NETI: NeuroEngineering Training Initiative

2008-09-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

2008-09-02T13:51:00.001-07:00

2008-09-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes, 3/12/08

2008-03-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
3/12/08

Attendance: Heather Benz, Nasir Bhanpuri, Suneil Hosmane, Luke Johnson, Joseph Lin, Laura Malone, Nitish Thakor, Aaron Wong

Prospective Students Visits
L. Johnson created a flier describing NETI, to be distributed to prospective students coming to visit Hopkins. N. Thakor will try to put in an announcement/brief verbal introduction to NETI if it can be squeezed into the program, otherwise NETI students are asked to spread the word informally during meal times.

Publications
If you have not already done so, please remember to send a copy of all publications and conference posters to S. Hosmane.

NETI Projects Update
Note, all projects now have dedicated folders in the neuroengineering gmail account google documents list. All project heads are suggested to make use of these folders to facilitate dissemination of project information. A brief update of current ongoing projects is below:

Curriculum: C. Smith’s document detailing the curriculum has been revised, in the format of suggested courses to be more helpful when selecting classes to take. This will soon be posted on the website, possibly with links to individual course websites.

NETI student profiles: L. Johnson has created google documents in the neuroengineering gmail account to keep student profiles updated. Each person should develop and update their own documents, one containing information for the NETI website and one a more detailed progress
report.

NETI website: S. Hosmane is now in charge of the website, and will meet with A. Cassidy to transfer management responsibilities of updating the site.
Faculty Symposia: It has been suggested to hold one symposium at the end of August prior to the start of classes, and a second one at the end of the fall semester to facilitate the selection of rotation advisors.

Rotations website: S. Hosmane is working to draft a letter soliciting rotation projects to be compiled on a website dedicated to helping incoming students find rotations. The aim is to have this developed by early Fall.

Job Blog: A counter will be added to the job blog website by N. Bhanpuri. Also, there is some thought to collaborate with Aditya Polsani to increase postings and readership on the site.

Conference List: A. Wong is working to update the list of available conferences and workshops and is currently waiting for replies of any conferences not included in a preliminary list. He has already posted a draft of his list in the neuroengineering google documents in his project folder.

Presentation of NETI at a Conference: H. Benz is looking at upcoming conferences for good dates and for sessions that may welcome a poster about NETI. She will work on updating the old NETI poster originally created by N. Bhanpuri.

Essay Contest: Modifications have been made to the application form. Some preliminary efforts have been made to contact high schools, with the intent of holding the contest this semester with a May 10th deadline. The latest contest forms will be posted in the neuroengineering google documents folder, with plans to update the website as well. It has been suggested that the essay contest prizes include, apart from a monetary prize, an opportunity to meet with professors or see some of the labs at Hopkins.

Industry/Clinical Fair: Initial efforts have been made to contact those in charge of the Hopkins Career Fair and the BME design day, with responses pending.

Summer School Program: Efforts have been made to collaborate with Hopkins Engineering Innovations program (http://engineering-innovations.jhu.edu/), which runs a 2 week summer course for high school students. The current intent is to develop a one-day module to be inserted in the program. A suggested topic will be emailed out by J. Lin; any other ideas regarding possible topic suggestions are welcome.

NETI Meeting Minutes, 2/27/08

2008-02-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
2/27/08

Attendance: Heather Benz, Nasir Bhanpuri, Natan Davidovics, Suneil Hosmane, Alan Huang, Luke Johnson, Joseph Lin, Laura Malone, Rezina Siddique, Nitish Thakor, Aaron Wong

NETI Projects
Administrative and initiative projects were distributed, with the suggestion that most people focus on the administrative tasks and perhaps a few members focus primarily on the larger projects, which might run on a year-long or longer time scale. All primary volunteers are asked to email L. Johnson a short write-up discussing the specific task(s) they are undertaking, what it will entail, and a projected timeline to complete the project. Projects and collaborators are listed below (heads are in bold).

Administrative Projects
Update the curriculum
C. Smith, N. Bhanpuri
Gather student information; finding a method for ease of updating. Suggestion: use a wiki or google documents
S. Hosmane, H. Benz
NETI website update and maintenance
N. Davidovics
NEWRON newsletter
N. Davidovics
Faculty symposia (clinical, BME core, Mind-Brain, etc.)
L. Johnson, H. Benz
Rotation listing website to facilitate finding potential advisors
S. Hosmane
Update the job blog
N. Bhanpuri
Create and maintain an alumni database (that also includes past trainees who have not yet graduated)
A. Huang
Update and organize a list of Neuroengineering-related conferences and workshops
A. Wong
Plan and organize the NETI Student Summer Seminar
L. Malone
Create a flier advertising NETI, to be included in the visiting students packet in March, and possibly organize an introduction to NETI
up for grabs!
Present NETI at a conference (SFN in DC in the fall, etc.)
H. Benz
Compile a list of fellowships and awards, along with due dates, to be posted on the website
R. Siddique

Larger Projects
Neuroengineering Essay Contest (revise, promote distribution, etc.)
N. Bhanpuri, A. Huang, N. Davidovics
Combined industry/clinical/research fair (perhaps piggy-backed onto the Hopkins Career Fair or BME Design Day)
L. Malone, H. Benz
Plan and run a summer school course about Neuroengineering, involving faculty or student-run lectures, some experiments, and lab visitations, perhaps in conjunction with the Whiting Engineering Innovation summer course or the Hopkins CTY program
J. Lin, A. Wong

Next Meeting
The next NETI meeting will be held in 2 weeks.

