiliation, mailing address and e-mail address of the proposer(s); description of the topic of the session, not exceeding 100 words, or 1000 for tutorials. The deadline for these proposal submission is December 31, 2004, but early submissions are strongly encouraged. Proceedings of ICANN will be published in the "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" series of Springer-Verlag. Paper length is restricted to a maximum of 6 pages, including figures, but expanded versions of papers may be published in an electronic form on a CD. Detailed author instructions will be available at the web site. Submissions will be possible by file uploading or via e-mail postscript or PDF file attachment. Deadlines and conference calendar in 2005: 3.01 Submission page opens 15.02 End of submission of papers to regular sessions 30.02 End of submission of papers to special sessions 30.04 Acceptance/rejection notification 15.06 Deadline for camera ready papers 1.07 Deadline for early registration 11.09 Tutorials - first day of the conference 12-14.09 The main part of the conference 15 .09 Workshops You may also be interested to know that the Intelligent Systems Design and Applications (ISDA 2005) conference will be organized just before ICANN in Wroclaw, Poland. For further information and/or contacts, send inquiries to icann05 at ibspan.waw.pl or to ICANN 2005 Conference Secretariat Mrs. Krystyna Warzywoda Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences ul. Newelska 6, 01-447 Warszawa, Poland General Program Chairs: Wlodzislaw Duch, Nicholaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, duch, at server: ieee.org (Google: Duch) Janusz Kacprzyk, System Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, kacprzyk, at server ibspan.waw.pl (Google: Janusz Kacprzyk) e-mail: icann05 at ibspan.waw.pl http://icann05.ibspan.waw.pl http://www.phys.uni.torun.pl/ICANN-2005 From poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu Wed Jul 21 14:04:58 2004 From: poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu (Roman R. Poznanski) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 13:04:58 -0500 Subject: JIN (Vol.3, No.3) In-Reply-To: <40A11464.9000908@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> References: <40A11464.9000908@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> Message-ID: <40FEB04A.6080008@iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu> JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 (SEPTEMBER, 2004) Short Communications Siren Call of Metaphor : Subverting the Proper Task of System Neuroscience. By G. Werner A Functional View of Consciousness and Its Relations in Brain. By R.J. MacGregor Research Reports A discrete approach for a model of dynamic learning by the cerebellum By A. Garenne, J.-M. Dupont, P. Chauvet and G. Chauvet Analytical Solutions of the Frankenhaeuser-Huxley Equations. I. Minimal Model for backpropagation of action Potentials in Sparsely Excitable Dendrites. By Roman R. Poznanski Control of Neuronal Discharge Timing by Afferent Fiber Number and the Temporal Pattern of Afferent Impulses By A.D.Coop and G.N. Reeke Complexity of Dense Array EEG Reflected in Single and Multiscale Sample Entropy Analysis By Pravitha Ramanand , V. P. N. Nampoori, R. Sreenivasan Graph Theoretical Characterization and Tracking of Neural Connectivity During Episodes Mesial Temporal Epiletic Seizures By LUIZ A. BACCAL=C1, MILKES Y. ALVARENGA, KOICHI SAMESHIMA, CARMEN L. JORGE and LUIZ H. CASTRO Book Review The Quest for Consciousness (by C. Koch) Roberts & Co., 2004 By R.J.MacGregor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For orders within Europe, please contact the Imperial College Press sales department at: Tel: +44 (0)20 7836-0888 Fax: +44 (0)20 7836-2020 during U.K. business hours. Outside Europe, our books and journals are distributed by World Scientific Publishing Co. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, SINGAPORE 596224 Fax: 65-6467-7667 Tel: 65-6466-5775 E-mail: wspc at wspc.com.sg Price Information: ISSN: 0219-6352 ; Vol. 3/2004; 4 Issues Special Rates: Individuals -- Roman R. Poznanski, Ph.D Associate Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience Department of Psychology Indiana University 1101 E. 10th St. Bloomington, IN 47405-7007 email: poznan at iub-psych.psych.indiana.edu phone (Office): (812) 856-7195 http://www.worldscinet.com/jin/mkt/editorial.shtml From georg at ai.univie.ac.at Wed Jul 21 14:20:12 2004 From: georg at ai.univie.ac.at (Georg Dorffner) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:20:12 +0200 Subject: 2 open positions: Biosignal processing / cognitive