"A Joint US-European Workshop on Informatics for Bio-Inspired Design: Reverse Engineering of the Human Brain"

University Of Denver, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

A workshop, entitled "A Joint US-European Workshop on Informatics for Bio-Inspired Design: Reverse Engineering of the Human Brain" and to be held in May 2010 in Croatia, will be jointly supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the European Science Foundation (ESF), and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The main focus of this workshop is on the reverse engineering of human brain. There is a great interest in understanding how the human brain manipulates data and develops a solution. During the past decade, scientists and engineers have conducted extensive research in developing a better understanding of human brain functions such as: how the sensed physical world is transformed into representations useful to recognize and to act; how sensorial, cognitive and motor data is stored and retrieved; and how this information is used to make decisions and interact socially. The workshop aims to create a platform for scientific dissemination and the exchange of ideas among leading neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, and computer scientists from the US and Europe in the area of reverse engineering of the human brain. Participants will develop and enhance collaborative links, and identify potential strategic opportunities for the benefit of the funding agencies, industry, research establishments and academia. The workshop will include 20 researchers each from the United States and from Europe. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, participants will come from the three areas of engineering, neurobiology and computer science. The broader impacts of the workshop will include: formation of international collaborations between US and European engineers and scientists; development of new foci for research in an emerging field; dissemination of the workshop outcomes to the engineering and scientific communities; and the expansion of interactions between the US and European government agencies.