2015 Gordon Research Conference On Neuroethology The Future Is Now: Innovative Concepts in Neuroethology and New Technologies

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide support to US-based students and post-doctoral fellows and junior scientists to attend the 2015 Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology. This five-day conference is recognized as the major, mid-size meeting in Neuroethology, bringing together outstanding senior and junior scientists for discussions of the recent advances in the field. Twenty-three invited speakers, chosen based on their creative contributions to the field and their ability to promote fruitful discussions, have confirmed their attendance. The theme for the meeting, entitled "In the Light of Evolution: Technology and the Evolutionary Approach" will feature sessions that will showcase how biological solutions inform new conceptual and technological advances in bio-inspired robotics, smart machines and neural modeling. The results presented at the meeting will have the potential to guide future developments in multiple areas, including smart devices and neural prosthetics that will have considerable societal benefits. The intellectual merit of this meeting derives from its small size, which promotes interactions between participants, and the assembly of many top scientists whose research spans neurobiology, engineering and neuropathology. It spans a wide variety of experimental systems and focuses on areas of exceptional activity or promise. This combination leads to fruitful comparative analyses, raises new questions about underlying mechanisms and often leads to new collaborations. By maximizing both formal discussion and informal interactions, the Gordon Conference on Neuroethology will highlight exciting new developments in neuropathology and engineering approaches in neurobiology. With respect to broader impacts, this meeting will benefit the larger community in multiple ways. First, it will help train and inspire the next generation of scientists, by exposing students and postdoctoral fellows to exciting science and scientists. Second, a special session will be organized for the benefit of junior researchers to help them make informed choices about scientific careers in academia and beyond. Finally, a concerted effort will be made to recruit scientists from under-represented groups.