robotics Message-ID: <40FEB3DC.3070807@ai.univie.ac.at> The Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (http://www.oefai.at) has an opening for a position in Biosignal processing This position will be open starting Sep. 1, 2004 and will be limited to 2 years. Work will be done as part of the EU-commission funded project SENSATION (Advanced Sensor Development for Attention, Stress, Vigilance & Sleep/Wakefulness Monitoring, www.sensation-eu.org). In this project, work will focus on building novel models of a person's sleep-wake cycle based on biosignal data like EEG, EOG or EMG. This will be done based on probabilistic models of pattern recognition, clustering and modeling, exploiting methods such as hidden Markov models, Gaussian mixtures and the like. Required background: - know-how in signal processing (e.g. EEG) - academic degree in computer science or engineering (with focus on signal processing) or equivalent degree - motivation for and interest in application-oriented research - basic programming skills (in particular, Matlab) - proficiency in English Desired background - background in probabilistic pattern recognition methods - research experience - publications related to the field - basic understanding of German (minor requirement) A Ph.D. degree is not required but will be preferred. Interested applicants should apply by email, mail or fax, no later than August 20, 2004, at the address below. Include a short vita, a list of publications, and any other information demonstrating your qualification. Send applications to: Georg Dorffner Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence Freyung 6/6 A-1010 Vienna fax: +43-1-5336112-77 email: georg at ai.univie.ac.at [use the keyword 'SENSATION' in the subject line!] ============================================================================ The Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (http://www.oefai.at) has an opening for a position in Cognitive robotics This position will be open starting Sep. 1, 2004 and will be limited to 3 years. Work will be done as part of the EU-commission funded project MACS (Multi-sensory Autonomous Cognitive Systems Interacting with Dynamic Environments for Perceiving and Using Affordances) and/or MindRACES (From Reactive to Anticipatory Cognitive Embodied Systems). These projects are in the domain of cognitive robotics dealing with learning interaction-based representations of objects, with foci on affordances (what a robot can do with objects) and anticipation of actions as the major driving force behind robotic cognition. Required background: - know-how in and hands-on experience with robotics - academic degree in computer science or engineering (with focus on autonomous robots) or equivalent degree - motivation for and interest in cognitive science research - basic programming skills (Matlab, C++, or Java) - proficiency in English Desired background - research experience - publications related to the field - basic understanding of German (minor requirement) A Ph.D. degree is not required but will be preferred. Interested applicants should apply by email, mail or fax, no later than August 20, 2004, at the address below. Include a short vita, a list of publications, and any other information demonstrating your qualification. Send applications to: Georg Dorffner Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence Freyung 6/6 A-1010 Vienna fax: +43-1-5336112-77 email: georg at ai.univie.ac.at [use the keyword 'Robots' in the subject line!] From stuetzle at intellektik.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de Thu Jul 22 04:12:08 2004 From: stuetzle at intellektik.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de (Thomas Stuetzle) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:12:08 +0200 (CEST) Subject: New Book: Ant Colony Optimization Message-ID: The book "Ant Colony Optimization" by M. Dorigo and T. Stuetzle has recently been published my MIT Press. Contents: 1 From Real to Artificial Ants 2 The Ant Colony Optimization Metaheuristic 3 Ant Colony Optimization Algorithms for the Traveling Salesman Problem 4 Ant Colony Optimization Theory 5 Ant Colony Optimization for NP-Hard Problems 6 AntNet: An ACO Algorithm for Data Network Routing 7 Conclusions and Prospects for the Future Short description: The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of ant colony optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. Information on the book can be found on the web site of the book: http://mitpress.mit.edu/0262042193 Best regards, M. Dorigo and T. Stuetzle From sakas at hunter.cuny.edu Thu Jul 22 09:38:06 2004 From: sakas