Thematic Workshops for the 2003 Les Houches Summer School on Theoretical Neuroscience

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Chow The investigator and colleagues organize thematic experimental workshops in conjunction with a summer school on theoretical methods in neuroscience in France from July 28 - August 29, 2003. The course covers modern theoretical methods used in systems neuroscience. It is part of the Les Houches summer school series, which has a distinguished tradition of covering leading edge theoretical topics. The course is intended for graduate students and postdocs who have backgrounds in physics, mathematics or other quantitative fields. Neuroscience rapidly changes and it is essential for theorists to be aware of new experimental results and techniques. Thus, the organizers hold three Thematic Workshops in conjunction with the theoretical program. In these workshops, experimentalists give talks on physiological issues and lead discussions related to the topics covered in the theoretical lectures. The impact of this summer school on the students, theoretical lecturers and experimentalists cannot be overstated. In addition to the training the students receive they also have the opportunity to meet and interact with many prominent neuroscientists. Conversely, the senior participants have an opportunity to meet the next generation of theorists. In biology the relationship between theory and experiment is still tentative. The workshops present topics important in themselves, they fit well with and amplify and ground the theoretical agenda, and they provide a remarkable opportunity to establish connections between theoreticians and experimentalists in an important and dynamic area of biology. All of the lecturers are required to write an accompanying paper to be placed in a published proceedings. These proceedings will have sufficient detail to be treated like a textbook on modern methods of theoretical neuroscience and will be a valuable source of information.