Connectionists: 2017 Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop: Call for Topics Proposals

[Ralph Etienne-Cummings]

Call for Topic Area Proposals2017 Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering
Workshop

Telluride, Colorado, June 25 –July 14, 2017

DEADLINE: January 15th, 2017

We are accepting proposals for Topic Areas in the 2017 Telluride
Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop. The Telluride Neuromorphic
Cognition Engineering Workshop has been running successfully for over 20
years, and has been highly influential in shaping the field of neuromorphic
engineering and serving as a forum connecting across disciplines such as
neuroscience, cognitive science, machine learning, robotics, computer
vision, signal processing, and electrical engineering.

For the 2017 workshop, we support topics and projects in neuromorphic
cognition, with a focus on the theme of Neuromorphic Autonomous Agents.

With the recent progress in AI and machine learning algorithms, machines
that can generalize their knowledge to new situations are becoming a
reality. We seek projects on autonomy, specifically involving neuromorphic
and bio-inspired solutions on problems of perception, neural signal
analysis and cognition. Projects may focus on developments in robotics,
learning, control, sensors, language and reasoning, and
computational/experimental aspects of systems that can accomplish goals
with limited human intervention.


We particularly encourage projects aiming towards solving ‘everyday’ tasks
that biological brains solve with ease, but which pose significant
challenges to artificial computing systems of any form, neuromorphic or
not. In particular we support projects that have the potential to showcase
advantagesof brain-inspired sensors, computing platforms, cognitive
architectures, or algorithmic principles, or establish new links between
neuromorphic technology and other disciplines. Proposals aiming to bring to
reality the capabilities of hardware technologies and state-of-the-art
approaches from related disciplines are also strongly encouraged. Topic
proposals should include educational components such as hands-on tutorials
and overview presentations that should preferably run during the first week
of the workshop.

Successful proposals in the past have focused on topics such as navigating
through an unknown environment, visual and auditory understanding of scenes
and human actions, adaptively manipulating unknown or complex objects in
the service of a task, neural network architectures for cognitive computing
and their efficient hardware implementation, EEG-based systems to decode
acoustic events, neuroprosthetic control, etc.

Topic areas for this summer's Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering
Workshop <http://ine-web.org/> will be chosen from proposals submitted to
the organizers.


Topic areas can span many aspects related to the overall theme of the
workshop; project organizers are expected to be actively involved in
coordination activities with other areas, and inviting top researchers
covering different aspects of their project.

Ideally, topic areas should be focused around potential applications of
neuromorphic cognitive systems that can result in impressive demonstrators
as the result of three weeks of focused work. In addition, topic areas are
meant to educate participating students, establish new links between
disciplines, critically evaluate competing approaches, and encourage
after-workshop collaboration between groups.

Topic area leaders will receive housing for themselves and four invitees,
and limited travel funds. Topic area leaders will help to define the field
of neuromorphic cognition engineering through the projects they pursue and
the people they invite.  They shape their topic by inviting speakers and
project staff (the invitees) and by initiating  topic discussions  during
and prior to the workshop.

Teams of (no more than) two organizers are required, and attendance of at
least one of the organizers for the full duration of the workshop is
required.

Pre-workshop topic area choices and study assignments.

At least one week before the workshop begins, each topic area will be
required to prepare and distribute study materials that constitute: 1) an
introductory presentation (e.g., pptx, video, review paper) of the
fundamental knowledge associated with the topic area that everyone at the
workshop should be exposed to, and 2) a collection of a few critical papers
that the participants in the topic area should read before the workshop.
The topic area should 3) begin a serious group discussion of the projects
(e.g., via the workshop wiki, Skype, email, etc).

The maximum 3-page proposals should include:

1. Title of topic area.

2. Names of the two topic leaders, their affiliations, and contact
information (email addresses). Please note that there can only be TWO topic
leaders, other co-organizers or supporting staff can be named as invitees.

3. A paragraph explaining the focus and goals of the topic area and its
relation to the theme.

4. A list of possible specific topic area projects.

5. A proposal how to prepare students for the project, including a list of
planned tutorial talks at the workshop and preparatory material (websites,
software, video lectures, …) for students.

6. A list of example invitees (up to six names and institutions). No
commitments necessary.

7. Any other material that fits within the three-page limit that will help
us make a smart choice.

Send your topic area proposal in pdf or text format to
org17 at neuromorphs.net with
subject line containing "topic area proposal". If you do not get a response
confirming receipt of your proposal, please contact one of the workshop
directors directly.

Proposals must be received by January 15, 2017; proposalreceived after the
deadline may still be considered if space is available. After a first
evaluation the workshop directors will interview the group organizers via
phone or Skype before the final selection of topics.

We expect to accept 3-4 topic areas. We hope to have significant turn-over
each year in the topic areas and leaders to ensure fresh new ideas and
participants.

See the Institute of Neuromorphic Engineering (www.ine-web.org) for
background information on the workshop and neuromorphs.net
<http://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2015> for past workshop wikis.

We look forward to your topic proposals!

Deadline: January 15, 2017

The Workshop Directors:

Cornelia Fermüller <http://www.cfar.umd.edu/~fer/> (University of
Maryland),

Ralph Etienne-Cummings
<http://etienne.ece.jhu.edu/people/ralph/index.html> (Johns
Hopkins Univ.)

Shih-Chii Liu <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~shih/> (University of Zurich and ETH
Zurich),

Tim Horiuchi <https://www.isr.umd.edu/faculty/horiuchi> (University of
Maryland),

Katalin Gothard <http://physiological-sciences.arizona.edu/katalin-gothard>
(University of Arizona),

Michael Pfeiffer <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/index.html> (Robert
Bosch Corporate Research),

Francisco Barranco <http://www.ugr.es/~fbarranco> (University of Granada)

Former 2007-2012 Workshop Director:

Tobi Delbruck <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~tobi/> (University of Zurich and ETH
Zurich)

-- 
Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, FIEEE
Professor and Chairman
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Computational Sensor Motor Systems Lab
Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics
The Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
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