at hunter.cuny.edu (William Gregory Sakas) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:38:06 -0400 Subject: Announcement: Psychocomputational Models of Human Language Acquisition Message-ID: <1090503486.40ffc33e8349e@ms1web.hunter.cuny.edu> *************************************************************************** Call for Participation Psycho-computational Models of Human Language Acquisition A COLING 2004 Workshop Geneva Switzerland 28 August 2004 http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/ **************************************************************************** Workshop Topic -------------- The workshop is devoted to psychologically-motivated computational models of language acquisition. That is, models that are compatible with research in psycholinguistics, developmental psychology and linguistics. Invited Speakers ---------------- * Walter Daelemans, University of Antwerp and Tilburg University * Elan Dresher, University of Toronto * Jerome A. Feldman, University of California at Berkeley * Charles D. Yang, Yale University Registration ------------ http://www.issco.unige.ch/coling2004/ Workshop Description -------------------- How children acquire the grammar of their native language(s) is one of the most beguiling open questions of modern science. The principal goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds who are interested in the study of human language acquisition from a computational perspective. Cross-discipline discussion will be encouraged. Presented research draws computational linguistics, formal learning theory, machine learning, artificial intelligence, linguistics, cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. Psycho-computational models of language acquisition are of particular interest in light of recent results in developmental psychology which suggest that very young infants are adept at detecting statistical patterns in an audible input stream. This begs the question, to what extent can a psychologically plausible statistical learning strategy be successfully exploited in a "full-blown" psycho-computational acquisition model? Accepted Papers (full text and presentation schedule available at http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/program.html ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A Quantitative Evaluation of Naturalistic Models of Language Acquisition; the Efficiency of the Triggering Learning Algorithm Compared to a Categorial Grammar Learner -- Paula Buttery On Statistical Parameter Setting -- Damir Cavar, Joshua Herring,Toshikazu Ikuta, Paul Rodrigues -- and Giancarlo Schrementi Putting Meaning into Grammar Learning -- Nancy Chang Grammatical Inference and First Language Acquisition -- Alexander Clark A Developmental Model of Syntax Acquisition in the Construction Grammar Framework with Cross-Linguistic Validation in English and Japanese -- Peter Ford Dominey and Toshio Inui On the Acquisition of Phonological Representations -- B. Elan Dresher Statistics Learning and Universal Grammar: Modeling Word Segmentation -- Timothy Gambell and Charles Yang Modelling Syntactic Development in a Cross-Linguistic Context -- Fernand Gobet, Daniel Freudenthal and Julian M. Pine A Computational Model of Emergent Simple Syntax: Supporting the Natural Transition from the One-Word Stage to the Two-Word Stage -- Kris Jack, Chris Reed and Annalu Waller On a Possible Role for Pronouns in the Acquisition of Verbs -- Aarre Laakso and Linda Smith Some Tests of an Unsupervised Model of Language Acquisition -- Bo Pedersen, Shimon Edelman, Zach Solan, David Horn -- and Eytan Ruppin Modelling Atypical Syntax Processing -- Michael S. C. Thomas and Martin Redington Combining Utterance-Boundary and Predictability Approaches to Speech Segmentation -- Aris Xanthos Workshop Organizer ------------------ William Gregory Sakas, City University of New York Program Committee ----------------- * Robert Berwick, MIT, USA * Antal van den Bosch, Tilburg University, The Netherlands * Ted Briscoe, University of Cambridge, UK * Damir Cavar, Indiana University, USA * Morten H. Christiansen, Cornell University, USA * Stephen Clark, University of Edinburgh, UK * James Cussens, University of York, UK * Walter Daelemans, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Tilburg ersity, The Netherlands * Jeffrey Elman, University of California, San Diego, USA * Gerard Kempen, Leiden University, The Netherlands and The Max Planck Institute, Nijmegen * Vincenzo Lombardo, University of Torino, Italy * Larry Moss, University of Indiana, USA * Miles Osborne, University of Edinburgh, UK * Dan