NeuralStorm: Taking Neuroengineering by Storm

神经工程学有潜力通过恢复有神经缺陷、疾病或损伤的人的功能，在各个层面改变社会，同时也提供了对大脑功能的前所未有的见解。然而，越来越清楚的是，作为开发令人兴奋的神经技术的基础的大数据集的分析(例如，从大脑成像或对大脑信号的其他观察)将需要数据处理、机器学习工具和人工智能方法的有针对性的设计。因此，需要一种融合的科学课程，利用基于团队的科学的最新进展来创造一支能够优化神经工程所取得的进步的劳动力队伍，以最大限度地发挥该领域对尽可能广泛的社会阶层的影响。NSF的这一研究培训(NRT)项目NeuralStorm正在应对NSF的几个研究挑战，包括利用数据革命、不断增长的融合研究和人类技术前沿的未来工作，通过开发研究生课程，允许学生获得特定领域(例如，计算机科学、工程、医学)的专业知识，同时也有助于神经工程的跨学科问题解决。该项目预计将培训70名博士生和20名硕士研究生，其中包括30名资助的实习生，他们来自计算机科学、工程学、神经科学和心理学。NeuralStorm项目将汇集来自广泛学术背景的学员，目标有三个。首先是确保它们植根于与神经系统接口相关的复杂神经伦理问题。其次是让学生具备智能沟通技能，使他们能够在不同领域有效工作。第三是让他们做好准备，在整个职业生涯中驾驭预期中的技术快速进步，确保由此产生的神经技术对社会产生最大的积极影响。NeuralStorm有可能通过加强多学科团队的合作，评估用户表现和生活质量变化，以及评估以合理成本将产品推向市场的最佳方式，来彻底改变神经工程师的工作方式，从而对社会的广泛和多样化产生积极影响。这门课程将训练学生了解和理解他们可以利用的各种资源，就广泛和多样化的社会阶层的影响进行明智的对话，了解如何评估和使用新的进步，并创造一个信息库，这些信息将通过网站和出版物、研讨会和研讨会提供。最后，领导团队将努力将该项目的趋同理想打包到神经工程以外的其他领域。这些培训元素将把以证据为基础的教育活动与计划目标联系起来，并使用严格的评估和适应性学习来确保成功。NSF研究培训计划(NRT)旨在鼓励为STEM研究生教育培训开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革意义的新模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致的综合实习生模式，在高度优先的跨学科或趋同研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Neuroengineering has the potential to transform society at all levels by restoring function for people with neural deficits, disease, or injury while also providing unprecedented insights into brain function. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the analysis of large datasets (e.g., from brain imaging or other observations of brain signals) on which the development of exciting neural technologies are based will need targeted design of data processing, machine learning tools, and artificial intelligence approaches. Therefore, there is a need for a convergent science curriculum that leverages the latest advances in team-based science to create a workforce capable of optimizing advances made in neuroengineering to maximize the impact of this field for the broadest possible segments of society. This NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) project, NeuralStorm, is addressing several of NSF’s research challenges, including Harnessing the Data Revolution, Growing Convergence Research, and The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier, by developing a graduate curriculum that allows students to gain expertise within a specific area (e.g., computer science, engineering, medicine) while also contributing to cross-disciplinary problem-solving in neuroengineering. The project anticipates training 70 Ph.D. and 20 masters’ students, including 30 funded trainees, from computer science, engineering, neuroscience, and psychology. The NeuralStorm project will bring together trainees from broad academic backgrounds with three objectives. First is to ensure they are grounded in the complex neuroethical issues associated with interfacing the nervous system. Second is to equip the students with intelligent communication skills that allow them to work effectively across fields. Third is to prepare them to navigate the expected rapid advances in technology throughout their careers in a way that ensures the resulting neurotechnology has the greatest, positive impact for society. NeuralStorm has the potential to revolutionize the way neuroengineers work by enhancing collaboration in multi-disciplinary teams, evaluating user performance and quality of life changes, and assessing the best ways to bring products to market at a reasonable cost to impact broad and diverse segments of society positively. This curriculum will train students to know and understand the various resources available to them, have intelligent conversations about impact across a broad and diverse segment of society, understand how to evaluate and use new advances, and create a reservoir of information that will be made available on a website and through publications, seminars, and workshops. Finally, the leadership team will work to package the convergent ideals of this program for other fields beyond neuroengineering. These training elements will connect evidence-based educational activities to program goals and use rigorous assessment and adaptive learning to ensure success.The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.