Meeting Minutes, 2/4/08

2008-02-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
2/4/08

Attendance: Heather Benz, Nasir Bhanpuri, Natan Davidovics, Suneil Hosmane, Alan Huang, Luke Johnson, Laura Malone, Rezina Siddique, Christopher Smith, Nitish Thakor, Aaron Wong

Training Grant Renewal
The Training Grant goes up for renewal this Spring, and several pieces of information must be collected beforehand (efforts spearheaded by N. Thakor):

Individual successes and distinguishing achievements
Alumni achievements
Facts tables: admissions information, etc.
Curriculum – a firm curriculum including a core, electives, and tracks must be defined. C. Smith has offered to continue his efforts in this area.
Cases studies of past and present students, perhaps one from each research area. A. Huang has offered to do a case study on M. Donahue, the first NETI alum who has graduated
Efforts to increase diversity, which may include increasing awareness and interest in Neuroengineering to high school students and undergrads who may not be exposed to such areas of research (i.e. those not at Hopkins)
Efforts to increase awareness of ethics and research methodologies
Obtaining faculty vignettes including an NIH-style biosketch, a picture, and a paragraph about their research

To further distinguish the NETI program, it has been suggested that each person undertake a project which we feel passionate about. Some suggestions include:

Making (clinical) faculty research more transparent and visible to students, particularly to incoming students seeking rotations (S. Hosmane volunteered for this project).
Run a Neuroengineering Day to make Neuroengineering more accessible to undergraduates, such as by having a research symposium or poster day
Set up an Industry/Research Partnership Day, where representatives from industry are invited to come and interact with current students
Create a (state or national) competition similar to DARPA or the concrete canoe but with a Neuroengineering-related theme
Plan and run a week-long summer school course about Neuroengineering, perhaps one open to undergrads or high school students
Start a Neuroengineering Journal (web-based, perhaps)
Compile a list of fellowships and awards
Host a reception for Hopkins students and alum at conferences
Create and execute a structured plan for welcoming incoming students interested in Neuroengineering (both in March and in August)

Other suggestions are welcome as well.

Meeting Minutes 1/23/08

2008-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
1/23/08

Attendance: Heather Benz, Nasir Bhanpuri, Luke Johnson, Laura Malone, Aaron Wong

Goals and Initiatives
Prior to the meeting, L. Johnson and N. Bhanpuri met with N. Thakor and developed a list of goals reflective of what was accomplished last year and what the group might want to aim for this year. First was to promote awareness and interest in Neuroengineering (both at Hopkins and on a broader scope), accomplished through such means as the NEWRON newsletter, the Neuroengineering Essay contest, the NETI website, and the Fall Symposium. A second goal was to promote a strong, cohesive group of Neuroengineers at Hopkins, through such events as the Student Summer Seminar. Finally, a third, although lesser goal, was to increase clinical collaborations and translational research occurring at Hopkins. Other related efforts included the Neuroengineering job blog and the NETI blog. At a future meeting, these goals will be revised and clear initiatives formulated, with the aim that everyone contributes to at least one initiative.

Initiative Suggestions
Some ideas to consider for this upcoming year include hosting an event for Engineering Week in February, host a NETI-sponsored recruiting week event for incoming students in March, generate a forum for posting research rotation opportunities for incoming students, and make available peer-reviews of courses and continue to improve the Neuroengineering curriculum.

Grant Funds
Grant money should be spent on such purposes as conferences and workshops, but may also be applied to research-related materials such as books. N. Thakor should be informed of purchases for approval; submit receipts to Allen Strong. Remember that the fiscal year ends in July, so expenditures should be made prior to that time.

Progress Reports
Rather than having to continuously progress reports, a suggestion has been made to keep individual web-based progress reports that can be easily updated by each member as necessary. Thus begins the NETI campaign to go green.

Elections
Elections for new officers will be held at a future meeting.

Meeting Minutes, 10/31/07

2007-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
10/31/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Andrew Cassidy, Natan Davidovics, Issel Lim, Aaron Wong

NIBIB Meeting
Representatives from the NIBIB are coming on Nov. 19th. To that end, student presentations must be prepared; they will occur from 11 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 2 PM, with socializing time during the lunch hour in between. I. Lim is working to compile the presentation. A general format for the 2 hours is as follows:

10:45-11:00 – Set up
11:00-11:15 – Overview of NETI
11:15-12:00 – First round of student presentations:
-5 minute presentations: I. Lim, N. Bhanpuri, M. Xu, A. Wong, L. Johnson (maybe after lunch), N. Davidovics
-15 minute presentation: B. Landman
1:00-2:00 – Second round of student presentations
-5 minute presentations: M. Marr, D. Castillo, C. Smith, S. Hosmane, G. Colon, F. Tenore
-15 minute presentation: A. Cassidy

Note that the program will roughly follow the listed order of speakers, and each block will conclude with the long presentation. All speakers giving 5-minute presentations are requested to follow N. Thakor’s 2-slide format, with some small modifications allowed. Emphasis should be on the quality of training and individual successes achieved.