Roth, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA * Ivan Sag, Stanford University, USA * Jeffrey Siskind, Purdue University, USA * Mark Steedman, University of Edinburgh, UK * Menno van Zaanen, Tilburg University, The Netherlands * Charles Yang, Yale University, USA Contact: -------- Psycho.Comp at hunter.cuny.edu or sakas at hunter.cuny.edu http://www.colag.cs.hunter.cuny.edu/psychocomp/ William Gregory Sakas, Ph.D. Computer Science and Linguistics Hunter College and the Graduate Center City University of New York Voice: (212) 772.5211 Fax: (212) 772.5219 Email: sakas at hunter.cuny.edu WWW: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/cs/Faculty/Sakas/ From doya at irp.oist.jp Thu Jul 22 12:15:52 2004 From: doya at irp.oist.jp (Kenji Doya) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:15:52 -0700 Subject: Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course -- Call for Applications Message-ID: <6758E810-DBFA-11D8-8D2A-000A95C0CA8A@irp.oist.jp> Call for Applications OKINAWA COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE COURSE November 9-19, 2004. Okinawa, Japan. http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc The aim of Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course is to provide opportunities for young researchers with theoretical backgrounds to learn up-to-date neurobiological findings, and those with experimental backgrounds to have hands-on experience in computational modeling. We invite graduate students and postgraduate researchers to participate in the course, held from November 9th through 19th at Bankoku Shinryokan, a seaside conference facility that hosted 2000 Okinawa Summit. The special topic for this year's course is "Bayesian Brain: Probabilistic Approaches to Neural Coding and Learning." Lectures by leading theoretical and experimental neuroscientists will be given in the morning and evening, and the afternoon will be open for free discussions and student projects. Each student will give a short presentation of his/her current work at the beginning of the course and present the summary of his/her project work at the end of the course. Those interested in attending the course should send the materials below by the course web page, e-mail, or postal mail to the course secretariat by SEPTEMBER 10TH. We will accept 30 students by considering the matching of each student's background and motivation to the course content, and also by considering the balance of members' research disciplines, geographic origins, and genders. The sponsor will provide lodging expenses during the course and a support for travel to Okinawa. This course is the second of the tutorial courses sponsored by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government as a precursory activity for Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. We hope that this course will be a good opportunity for theoretical and experimental neuroscientists to meet together and to explore the attractive nature and culture of Okinawa, the southernmost island prefecture of Japan. ******** Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course (OCNC 2004) - Bayesian Brain: Probabilistic Approaches to Neural Coding and Learning - Date: November 9th to 19th, 2004 Place: Bankoku Shinryo-kan (http://www.shinryokan.com/) Lodging: The Busena Terrace (http://www.terrace.co.jp/index-e.html) Sponsor: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Project, Cabinet Office, Japan Co-sponsors: Japanese Neural Network Society Center of Excellence Program, Tamagawa University Center of Excellence Program, Kyushu Institute of Technology Advisory Board: Sydney Brenner, Salk Institute Masao Ito, RIKEN Brain Science Institute Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Susumu Tonegawa, MIT Torsten Wiesel, Rockfeller University Co-organizers: Kenji Doya, Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Shin Ishii, Nara Institute of Science and Technology Alex Pouget, University of Rochester Rajesh Rao, University of Washington LECTURES (confirmed speakers and topics) Theoretical Foundations Shun-ichi Amari (RIKEN Brain Science Inst.): Statistical approach to neural learning and population coding Neurobiological Foundations Barry Richmond (National Inst. of Health): Neural coding Alex Pouget (U. Rochester): Population coding Adrienne Fairhall (U. Washington): Spike Coding Computational Modeling Anthony Bell (Redwood Neuroscience Inst.): Unsupervised machine learning with spike timings: rigorous results Peter Latham (UCL): Computing with population codes Richard Zemel (U. Toronto): Coding and decoding uncertainty Rajesh Rao (U. Washington): Bayesian computation in