Support for Training at the Intersection of Developmental and Cognitive Science at CogSci2008

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This proposal requests NSF funding to provide support to pre-conference tutorials and distinguished speakers at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society in July 2008 (CogSci2008) in Washington, D.C. CogSci2008 will highlight cognitive science research that deals with all types of cognitive and neural development, as well as cognitive aging and cognitive neuropsychological research using patient populations. The proposed project aims at bridging gaps that exist between developmental science and cognitive science, which fits the overall theme and scope of CogSci2008. The five tutorials will be pre-conference events associated with the annual meeting, and will focus on two broad topics that connect cognitive and learning sciences: computational modeling of development, and developmental neuroscience. These tutorials will be hosted by leading scholars in the respective fields such as developmental robotics, computational neuroscience, dynamical systems modeling, ERP, and eye-tracking. Two plenary speakers, Linda Smith and David Plaut, will present their exemplary work related to the conference theme. The combination of the tutorials and distinguished speakers are intended as a training opportunity for both students and scholars with interests in disciplinary approaches that cut across developmental and cognitive boundaries. The Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society is the most prominent meeting of cognitive science researchers in the world. The Cognitive Science Society encourages the growth of the next generation of scientists who possess interdisciplinary skills. In particular, researchers are increasingly relying on sophisticated computational and neuroscience theories and methods at the interface between cognitive and developmental sciences to answer complex theoretical questions. The proposed tutorials will help support the participation of young investigators, including junior faculty, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students, and so will facilitate the entry of new generations of researchers into the cognitive and developmental sciences with innovative and powerful methodologies.