Next Meeting
All members are urgently requested to attend the meeting during the week of Nov. 14, for purposes of practicing the NIBIB presentation and discussing last minute logistics. Send I. Lim your schedules for that week so a meeting time can be coordinated.

Meeting Minutes 10/17/07

2007-10-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
10/17/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Gabriel Colon, Natan Davidovics, Issel Lim, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

T-Shirts
There is a possibility of producing Neuroengineering shirts. I. Lim is working on a design; send ideas to her.

Essay Contest
Thus far, no applications have been received. The current deadline for applications is the first week of November; if no applications are submitted this deadline may be extended. The contest has been advertised in a few schools and on Fastweb, but further distribution ideas are welcome.

Website
N. Thakor is interested in introducing a new section of the website where Neuroengineering-related job listings can be posted. A new blog will be generated for job listings, and a link will be included on the Neuroengineering website.

NIBIB Meeting
Representatives from the NIBIB are coming on Nov. 19th. To that end, student presentations must be prepared; they will occur from 11 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 2 PM, with socializing time during the lunch hour in between. S. Hosmane and G. Colon are to be in charge of general logistics; I. Lim will spearhead the effort to compile the presentation. A general format for the 2 hours is as follows:

10:45-11:00 – Set up
11:00-11:30 – Overview of NETI
-NEWRON, Essay Contest, Website/Blog, Mailing Lists, Administrative Meetings
-Conferences, Workshops, Seminars (Clinical Seminar, Student Seminar)
-Classes, Rotations
11:30-12:00 – First round of student presentations
1:00-1:50 – Second round of student presentations
1:50-2:00 – Concluding remarks
-Where we’ve been and where we are heading (future directions)

The general format for student presentations will be about an 8 minute presentation with 5 minutes spent on individual research and 3 minutes discussing the impact the training grant has had personally. Of the roughly 5 slides, one should discuss rotations. Topics to emphasize include clinical relevance (note: key purpose of the training grant is to foster clinical collaborations!), tools being learned/using, and some data/results for illustrative purposes. All NETI members are requested to generate 4-5 slides and summarize any material for the NETI overview by Nov. 7. A practice run will be held Nov. 14 at 12 PM. If you must present at a certain time, please let I. Lim know.

A short summary of this program including names of speakers and their research topics should be produced for distribution at the presentation.

Upcoming Things to Note
Elections should be held soon, as new NETI members will most likely be selected some time around November. Also, progress reports must be written, compiled, and submitted around that time.

Next Meeting
All members are urgently requested to attend the meeting on Nov. 14 at 12 PM on Homewood, for purposes of practicing the NIBIB presentation and discussing last minute logistics.

Clinical Neuroengineering Symposium Summary

2007-09-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Wed. Sept 5: Clinical Neuroengineering Symposium Summary

Dr. John McDonald
--- Spinal Cord Rehabilitation ---
Discussed the success of functional electric stimulation (FES) for rehabilitation of patients with severe, debilitating spinal cord injuries.
If you wish to contact him, it is best to go through his secretary: Robin Locks: locks at kennedykrieger.org
http://www.spinalcordrecovery.org/
http://www.kennedykrieger.org/kki_staff.jsp?pid=3843
http://www.restorative-therapies.com/

Dr. Romergryko Geocadin
--- Neurosurgery Critical Care ---
Discussed how an animal model was developed to research a clinical problem: monitoring brain injury after ischemia due to heart attacks, and how he and his collaborators were able to develop a novel method/device that is now in human clinical trials. Also mentioned continued research in this area and in the use of hypothermia to limit permanent damage after brain injury.
Email: rgeocadi at jhmi.edu
Seceretary: Gloria Mccoy: gmccoy at jhmi.edu
http://www.hopkinsneuro.org/team_member.cfm?person_id=123

Dr. Charlie Della Santina
--- Vestibular Neuroengineering ---
Described his lab's development of a vestibular neuroprosthesis to treat balance disorders. Involved investigation of the vestibular occular reflex, electrode and circuit design, imaging/characterization of the vestibular canals, analysis after implantation of prosthesis chinchillas and monkeys.
*Interested in MS and PHD students*
Email: charley.dellasantina at jhu.edu
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/OTOLARYNGOLOGY/della.html
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2007/08_06a_07.html

Dr. Nathan Crone
--- Neurology Epilepsy; Cognitive Neurophysiology ----
Discussed the use of implanted subdural electrode grids in epileptic patients to not only localize siezure foci, but using spectral analysis, investigate correlations between brain areas and map functional auditory, sensorimoter and language areas.
Email: necrone at jhmi.edu
http://www.neuro.jhmi.edu/profiles/crone.html
http://www.neuro.jhmi.edu/cogneurophyslab/index.html

Dr. Fred Lenz
--- Neurosurgery ---
Part of research involves pain processing, particularly in the thalamus. During brain surgery in patients with movement disorders (inserting a deep brain stimulator), there is an opportunity to record from single neurons in the thalamus.
Email: flenz1 at jhmi.edu
http://www.neuro.jhmi.edu/profiles/lenz.html

Dr. Dean Wong
--- Neuro Radiology ---
Can direct interested students to many researchers at Hopkins in the area of imaging research, but his particular research interest is Positron Emission Technology, and developing new markers to study a wide range of diseases. Mathematical modelling and large scale computing is a significant part of his lab's work.
Email: dfwong at jhmi.edu
Seceretary: Jean Reyes: jreyes at jhmi.edu
http://wongradiology:7939

Reflections on the NeuroEngineering Symposium: Notes for Future Planning

2007-09-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

For reference for future NETI event planners.

