Connectionists: Applications Open for Analytical Connectionism Summer School 2024

[Matthew Turner]

Analytical Connectionism Summer School 2024

Analytical Connectionism is a 2-week summer course on analytical tools,
including methods from statistical physics and probability theory, for
probing neural networks and higher-level cognition. The course brings
together neuroscience, psychology and machine-learning communities, and
introduces attendees to analytical methods for neural-network analysis and
connectionist theories of higher-level cognition and psychology.

Connectionism, a key theoretical approach in psychology, uses
neural-network models to simulate a wide range of phenomena, including
perception, memory, decision-making, language, and cognitive control.
However, most connectionist models remain, to a certain extent, black
boxes, and we lack a mathematical understanding of their behaviors. Recent
progress in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning has provided
novel analytical tools that have advanced our mathematical understanding of
deep neural networks, and can help us unravel these ‘black boxes’.

This course will introduce (1) mathematical methods for neural-network
analysis, providing a solid theoretical and analytical overview of the
tools available to understand neural-network models, and (2) key
connectionist models with links to experimental observations, and which
provide important targets for analytical results. To provide context for
the applications of these methods, we will discuss phenomena in psychology
that still lack an explanation. During the 2-week course you will:

   -

   Attend lectures on theoretical methods and applications, key
   connectionist models, and experimental observations
   -

   Participate in tutorials, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions
   -

   Take part in activities such as poster and networking sessions


The course will run from Aug. 12 to Aug. 23, 2024, Mondays-Fridays and will
end with a 2-day hackathon, during which students will apply what they have
learned in group projects.

There are no course fees, but attendees are expected to cover their own
travel, visa expenses, and any meals not offered by the summer school
(morning and afternoon coffee breaks and lunch will be provided
Monday-Friday). Accommodation in NYC (for students not living in NYC and
surrounding) will be provided by the school.

Travel grants inclusive of the above named expenses will be offered to
individuals whose participation furthers the goal to promote diversity in
systems and computational neuroscience, in particular among populations
underrepresented in the scientific workforce as defined by NIH
<https://diversity.nih.gov/about-us/population-underrepresented>, including
but not limited to racially underrepresented individuals, women,
individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged
backgrounds.

Organizers:


   -

   Chi-Ning Chou (CCN)
   -

   SueYeon Chung (CCN/NYU)
   -

   Francesca Mignacco (Princeton/CCN)
   -

   Stefano Sarao Mannelli (UCL)
   -

   Andrew Saxe (UCL)


For more information and to apply, please visit:
https://events.simonsfoundation.org/event/e070287e-741e-4809-adea-7269142737cb/summary?previewToken=9babb9bdeb159822601f488ae31ff0b2

Administrative Contact: Alicja Jankowska, CCN Administrative Coordinator,
ajankowska at flatironinstitute.org

Cordially,

MATTHEW B. TURNER  any pronouns

Senior Manager for Center Administration | Center for Computational
Neuroscience

Flatiron Institute

917.363.1095 mobile

mturner at flatironinstitute.org

162 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

simonsfoundation.org/flatiron <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/>
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