cortical networks Bruno Olshausen (UC Davis): Representing what and where in? time-varying images Emanuel Todorov (UC, San Diego): Optimality principles in sensorimotor control Experimental Approaches Tai-Sing Lee (Carnegie Mellon U.): Hierarchical Bayesian inference in?visual cortex David Knill (U. of Rochester): Multiple cue integration Konrad Koerding (UCL): Bayesian combination of priors and perception Michael Shadlen (U. of Washington): Decision making Karl Friston (UCL): Dynamic causal modelling APPLICATION Please send the following through the web application page to be opened in early August (http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc/), an e-mail (ocnc at irp.oist.jp), or postal mail to the secretariat below by SEPTEMBER 10TH. 1) Name, 2) Date of birth, 3) Gender, 4) Nationality, 5) Affiliation, 6) Postal address, 7) Phone, 8) Fax, 9) E-mail, 10) Web page URL (if any), 11) Educational background, 12) Work experience, 13) List of publications, 14) Research interests (up to 500 words), 15) Motivations for attending the course (up to 500 words), 16) Two letters of recommendation. The items 11) to 14) can be replaced by a CV. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the referees to the secretariat by e-mail or postal mail. SECRETARIAT Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course c/o Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology 12-22 Suzaki, Gushikawa Okinawa 904-2234, Japan Phone: +81-98-921-3795 Fax: +81-98-934-1401 E-mail: ocnc at irp.oist.jp For updated information, please visit the web page: http://www.irp.oist.jp/ocnc ---- Kenji Doya Initial Research Project, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology 12-22 Suzaki, Gushikawa, Okinawa 904-2234, Japan Phone:+81-98-921-3843; Fax:+81-98-921-3873 http://www.irp.oist.jp/ From nipsinfo at salk.edu Fri Jul 23 17:58:26 2004 From: nipsinfo at salk.edu (nipsinfo@salk.edu) Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 14:58:26 -0700 Subject: NIPS 2004 Demo and Workshop Proposal Deadline Message-ID: This is a reminder that the deadline for receipt of proposals for Demonstrations and Workshops for NIPS 2004 is August 1, 2004. NIPS 2004 Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, December 13 -16. The Workshops will be held at The Westin Resort and Spa in Whistler, B.C., Canada, December 17-18. Please see the NIPS website for details: http://www.nips.cc./ From bassis at dsi.unimi.it Tue Jul 27 04:46:07 2004 From: bassis at dsi.unimi.it (Simone Bassis) Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:46:07 +0200 Subject: WIRN04 Technical program (Sep 15-17, 2004) Message-ID: <200407271046.07943.bassis@dsi.unimi.it> The presentation schedule of WIRN04 - the Annual Italian Workshop of the Italian Society for Neural Networs (SIREN, http://siren.dsi.unimi.it) - is now available at the WEB site http://siren.dsi.unimi.it/conferences/SI/html/PScheduling2004.html We remark that this year WIRN04 will be in conjunction with the analogous conferences of the Italian Society for Artificial Intelligence (AIIA) and Italian Society for Pattern Recognition (GIRPR). The program of the overall event is available at the WEB site http://dipmat.unipg.it/si04 At the same sites it is possible to register for the meeting. Best regards Bruno Apolloni & Simone Bassis From shadmehr at jhu.edu Thu Jul 29 08:08:25 2004 From: shadmehr at jhu.edu (Reza Shadmehr) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 08:08:25 -0400 Subject: Advances in Computational Motor Control Message-ID: <200407291206.i6TC6LZ11018@storey.bme.jhu.edu> Advances in Computational Motor Control (ACMC) Symposium Where: Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego CA When: Friday, Oct. 22, 1-9 PM, 2004 Abstract submission deadline: September 1, 2004 More information: www.acmc-conference.org The goal of this annual symposium is to look beyond empirical observations of motor function and focus on the deeper principles underlying those observations. The program will include invited and contributed talks. We invite extended abstract submissions. Each abstract will be reviewed and ranked by three referees, and the top abstracts will be selected for presentation. Any work that has a substantial theoretical component and is relevant to motor control will be considered. While formal ideas expressed as computational models are preferred, intuitive ideas that await formalization are also welcome. We encourage presentations by the researchers who were most directly involved in the work being submitted. Invited speakers: John Donoghue and Mitsuo Kawato Organizers: Emo Todorov and Reza Shadmehr