Reflections on the Neuroengineering Symposium

Every time we hold seminars/symposia etc, we learn from it. These are
some things I think I would suggest to anyone else trying to set up
something like this:

-- Start early. It took several weeks to even get a response from faculty

-- email secretaries, or other faculty. For instance, it took Dr.
Thakor to push on Dr. Geocadin to respond. Other faculty go primarily
through their secretaries, and don't seem to answer personal emails
from random phd students.

-- pick a date(s) and go with it. I tried asking people when would
work for them, and it was a mess. Finally I chose two dates, and
asked people to pick what worked. Unfortunately, I think the first
date was too close in time and people didnt choose to present then.
Also, it was the last week in August, and it seemed like many faculty
were busy/out of town.

-- email often. goes back to starting early, but it wasn't until my
4th or 5th email invitation to get responses from some people. It
might be annoying to receive so many emails, but if you send a nice
polite invitation, I think people are receptive. I also included a
schedule that included who else was speaking, and the flier, though I
don't know how many people looked at that. Maybe a web link to the
flyer as opposed to an attachment would be the way to go. I don't
know if that helped in encouraging them to present, but maybe

-- Some people contacted me just days before the event saying they
wanted to present. I don't really know how best to deal with this. I
thought the whole thing would be a failure until a week beforehand.

-- 3 hours is too long. I knew that, and Dr. Thakor advised against
it, but I did it anyways, because it would have been too much of a
hassle to organize a third date last minute, and I do think it is
useful for students to see these people before the semester gets under
way full force. Even though there were only like 6 students there by
the end, even if only one student finds an opportunity or idea for
research that they otherwise would not have, I think it is worth it
--- that's what I tell myself anyways :-)

--Students have to decide rotations by mid September, and the more
they see early on the better. Ideally we would have had 4 speakers on
each day, but I would recommend to have the seminars like we did,
late-Aug early Sept.

-- Tell a speaker they have 15 minutes, they take 30. I advised them
to make presentations 15-20 minutes, but they would gladly talk
forever. I'd recommend telling them to make 10 minute presentations,
with clearer instructions on the nature of the talk (NOT data
intensive). Tell them 10 minutes, but schedule 20 minutes.

-- if you are in charge, keep them to their time limits. It's tough
because you don't want to sound rude. Tell them beforehand that
you'll give them a couple minute warning, and stop them after that and
make sure people have time to ask questions. I still wish we had been
able to take more time for student-faculty discussion.

-- make sure you schedule the room before you schedule the symposium.
Luckily I was able to do it the other way around, but that could have
been bad.

-- have a laptop available for people to put their presentation, and
have a laser pointer for them to use

-- try to get presentation titles and abstracts. I didn't, but in
retrospect it would have been nice to have for reference.

-- any other suggestions? please add to the list. we could maybe
give this to future planners of NETI events.

--luke

Meeting Minutes 9/12/07

2007-09-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
9/12/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Andrew Cassidy, Gabriel Colon, Luke Johnson, Issel Lim, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

Fall Symposium Part 2
Following the great success of the Fall Symposium featuring clinical faculty organized by L. Johnson, a second symposium proposed to feature those researchers who work in the Mind-Brain Institute. It has remained unclear whether such a seminar would be useful to first year students.

Poster for BME Retreat
A second edition of the poster featuring NETI has been designed by N. Bhanpuri and I. Lim for presenting at the BME retreat this upcoming weekend. However, due to time constraints, it was decided to not have the poster printed out in full form but to instead give out handouts of the poster to interested students. During the poster session, inquiries will be made of interested students as to whether an MBI symposium would be helpful and to ensure that they are on the Neuroengineering mailing list.

Elections
Elections for new officers will be held off until new members have been selected.

Scholarship Essay Contest
N. Bhanpuri has created a final draft of the scholarship essay contest form. Distribution so far has not been very successful, so the contest has been opened up to all interested students in the state of Maryland. Alternative methods of distribution will also be considered, including posting the application on Fastweb.

Website
A. Cassidy intends to update student pages with a list of courses taken or currently taking, as well as some information from the NETI poster and any other information individuals desire to update. S. Hosmane’s information is to be added to the website. The professor pages are also to be updated, as well as the information page regarding the Fall Symposium.

Other Members
A question has arisen regarding the extent of inclusion of individuals interested in Neuroengineering but not presently on the grant. In particular, this is regarding participation in meetings and being added to the Neuroengineering (1) Google group. N. Thakor will be asked for his input prior to making a final decision.

Meeting Minutes, 8/22/07

2007-08-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
8/22/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Andrew Cassidy, Suneil Hosmane, Luke Johnson, Issel Lim, Misti Marr, Aaron Wong, Guests

Fall Seminar
L. Johnson is still in the process of coordinating the fall seminar.

