Interagency BRAIN Intitiave Awardees Meeting in Bethesda, MD, November 20-21, 2014

University Of Texas At San Antonio, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding how behavior emerges from the dynamic patterns of electrical and chemical activity of brain circuits is universally recognized as a fundamental mystery in science. Modern neuroscience has made great strides towards this goal by utilizing advances in multiple scientific disciplines. These developments have brought the field to a unique moment, where a revolution in understanding the brain appears to be within our grasp. Capitalizing on this unique moment, the BRAIN Initiative was created to catalyze national efforts toward understanding the brain. As part of the BRAIN Initiative, NSF will enable the development of an array of physical and conceptual tools needed to determine how healthy brains function. In Fiscal Year 2014, NSF made 36 Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) awards aimed at catching neural circuits in action. This award will support a workshop to convene awardees from the NSF BRAIN EAGER competition and awardees from other federal BRAIN Initiative efforts. The objectives of this workshop are to identify conceptual foundations and challenges in data management and technology implementation. The participants will discuss these issues in small thematic groups, and will use their insights to generate a coherent set of strategies and expectations towards the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. The Organizers are making a strong effort to invite women and members of underrepresented groups as participants. Further, the meeting entails extensive cross-disciplinary interactions, which will be aided greatly by the face-to-face nature of this meeting. Importantly, this workshop is part of a concerted effort to coordinate and align interagency priorities to accomplish the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. To maximize the workshop's impact, video recordings of introductory sessions will be disseminated through a publicly accessible web-site.