Connectionists: ADVANCED COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE, Freiburg, Germany

[Janina Kirsch]

ADVANCED COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE, 15th Edition.
(A FENS-IBRO/Bernstein Training Center)
August 2-27, 2010
Freiburg, Germany

Applications open until April 2, 2010

SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS:

* John Rinzel (New York University, New York, USA)
* Peter Latham (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK)
* Yifat Prut (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel)
* Carl van Vreeswijk (CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, France)

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTORS:

* Florence Dancoisne & Gunnar Grah (Bernstein Center Freiburg, Germany)

For its third and final year, the Advanced Course in Computational
Neuroscience (ACCN) will be held this summer in Freiburg in the Southwest of
Germany. 

The ACCN is for advanced graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are
interested in learning the essentials of the field of computational
neuroscience.

The course has two complementary parts. Mornings are devoted to lectures
given by distinguished international faculty on topics across the breadth of
experimental and computational neuroscience. During the rest of the day,
students pursue a project of their choosing under the close supervision of
expert tutors. This gives them practical training in the art and practice of
neural modeling.

The first week of the course introduces students to essential
neurobiological concepts and to the most important techniques in modeling
single cells, synapses and circuits. Students learn how to solve their
research problems using software such as MATLAB, NEST, NEURON, Python, XPP,
etc. During the following three weeks the lectures cover networks and
specific neural systems and functions. Topics range from modeling single
cells and subcellular processes through the simulation of simple circuits,
large neuronal networks and system level models of the brain. The course
ends with project presentations by the students.

In addition, we will offer three internships to ACCN students. These fully
funded internships will allow students to work, post-ACCN, on a research
project in a faculty member’s lab for up to three months. Applications for
internships will be considered after the ACCN.

The course is designed for students from a variety of disciplines, including
neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics
and psychology. Students are expected to have a keen interest and basic
background in neurobiology as well as some computer experience. Students of
any nationality can apply.

A maximum of 30 students will be accepted. The current fee for the course
will be EUR 500; this will cover tuition, lodging, breakfast and dinner.
There will be a limited number of course fee scholarships and travel
stipends available for students who need financial help for attending the
course. We specifically encourage applications from researchers who work in
the developing world.

Applications for the ACCN, including a description of the target project,
must be submitted electronically (see below) and will need to be accompanied
by the names and email details of two referees who have agreed to furnish
references. Applicants will need to ensure that their referees have
submitted their references. Applications will be assessed by a committee,
with selection being based on the following criteria: the scientific quality
of the candidate (CV) and of the project, the recommendation letters, and
evidence that the course will afford substantial benefit to the candidate.

Please apply electronically using a web browser.

For more information and access to the application database go to:
http://www.neuroinf.org/courses/accn.html 


Contact address:

* Fiona Siegfried
Bernstein Center Freiburg
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Hansastrasse 9A
79104 Freiburg
Germany
* email: accn at bcf.uni-freiburg.de

Application deadline: April 2, 2010
Deadline for letters of recommendation: April 2, 2010
Notification of results: April 30, 2010


INVITED FACULTY (* = confirmed)
Ad Aertsen, Freiburg (*)
Hagai Bergman, Jerusalem
Nathaniel Daw, New York (*)
Erik De Schutter, Okinawa (*)
Alain Destexhe, Gif sur Yvette (*)
Zhaoping Li, London (*)
Gianluigi Mongillo, Paris (*)
Yael Niv, Princeton (*)
Jonathan Pillow, London (*) 	
Idan Segev, Jerusalem (*)
Alex Thomson, London
Matt Tresch, Evanston (*)
Mark Van Rossum, Edinburgh 
Fred Wolf, Göttingen (*)

INVITED TUTORS 
Farzad Farkhooi, FU Berlin, Germany
Pablo Jercog, Columbia U, USA
Shaul Druckmann, Hebrew U, Israel
Sukbin Lim, NYU, USA

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR
Bernd Wiebelt, U. Freiburg, Germany