Summer Seminar Series
For the benefit of the first years in attendance, a round of introductions preceded the seminar. I. Lim then gave us a magnetizing talk on MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The talk concluded with a brief presentation of student research of those currently involved with NETI, as well as advice on types of classes typically taken.

Meeting Minutes, 8/15/07

2007-08-20T07:17:00.001-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
8/15/07

Attendance: Andrew Cassidy, Gabriel Colon, Natan Davidovics, Luke Johnson, Christopher Smith, Dr. Nitish Thakor, Aaron Wong

Webpage
A. Cassidy has informed us that the neuroengineering web page is updated.

Neuroengineering Fall Seminar
N. Thakor suggested that we select two afternoons to offer the seminar, in order to obtain a greater participation on the part of the clinical faculty. It was decided that two successive Wednesdays would be ideal to start, with the day possibly being changed based on faculty availability. Each speaker will have about 20 to 30 minutes to present. To garner the greatest student participation, the seminars will be held at 1pm after med school classes conclude for the day, and lunch will be provided. L. Johnson is currently working to coordinate the seminar.

Summer Seminar Series
L. Johnson’s presentation on Auditory Neurophysiology: Developing a New Animal Model for the Cochlear Implant provided those present with much aural pleasure. Next week, I. Lim will be presenting, followed by a short summary of NETI student research for the benefit of incoming students.

Meeting Minutes, 8/8/07

2007-08-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
8/8/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Andrew Cassidy, Gabriel Colon, Suneil Hosmane, Luke Johnson, Issel Lim, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

Curriculum
C. Smith is still collecting and compiling course information. A completed version should be available around Aug. 22.

Essay Contest
A new version of the essay contest form is available and will be emailed out by N. Bhanpuri. Currently, the deadline for student submissions is intended for October.

Webpage
A. Cassidy has informed us that the neuroengineering web page is up, although a few changes are still to be made.

Neuroengineering Fall Seminar
Instead of the weekly chalk-talk seminar format, Dr. Thakor has proposed a single seminar in which each of 6 faculty members can spend about 30 minutes presenting on their research. After some discussion on potential dates and formats, it was agreed to aim for a seminar on Aug. 29th in the afternoon following med school classes that day.

Summer Seminar Series
You could certainly feel the excitement oozing throughout the room as C. Smith gave his presentation on Microfluidics and Adult Neural Stem Cell Research. L. Johnson will be presenting next week, with I. Lim to bring our summer seminar series to a close. For I. Lim’s presentation on the 22nd, please email her a one-slide summary of your research to be compiled into a brief overview for incoming students interested in getting a taste of Neuroengineering. If the attendance rate on the 22nd is low, this overview be postponed till the 29th.

Q: Classes?

2007-08-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I'm more actively pondering courses for the fall, I was wondering about how many credits do people usually take? I probably averaged around 16 as an undergrad, but if they want us to do 36 credits in 4 semesters, that's only about 9 credits (with rotations, or course). What did you take your first semester?

Thanks!

Heiya --

Credits -- I think people usually take anywhere between 2 to 4 classes. The sooner you get 'em over with, then the sooner you can focus on research. Another incoming student asked about courses to take, and I posted her answer on the NeuroEngineering blog, so feel free to check that out, and let me know if you have more questions:
Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track

Classes really depend on what you're interested in. I took the med school track, then med school track + calcium channel signaling, and then three classes (Models of the Neuron, Applied Math for Engineering, and Biostatistics through the School of Public Health), and then two classes (Medical Imaging Systems and Statistical Methods in Imaging). I've finished my credits, so I'll probably just sit in on a few in the fall. Right now, I'm looking at Medical Image Analysis, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and an NMR Physics course. If you net me know which classes you're taking, I can direct you to people who've already taken the class, or who might have more suggestions.

To the other NETI people: feel free to write about which classes you've taken, and which ones you'd recommend! :)

Meeting Minutes 8/1/07

2007-08-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
8/1/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Natan Davidovics, Luke Johnson, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

NEWRON
N. Davidovics is working to put NEWRON on the web in a blog format, to increase readership and improve distribution.

Curriculum
An email will be sent out soon by C. Smith requesting information for purposes of compiling a list of suggested courses to take.

Essay Contest
Revisions are still underway for the latest version of the Essay Contest. N. Bhanpuri will provide a new version soon.

Summer Seminar Series
A. Wong had us saccading wildly for his presentation about Predictive Saccades and Adaptation. We also look with anticipation to C. Smith’s talk next week.

For Incoming Students: 2007

2007-07-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

There's a new batch of incoming students, so we're once again answering questions on the neuroengineering blog.

To refer to last year's questions, check out these posts:
Info for Incoming Students (2006)
and
Incoming Students: Questions and Answers (2006, 2007)

We'll post answers to new questions here:
Incoming Students 2007: Questions & Answers

Some changes from last year:
The NeuroEngineering Student Summer Seminar
Wednesdays at 1p
Hearing Science Library (Ross 529)
JHMI (Medical) Campus
To see the schedule, check out:
http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu/calendar.html
We'll be having an introductory seminar on August 29th to showcase research opportunities for new students, and we'll be answering questions about classes at any seminar, especially the one on August 22nd. (Email issel at jhu for more details.)

