REU Site - Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience

我们的目标是吸引一批聪明的、有数学倾向的大三和大四学生，他们在建模、成像或细胞生物学方面表现出天赋，并为他们提供1)现有和新兴的神经成像模式的共同基础，以及此类实验的分析、综合和最终指导产生的后续计算挑战，2)密切指导的喜悦在研究领域的发现，具有明确的智力回报(任何有大脑的人都会对自己的大脑感到惊讶)，并有可能对生物、健康和数学领域产生更广泛的影响。3)科学口头和书面交流的最佳实践的共同基础。我们的参与者将收到一封预先邮寄的邮件，其中包括1)共同的阅读文本，2)成像和建模教程，以及3)详细的项目描述。他们将在10周的教程中花上第一周的时间，有足够的时间与我们在莱斯大学、贝勒医学院和休斯顿的德克萨斯大学健康科学中心的导师池互动。这将允许他们在第一周结束前做出明智的导师和项目选择。样本项目包括：1)记忆的生化基础的数学模型，2)耳蜗力学的计算模型，3)在警觉行为灵长类动物的大脑皮层中处理视觉信息的电生理、计算和功能成像方法，以及4)时间感知的神经机制。

We aim to attract a diverse pool of bright mathematically inclined rising juniors and seniors with demonstrated aptitude for modeling, imaging or cell biology and provide them with 1) a common grounding in existing and emerging neuro-imaging modalities and the subsequent computational challenges that arise from the analysis, synthesis and eventual guidance of such experiments, 2) a closely mentored experience of the joy of discovery in a field of research with clear intellectual reward (no one with a brain lacks in wonder of their brain) and potential for broader impact on the fields of biology, health, and mathematics, and 3) a common grounding in the best practices of oral and written communication of science.Our participants will receive an advance mailing comprising 1) a common reading text, 2) imaging and modeling tutorials, and 3) detailed project descriptions. They will spend the first of their 10 weeks in tutorials with ample time to interact with our mentor pool at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. This will permit them to make an informed choice of mentor and project by the close of the first week. Sample projects include: 1) Mathematical modeling of the biochemical basis of memory, 2) Computational Modeling of Cochlear Mechanics, 3) Electrophysiological, computational and functional imaging approaches to processing of visual information in the cerebral cortex of alert behaving primates, and 4) Neural mechanisms of time perception.