Laboratory Courses in Nonlinear Dynamics and Computational Neuroscience

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Laboratory Courses in Nonlinear-Dynamics and Computational Neuroscience. Mathematical and numerical models play a very important role in our understanding of complex processes in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. With the advent of highspeed graphics workstations and new mathematical and numerical methods for describing complex dynamical systems, many difficult problems can now be addressed. Coupled with the explosion in experimental data in the form of large-scale data bases, digital timesefies, graphical images, and video, these new developments have opened up exciting new interdisciplinary frontiers in scientific computing and numerical modelling. The purpose of this proposal is to request support for the development of two new undergraduate courses in Nonlinear Dynamics and in Computational Neuroscience that will utilize the state of the art facilities of the newly funded Laboratory for Computational Neuroscience (DUE-9551414) at Wesleyan University. Hands on laboratory experience in computer modelling and graphical data analysis has usually been restricted to graduate and post-doctoral students. However, because of the new computer technologies (high-speed graphics workstations) and new theoretical ideas (nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory) and numerical methods (high level programs for graphical and numerical analysis, like MATHEMATICA and IDL) for describing complex systems, these exciting interdisciplinary fields should be both accessible and appealing to undergraduate students. In particular, the proposed laboratory courses should inspire and provide a testing ground for additional undergraduate courses in Earth and Environmental Studies, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, and even Art and Architecture.