Connectionists: Call for Applications - 2018 Nengo Summer School

[Peter Blouw]

Hello!

[All details about this school can be found online at
https://www.nengo.ai/summerschool]

The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is
excited to announce a special version of our annual Nengo summer school
that will host the* first public access* to *Braindrop*, a new mixed
analog-digital neuromorphic chip developed in collaboration with Stanford
and Yale.

In addition to introducing Braindrop, this two-week school will teach
participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art
cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic
hardware. Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment
for designing cognitive and neural systems, and has been used to build what
is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1]. Nengo
is also being used to program a variety of state-of-the-art neuromorphic
chips, including Braindrop!

For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video:
https://goo.gl/4tVUkQ

We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research
associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a
relevant background.

[1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y.,
Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain.
Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [
http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/files/publications/eliasmith.2012.pdf]

Application Deadline: February 15, 2018

*Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants
are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on
testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing
specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or
providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on
tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited
faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project
demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes
for strong projects!

Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to:

   - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware
   - build perceptual, motor, and cognitive models using spiking neurons
   - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data
   - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model
   - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models
   - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems
   - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models
   - and much more...

*Date and Location:* June 3th to June 15th, 2018 at the University of
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

*Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summerschool, where you
can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an
application form listing required materials.

If you have any questions about the school or the application process,
please contact Peter Blouw (peter.blouw at appliedbrainresearch.com). We look
forward to hearing from you!
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