Friday / CS Seminar

June 2nd / 1:30 PM

Mudd 3501

Title: Developing biologically-realistic neural networks

Speaker: Mitra Hartmann

Abstract:

For decades, neuroscientists have been able to record the electrical activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously, yet we still do not have a full understanding of how even the "simplest" of biological neural systems operate. In this talk, I will describe some of the obstacles and opportunities that lie at the intersection of computer science and neuroscience to understand animal nervous systems. As a specific example, I will describe potential uses of the WHISKiT Physics Simulator, a tool our laboratory has developed to understand how rodents use their whiskers to tactually explore objects. Because the rodent whisker system is one of the most commonly-used models in the field of neuroscience, the simulation tool has the potential to greatly improve our understanding of the neural basis for the sense of touch.

Biography:

Prof. Hartmann received her BS in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University and a PhD in Integrative Neuroscience from the California Institute of Technology. She was a post-doctoral scholar at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the Bio-Inspired Technology and Systems Group. Prof. Hartmann is currently a Professor at Northwestern University with a 50/50 joint appointment between the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.