A reminder that registration is open for the IBACS Meet & Speak on 4/29! Details can be found below, including the talk title and abstract for our keynote talk by Dr. Takao Hensch at Harvard University. We hope you can join us!

Dear IBACS community,

We are excited to officially invite you to attend the IBACS 2022 Meet and Speak event on Friday, April 29th from 2-6pm.This event will be in-person in Bousfield A106.

Affiliated faculty will give 10-minute talks, most of which are on the research they have carried out, or propose carrying out, with seed funding previously awarded by IBACS. Affiliated graduate students who have received IBACS funding will be presenting 5-minute “datablitz” style talks.

The IBACS Meet & Speak will provide an opportunity to learn more about the diverse research that IBACS affiliates are engaged in, and will provide a forum for cross-disciplinary networking. We hope you can join us, please register here for all or part of the event.

Schedule

2:00PM – Introduction

2:10PM – Faculty Talks (10 minutes each)

3:00PM – Graduate Student Data Blitz (5 minutes each)

3:30PM – Keynote Speaker: Dr. Takao Hensch, Harvard University

Talk Title: Balancing Brain Plasticity/Stability

Abstract: Brain function is largely shaped by experience in early life, creating windows of both great opportunity and vulnerability. Our work has focused on the biological basis for such critical periods, identifying both “triggers” and “brakes” on plasticity. Strikingly, the maturation of particular inhibitory circuits is pivotal for the onset timing of these windows. Manipulations of their emergence can either accelerate or delay developmental trajectories regardless of chronological age. Notably, many neurodevelopmental disorders are linked to alterations in excitatory-inhibitory balance, suggesting shifted critical period timing as part of their etiology. Closure of critical periods in turn reflects an active process, rather than a purely passive loss of plasticity factors. Lifting these brakes allows the reopening of plastic windows later in life, but may also underlie instability in disease states. Thus, understanding how brain plasticity and stability are balanced throughout life offers new insight into mental illness and novel therapeutic strategies for recovery of function in adulthood.

4:30PM – Panel Discussion: Featuring Takao Hensch, Erika Skoe, and Natale Sciolino

Innovations and the intersections of technology in Neuro/Cognitive Science

5:00PM – Wine and Cheese Social in Atrium

A more detailed program including speaker names and talk titles will be shared soon.

Best,

Holly Fitch, IBACS Director

Crystal Mills, IBACS Coordinator

The Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in
Leipzig is an internationally recognized research institute of the Max
Planck Society and is dedicated to the study of human cognitive
abilities and brain processes. The Department of Neurology offers PhD
positions for

Deadline: 1 May 2022
**Two Doctoral Candidates (TVöD E13, 65%, 3 years)** in cognitive
neuroscience and neurophysiology.

The general topic of the position is the physiology of perception,
cognition, and emotion. The positions involve the acquisition and
particularly the analysis of behavioural (e.g., movement parameters,
task performance), subjective (e.g., questionnaires, ratings), and
neuroimaging / electrophysiological (e.g., EEG, ECG) data. The positions
are part of a collaboration between neuroscience and computer graphics.
We will investigate the neurocognition of perceiving (virtual) humans by
acquiring multimodal (mind-brain-body) data using immersive technologies
(e.g., immersive VR). The precise research topic will be adapted to the
interests and specific qualifications of the candidate.

Prerequisites are an outstanding record in a relevant area of
neurocognitive research. Educational background could be from cognitive
(neuro-) science, psychology, medicine, neuroscience, computer science,
engineering, data science, physics, or mathematics. Excellent
programming and statistical skills (Python, Matlab, R) are required. One
position requires excellent prior experience with EEG/MEG signal
processing relating to neural oscillations and evoked responses. We are
looking for scientifically ambitious people willing to work in a highly
cooperative team.

You will have an opportunity to join the Institute’s International Max
Planck Research School (IMPRS CoNI) and to participate in graduate
training programs. You will receive continuous supervision.

The candidates will be part of an enthusiastic team embedded in a
world-leading research environment with outstanding facilities and
research infrastructure (four 3T MR scanners, one of them in a clinical
setting, a Siemens Connectom MR scanner, a 7T MR scanner, MEG, EEG,
fNIRS, TMS, TDCS, focused ultrasound, VR labs, eye tracking and
psychophysics labs). All facilities are supported by experienced IT and
physics staff. In addition to strong co-operations within the Department
of Neurology and with the Clinic of Cognitive Neurology at the
University Hospital Leipzig, there are also strong interactions among
all departments and research groups at the MPI-CBS.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application (reference
number “PhD 09/22”) at:https://www.cbs.mpg.de/vacancies/open-positions.
The application should include a cover letter, personal statement, CV,
list of publications (if available), and two letters of recommendations.
The closing date for applications is **May 1, 2022**. The starting date
is June 1, 2022, or later, and the duration is three years. Salary is
based on regulations of the Max Planck Society (typically 65% TVöD level
13). The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of
individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages
applications from such individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society
strives for gender equity and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.

Further information with regard to the research can be found on the
website of the Department of Neurology (particularly the groups “Neural
interactions and Dynamics” and “Mind-Body-Emotion”):
https://www.cbs.mpg.de/departments/neurology. For questions, please
contact Dr. Vadim Nikulin (nikulin@cbs.mpg.de) or Dr. Michael Gaebler
(gaebler@cbs.mpg.de).

Speaker: Dr. Hady Ba, Associate-Professor of Philosophy at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Visiting Fullbright Scholar  

Time & Location: 4pm, Friday, April 22, 2022 in Oak 117. Light refreshments will be provided. 

Talk Title: Ape Linguistics and the Chomsky/Norvig debate 

Abstract: According to Chomsky, statistical models of language, even though pragmatically successful can’t teach us anything about the nature of language which is rule based. Norvig disagree. According to him science goes from accumulation of data to explanation and back. In this talk, I’ll first show that despite advances in the statistical treatment of language, what happens is that the most successful algorithms for translation, completion and dialogue seem to mimic our brains treatment of language but have some limitations that we don’t know yet how to get rid of. Does this mean that we need better linguistic theories to get to the next step? To respond to this question, I will use data from animal linguistic cognition. I’ll argue that our experiments in teaching language to monkeys and the use by some researchers of tools from linguistics to analyze natural communicative production of apes show that there is a very specific, probably innate, component in humans’ ability to not only produce but also understand language. I will argue that contrary to what Chomsky think, this component goes beyond universal grammar and is probably due to the very peculiar nature of human sociability.  

Meeting opportunities: Dr. Ba will be available during the day of his talk for individual or small-group meetings on Zoom or in-person. Please contact Crystal at crystal.mills@uconn.edu if you are interested.

The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (CT IBACS) is inviting applications to its Graduate Fellowship Program.

These summer fellowships are intended for graduate students working on topics with relevance (broadly construed) to the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. IBACS Graduate Fellows attend a short grant-writing workshop and will be expected to submit an application to the NSF GRFP, NRSA (pre- or post-doctoral fellowship), or equivalent, in the Fall.

Deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, December 3rd, 2021.

Graduate students who are not US citizens are eligible to apply and are expected to work with their advisor to develop an external research proposal if they are not eligible for graduate fellowships. Students who were fellows in summer 2020 may apply if they submitted the external grant proposal they developed last year and it was not funded, with the expectation that they will revise their previous grant or develop a new one.

Please refer to the full details here.