Also, a few useful links have been updated:
Check out the BME PhD Council Website for some useful information:
http://phdcouncil.bme.jhu.edu
(Featuring administrative links, maps, forums, photos, etc. And please email me feedback or questions on the site.)

If you're interested in Neuroengineering, please check out the website:
http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu
And/or the blog, which answers a few questions from last year's incoming class:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com
If you want to be notified about neuroengineering events at Hopkins, please join our mailing list for Hopkins students:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering2

If you've got questions (on residences, neuroengineering, classes, labs, or life in general), feel free to send me an email. If you'd like to come see/play summer softball or soccer w/ the BME taeam(s), if you'd like to go salsa/swing dancing or clubbing or shopping or barhopping, or if you'd like info on what to do in Baltimore, let me know! :)

Congratulations! We look forward to meeting all of you soon. :)

Q: Register for the Seminar?

2007-07-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

Hi,
I am very interested in the program. Is registration required for the seminar in Aug?

Hello!
I don't think that registration is "required," though I do recommend that you register for it. You can also just show up and attend the seminar, without registering.

On the first day, Dr. Thakor will ask everyone what time would be the most convenient time to hold the seminar. Each week, different neuroengineering faculty members will present a "chalk talk" -- a quick lecture about the basics of their research -- so that students interested in neuroengineering can get a flavor of what neuroengineering is.

Also, sign up for the mailing list:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering2
so that you'll be notified about neuroengineering events.

Feel free to refer to the blog (http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com) or the website (http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu) if you have more questions.

I hope that helps! :)

Q: Undergraduate Major + Neuroengineering?

2007-07-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm an undergrad intending to major in Neural Science, and wanted to ask you something after coming across the Neuroengineering Facebook group. I was wondering whether an undergraduate degree in a field of engineering is required to pursue/gain admission into grad/PhD programs in Neuroengineering. Is it required to have previously studied biomedical engineering, or is it enough to have a Neural Science background in order to apply to and succeed in these programs? I have recently decided that I would like to study/pursue Neuroengineering after graduation. However, my college does not have an engineering school, and am thus considering transferring. I was also wondering whether or not you began this PhD program at Johns Hopkins immediately after graduation from the college you went to?

Hello!
So... if you're planning on doing graduate student research in any field of engineering, whether it's neuroengineering or biomedical engineering, I highly recommend an engineering background. At the least, you should take the math courses that are relevant for engineering, like differential equations or linear algebra. You could also take classes at a separate university that does offer engineering classes, in order to supplement your education. Does your college allow cross-registration?

I went to Hopkins immediately after graduating from undergrad, where I majored in biology, w/ minors in biomedical engineering and toxicology. The biological and neurological side has been relatively easy for me in graduate school, but I don't have a lot of the engineering basics. Many of the biomedical engineering faculty here at Hopkins assume that we grad students know linear algebra, diff eqs, basic programming, etc. One faculty member told me that they usually don't accept natural science people into their biomedical engineering program, but they do look for more research-oriented and problem-solving educations.

I don't know what neural sciences at your university is like. If you really like it there, then you could always stay there, pursue neuroscience, and do research that's neuroengineering-related. What counts the most for your graduate school application is what you've learned, your research, and your recommendations. I'd recommend trying out various research areas in neuroengineering, like summer internships or working with particular faculty member, or just experiencing neuroengineering research fields in general, before deciding to transfer universities.

You can also find information on graduate programs and each school's specific requirements on each school's webpage. For biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, check out:

http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phd_application.htm

[A Facebook Message from an Undergrad Interested in NeuroEngineering.]
(Answered by Issel.)

Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track?

2007-07-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm interested in neuroengineering, right now specifically clinical neuroengineering. I was wondering if you had any advice on what classes to take as an incoming first-year. What's your advice regarding the med. school classes vs. standard BME classes? And, are there any particular standard BME classes that are highly recommended? Any advice you could give would be a great help!

Thanks!

Hello!
Last year's batch had a couple of the same questions, so we posted a few of them on our blog. You might find the following entries particularly helpful:
Info for Incoming Students
and
Incoming Student Questions & Answers

Clinical neuroengineering... What type? It sounds like you want to apply engineering + neuroscience to a clinical population, so what type of engineering do you want to focus on, or what type of clinical population? I'm working at the F.M. Kirby Center, researching MRI of the spine, and I'll be working w/ patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, etc. Dr. Thakor's group is working on neural prosthetics for amputees, among other things.

What was your undergrad major / what did you focus on? People who take the med school track usually want to boost their biology, but I opted to take it just to see what med school is like. It was an amazing experience -- a tad stressful, perhaps, b/c you're surrounded by some of the brightest students ever, but each lecture is taught by one of the experts in that particular field, so you get a good flavor of who's doing what around Hopkins. That said, the med school takes up a good year of classes, and you'll definitely have to take engineering classes your second year. If you start off on the alternative track, you might be able to pick/choose/finish classes sooner.

