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NIMBioS Investigative Workshop: Olfactory Modeling
United States - TN - Tennessee - KNOXVILLE

Hosted by: National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
Venue: NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Dates: Mar 02, 2015 through Mar 04, 2015

Description
 
The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) is now accepting applications for its FREE Investigative Workshop, "Olfactory Modeling," to be held March 2-4, 2015, at NIMBioS.

Objectives: The sense of smell is important for all animals; odors are associated with identifying and locating food, determining food quality, and identifying threats. In humans, loss of sense of smell occurs with normal aging and is associated with a loss in quality of life. A decline in the ability to detect and discriminate odors also can be a harbinger of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the olfactory system is an important model system for exploring neural computation including changes in neural circuits in response to the environment and experience. The olfactory system provides specific advantages for understanding learning and memory, one of the most important goals in neuroscience. Technological advances have led to a wealth of information about how olfactory coding takes place in the mammalian nervous system, where experimental approaches range from large-scale measurement of neural activity during behavior to manipulation of activity via optogenetics. Integration of these data through comprehensive models of the neural networks involved in olfactory processing will advance our understanding of olfaction, including the relationship between neural activity and behavior. This workshop will review the current state of the mathematical approaches and tools for modeling olfaction, identify tasks that will maximize the impact of individual projects, and establish collaborations for large-scale modeling of this system, with a focus on incorporating realistic biophysical mechanisms for learning and memory.

Location: NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Co-Organizers: Sharon Crook (School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences & School of Life Sciences, Arizona State Univ., Tempe) and Brian Smith (School of Life Sciences, Arizona State Univ., Tempe)

For more information about the workshop and a link to the online application form, go to http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_olfaction

Participation in the workshop is by application only. Individuals with a strong interest in the topic are encouraged to apply, and successful applicants will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. If needed, financial support for travel, meals, and lodging is available for workshop attendees.

Application deadline: December 14, 2014

The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) (http://www.nimbios.org) brings together researchers from around the world to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to investigate solutions to basic and applied problems in the life sciences. NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
 
Additional Information
 
Event URL: http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_olfaction
ISCB Member Discount: None
Contact Person: Catherine Crawley ([javascript protected email address])

While ISCB provides for conference and event listings that may be of interest to members and bioinformaticians at large, ISCB is not responsible for the content provided by outside sources. Such listings are not meant as an endorsement by ISCB.



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