Physical and Mathematical Principles of Brain Structure and Function - Spring 2013 in Arlington, VA

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The Workshop: "Physical and Mathematical Principles of Brain Structure and Function" will take place between May 5 and May 7, 2013 in Arlington, VA. Understanding how the human brain works has emerged as a major international focus of research in the coming decade, identified as such in President Obama's State of the Union Address in February 2013 and further developed in President Obama's BRAIN initiative announced on April 2, 2013. This workshop will bring together more than one hundred scientists to discuss how to enable major progress in understanding the brain, an important intellectual challenge of the 21st century. This conference of leading neuroscientists, mathematicians, physicists, materials scientists etc. will identify the specific intellectual challenges that can be met in the coming decades with focused effort. Panels of neuroscientists with expertise in different experimental approaches and model systems will identify important long-term goals that would transform their respective fields and drive progress across neuroscience. In addition, many important questions in neuroscience cannot be pursued with current tools. Bringing together neuroscientists and technologists will catalyze discussions that spur us towards transformative new scientific insights. Advances in systems neuroscience made by integrating existing technologies and devising new methods will provide an intellectual foundation. The workshop will also include many young scientists along with the established leaders in the field. This project is being jointly supported by the Physics of Living Systems program in the Division of Physics in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate and by the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.