I think that if you don't know which biological problem you'd like to tackle, it's probably a good idea to take the med school track. If you have a pretty good idea of what to do, then start off w/ the classes that are focused on that. You can also take part of the med school and part of the alternate track. The med school classes are taught from 8a to about 1p each day, with each subject covered in blocks -- they teach (and finish) biochemistry in two weeks, then move to genetics, then immunology, etc. Neuroscience and Organ Systems are taught in the spring. I really enjoyed neuroscience w/ the med school -- it's basically two months of lectures, discussion groups, and labs, taught from about 8a to 1p.

As far as standard BME classes... it really depends on what field you're going into. I think differential equations and linear algebra are considered a "must." You'll probably need some type of programming at some point, though my lab focuses mostly on Matlab. If you're doing neuronal / cellular neuroengineering, take Models of the Neuron. I also took Applied Math for Engineering, which is taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering. That teaches/reviews a lot of the background math for engineering in general. I've also taken Calcium Channel Signaling, Medical Imaging Systems, Biostatistics, and Statistical Methods in Imaging.

We're also putting together a curriculum based on neuroengineering area, so perhaps that'll answer any questions. And if you come to the neuroengineering seminar (Wednesdays at 1p in the Hearing Science Library / Ross 529 on the JHMI campus), then all of the students will be happy to answer any questions that you've got.

Incoming Students 2007: Questions & Answers

2007-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

A list of all of the questions (from incoming students of 2006 and 2007) can be found on this post:
Incoming Student Questions & Answers

From 2007:
7/24/07: Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-med-school-vs-alternative-track.html)
Hi,
I'm interested in neuroengineering, right now specifically clinical neuroengineering. I was wondering if you had any advice on what classes to take as an incoming first-year. What's your advice regarding the med. school classes vs. standard BME classes? And, are there any particular standard BME classes that are highly recommended? Any advice you could give would be a great help!

Thanks!

7/27/07: Q: Register for the Seminar?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-register-for-seminar.html)

Hi,
I am very interested in the program. Is registration required for the seminar in Aug?

*hehe And the Word Verification for this post was "spiny." :P

2007-07-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
7/18/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Gabriel Colon, Natan Davidovics, Issel Lim, Misti Marr, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

Essay Contest
A new version of the Essay Contest application form, as well as a generic email for distribution purposes, was provided by N. Bhanpuri for review. Money for the contest will be provided by N. Thakor, unless funds can be obtained from the GRO. Transcripts will be sent to N. Bhanpuri via a mailbox set up at the med campus. For any suggestions or changes, contact N. Bhanpuri within a week.

Curriculum
C. Smith is compiling a list of classes to be used as a reference for Neuroengineers in selecting courses to take. The list will be organized into research subfields within Neuroengineering. Please email him with your research area, and a list of classes taken and the semester in which it is offered.

Summer Seminar Series
N. Bhanpuri had us reaching to new heights with his talk on Coordination Rehabilitation. Next week, we will have twice the excitement with N. Davidovics and G. Colon both giving talks on their research.

NEWRON vol I issues XV-XVIII

2007-07-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Issue XV

Brain Chip Helps Restore Muscle Movement

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/11/02/brainchip_tec.html?category=health&guid=20061102101530

An implantable brain chip that serves as an artificial connection between nerve cells could one day help rehabilitate lost muscle movement in patients who have suffered brain injuries, stroke or paralysis.

Dual-imaging Technique Useful Before And During Brain Surgery

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070609112838.htm

Brain specialists say the ability to incorporate--in real time--two high-tech imaging tools into the operating room can improve the functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery.

Miniature robot for precise positioning and targeting in keyhole neurosurgery

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge118114208532688760

An invention by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem researcher has made it possible to retain the advances of keyhole surgery through utilization of the "services" of a tiny robot that can guide surgical procedures with great accuracy.

Issue XVI
Hitachi: Move the Train With Your Brain

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JAPAN_BRAIN_REMOTE?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Forget the clicker: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity.

A Step Toward a Living, Learning Memory Chip

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0306422B-E7F2-99DF-3809798634B2D416&sc=I100322

Israeli scientists imprint multiple, persistent memories on a culture of neurons, paving the way to cyborg-type machines

Brain's Inertial Navigation System Pinpointed

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=74875&nfid=crss

Researchers have discovered a sophisticated neural computer, buried deep in the cerebellum, that performs inertial navigation calculations to figure out a person's movement through space.

Issue XVII

Brain Electrodes Zap Depression

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/06/01/electrodes_tec.html?category=health&guid=20070601131500

Stimulating different parts of the brain with implanted electrodes could help treat the nearly two million people in the United States who suffer from severe depression but fail to respond to conventional treatment.

Robotic Ankles Step Up

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/31/roboticankle_tec.html?category=health&guid=20070531131500

Two robotic devices that mimic the human ankle could give amputees more natural, energy-efficient gaits. These spring-enabled, motor-driven devices could one day evolve into prostheses that attach directly to bone and draw on neural implants and sensors for automatic feedback and control.

Scientists Reverse Mental Retardation in Mice

http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=6901F70B-E7F2-99DF-3648F0789D1EC063&chanID=sa003&ec=ab174_0626

M.I.T. scientists report in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences USA that they ameliorated brain damage in mice caused by a genetic disorder known as fragile X syndrome by blocking an enzyme involved in cellular development.

