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IAP 2010 Activities by Sponsor

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

An Introduction to Evolutionary Neuroscience
Vincent CK Cheung, Christiane Schreiweis
Tue Jan 12, Fri Jan 15, Tue Jan 19, Fri Jan 22, Tue Jan 26, 01:30-03:30pm, 46-3015

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

In this non-credit class we will discuss, over 5 seminars, some general principles underlying the evolution of brains in the history of life. Some questions we will ask in this short class include: How do we study evolution? What determines the brain sizes of different species? To what extent are neural structures conserved across species? How did novel neural connections in the brain emerge? And, what makes the mammalian/human brain special? No specific prerequisite required, though some basic knowledge of neuroscience and neuroanatomy will be extremely helpful.

Session 1: How do we study evolution?
Session 2: Evolutionary changes in brain size.
Session 3: Innovation of brain structures in evolutionary time.
Session 4: Evolution of neuronal connectivity.
Session 5: Uniqueness of the mammalian brain.
Contact: Susan Lanza, 46-2005R, x3-0482, sdl@mit.edu

Brain Film Series
Monica Linden
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

The MIT community is invited to come enjoy movies with the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department. Each movie has a neuroscience/cognitive science theme, and after the showing a graduate student from the BCS department will lead a brief discussion of the significance/accuracy/importance of the science in the movie. All are welcome - regardless of background.
Contact: Monica Linden, 46-2045, x2-4982, mlinden@mit.edu

Memento
Greg Hale
Memento with
Greg Hale
Tuesday 1/5
Tue Jan 5, 06:30-09:00pm, 46-3002

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Melissa Troyer
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest with
Melissa Troyer
Tuesday 1/12
Tue Jan 12, 06:30-09:00pm, 46-3002

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Monica Linden
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with
Stuart Layton
Tuesday 1/19
Tue Jan 19, 06:30-09:00pm, 46-3002

28 Days Later
Monica Linden
28 Days Later with
Christopher Saenz, Rodrigo Garcia
Tuesday 1/26
Tue Jan 26, 06:30-09:00pm, 46-3002

BrainNavigator Demo: Interactive Atlas & 3D Brain Imaging Software
Remlee Green
Wed Jan 13, 02-03:00pm, 14N-132 (DIRC)

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Join us for a hands-on demo of BrainNavigator, a new product sponsored by the MIT Libraries.

Navigating brain structures is complex—especially in small subjects like rats and mice. It’s easy to get lost as you view structures, make injections and analyze research. BrainNavigator is a collaboration between Elsevier and the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and it helps you locate the positions of structures within the brain, making visualization and understanding the brain easier.

Learn to use BrainNavigator to:
• Browse and compare diagrams
• View high-resolution images at the cellular level
• Compare rat and mouse brains using a unified nomenclature
• Compare BrainNavigator information with your own content
Web: http://libraries.mit.edu/get/brainnav
Contact: Remlee Green, 14S-134, x3-4088, remlee@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Libraries

MATLAB for Neuroscientists
Daniel Bendor
Wed Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, 05-07:00pm, 46-3015, bring laptop w/ matlab loaded

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: bring laptop with matlab to class

This class will teach MATLAB basics for use in neuroscience research. No experience with MATLAB is required. The class will meet once a week for 2 hours.


Class 1: Intro to MATLAB
-matrix operations
-data formats
-basic operations
-building an m-file


Class 2: Analyzing Your Data
-statistical tests
-plotting data
-making figures


Class 3: Designing a Graphical User Interface (GUI)


Class 4: Advanced Topics
-using MATLAB for behavioral experiments
Contact: Susan Lanza, 46-2005R, x3-0482, sdl@mit.edu


MIT  
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Last update: 19 August 2010