Connectionists: Workshop Progress in Brain-Like Computing, February 5-6 2014

[Juyang Weng]

Dear Anders,

Interesting topic about the brain!  But Brain-Like Computing is 
misleading because neural networks have been around for at least 70 years.

I quote: "We are now approaching the point when our knowledge will 
enable successful demonstrations of some of the underlying principles in 
software and hardware, i.e. brain-like computing."

What are the underlying principles?  I am concerned that projects like 
"Brain-Like Computing" avoid essential issues:
the wide gap between neuron-like computing and well-known highly 
integrated brain functions.
Continuing this avoidance would again create bad names for "brain-like 
computing", just such behaviors did for "neural networks".

Henry Markram criticized IBM's brain project which does miss essential 
brain principles, but has he published such principles?
Modeling individual neurons more and more precisely will explain highly 
integrated brain functions?   From what I know, definitely not, by far.

Has any of your 10 speakers published any brain-scale theory that 
bridges the wide gap?  Are you aware of any such published theories?

I am sorry for giving a CC to the list, but many on the list said that 
they like to hear discussions instead of just event announcements.

-John


On 1/13/14 12:14 PM, Anders Lansner wrote:
>
>
>   Workshop on Brain-Like Computing, February 5-6 2014
>
> The exciting prospects of developing brain-like information processing 
> is one of the Deans Forum focus areas.
> As a means to encourage progress in this research area a Workshop is 
> arranged February 5th-6th 2014 on KTH campus in Stockholm.
>
> The human brain excels over contemporary computers and robots in 
> processing real-time unstructured information and uncertain data as 
> well as in controlling a complex mechanical platform with multiple 
> degrees of freedom like the human body. Intense experimental research 
> complemented by computational and informatics efforts are gradually 
> increasing our understanding of underlying processes and mechanisms in 
> small animal and mammalian brains and are beginning to shed light on 
> the human brain. We are now approaching the point when our knowledge 
> will enable successful demonstrations of some of the underlying 
> principles in software and hardware, i.e. brain-like computing.
>
> This workshop assembles experts, from the partners and also other 
> leading names in the field, to provide an overview of the 
> state-of-the-art in theoretical, software, and hardware aspects of 
> brain-like computing.
>
>
>     List of speakers
>
> *Speaker*
>
> 	
>
> *Affiliation*
>
> Giacomo Indiveri
>
> 	
>
> ETH Zürich
>
> Abigail Morrison
>
> 	
>
> Forschungszentrum Jülich
>
> Mark Ritter
>
> 	
>
> IBM Watson Research Center
>
> Guillermo Cecchi
>
> 	
>
> IBM Watson Research Center
>
> Anders Lansner
>
> 	
>
> KTH Royal Institute of Technology
>
> Ahmed Hemani
>
> 	
>
> KTH Royal Institute of Technology
>
> Steve Furber
>
> 	
>
> University of Manchester
>
> Kazuyuki Aihara
>
> 	
>
> University of Tokyo
>
> Karlheinz Meier
>
> 	
>
> Heidelberg University
>
> Andreas Schierwagen
>
> 	
>
> Leipzig University
>
> *For signing up to the Workshop please use the registration form found 
> at _http://bit.ly/1dkuBgR_*
>
> *You need to sign up before January 28^th .*
>
> *Web page: 
> http://www.kth.se/en/om/internationellt/university-networks/deans-forum/workshop-on-brain-like-computing-1.442038 
> ***
>
> ******************************************
>
> Anders Lansner
>
> Professor in Computer Science, Computational biology
>
> School of Computer Science and Communication
>
> Stockholm University and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
>
> ala at kth.se <mailto:ala at kth.se>, +46-70-2166122
>
>
>
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-- 
--
Juyang (John) Weng, Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
MSU Cognitive Science Program and MSU Neuroscience Program
428 S Shaw Ln Rm 3115
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
Tel: 517-353-4388
Fax: 517-432-1061
Email: weng at cse.msu.edu
URL: http://www.cse.msu.edu/~weng/
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