Issue XVIII

Insight Into Neural Stem Cells Has Implications For Designing Therapies

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706090028.htm

Scientists have discovered that adult neural stem cells, which exist in the brain throughout life, are not a single, homogeneous group. Instead, they are a diverse group of cells, each capable of giving rise to specific types of neurons. The finding, the team says, significantly shifts the perspective on how these cells could be used to develop cell-based brain therapies.

Therapeutic Reflection

http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?articleID=D9C92A33-E7F2-99DF-3FD4CA8C977BCD81

So-called mirror neurons in the brain mimic other people's movements and help stroke victims regain lost abilities

Brain's Rapid Response Means That We Learn From Our Mistakes

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=75809

An 'early warning signal' in the brain that helps us to avoid repeating previous mistakes has been identified by Psychologists from the University of Exeter. Published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, their research identifies, for the first time, a mechanism in the brain that reacts in just 0.1 seconds to things that have resulted in us making errors in the past.

NEWRON vol I issues XI-XIV

2007-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Issue XI

Scots scientists unveil 'spray-on' computer

http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=539582007

Scientists have developed a computer the size of a matchstick head. Spraying them directly onto a person creates the ability to carry out different tests at the same time, for example muscle movement and pulse rate.

Freeing a Locked-In Mind

http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?articleID=C70861E4-E7F2-99DF-3F9AD7602EE86A49

Vegetative patients may soon be able to communicate with the outside world

Where New Neurons Go to Work

http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?title=where_new_neurons_go_to_work_1&amp;more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1&showComments=1

After a sometimes ferocious debate lasting decades, most neuroscientists now agree that the adult brain makes new neurons. Yet they're far from agreeing on what, if anything, these freshly minted new brain cells actually do. Do they replace worn-out veterans? Provide new memories? Strengthen existing knowledge? Just take up space? These questions hang over every discussion of neurogenesis -- and drive quite a few research agendas.

Issue XII

High Times for Brain Growth: Marijuana-like drug multiplies neurons

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051015/fob7.asp

In the stoner stereotype, pot smokers and dying brain cells go hand in hand. However, new research suggests the situation may be more uplifting than that. A drug that functions as concentrated marijuana does may spur neurogenesis, the process by which the brain gives birth to new nerve cells.

Next-generation toys read brain waves

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/fun.games/04/30/mind.reading.toys.ap/index.html

• Gaming industry working with brain wave-reading technology
• Technology makes video games more mentally stimulating
• Toys could boost mental focus and help kids with ADD
• Also enable paralyzed people to "move" in virtual realty

Study sheds light on memory by erasing it

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070509-12335900-bc-us-memory.xml

A U.S. study has shown memory can be created and then biochemically erased in slices of rat hippocampus by manipulating a so-called "memory molecule."

Issue XIII

Scientists Draw Link Between Morality And Brain's Wiring

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117884235401499300-EW_3t5ypADMYm8VE4JXI6xaj5hE_20070609.html

A provocative medical experiment conducted recently by neuroscientists at Harvard, Caltech and the University of Southern California strongly suggests moral convictions come not from conscious principles but from the brain trying to make its emotional judgment felt.

Total Recall: Alzheimer's-like Mice Regain Memory

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=45E26D3D-E7F2-99DF-37C48D32D08DAE34&ref=sciammind

M.I.T. researchers find that certain environments prompt lost memory to return and determine the biological mechanism behind the phenomenon

What is a neural network and how does its operation differ from that of a digital computer? (In other words, is the brain like a computer?)

http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?chanID=sa017&articleID=8B4338BA-E7F2-99DF-32025F46795812AD

This is a brief article that does a good job of summing up the basics of neural networks, which is a term that we all hear rather often but may not fully understand what it means.

Issue XIV

The Magnetic Brain Stimulator Will See You Now

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/05/magnet_therapy

The next time you visit a psychiatrist, don't be put off by the helmet-shaped device crawling with electrodes in the corner of the office. It's there to help.

Hacking My Kid's Brain: How a Child's Neurons Were Rewired

http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/05/brain_hack

Three months ago I took my 7-year-old son through a neurological treatment designed to hack his brain. It's been 90 days since his treatment ended, and I am happy to report the hack has made a huge difference.

The benefits of forgetfulness: smaller search spaces mean easier recall

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070604-the-benefits-of-forgetfulness-smaller-search-spaces-mean-faster-recall.html

The journal Nature Neuroscience is running an article that looks at how some memories get made permanent. The results of the study suggest that an active process of forgetting the alternatives can be crucial for solidifying a memory.

Brain Reaches Adult Levels by Age 12

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/18/childbrain_hea.html?category=health&guid=20070518101500

Can you get smarter than a fifth-grader? Of course, but new research suggests some of the brain's basic building blocks for learning are nearing adult levels by age 11 or 12.

NEWRONs

2007-07-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Links to issues of NEWRON (edited by Natan Davidovics).
NEWRON cleverly stands for "NeuroEngineering Weekly Review Of News" and is intended to keep students and researchers in the field of neuroengineering abreast of advances in the field that are making headlines around the world. This weekly review contains a link to each article, followed by the title and a brief summary.

Volume I Issue I

Volume I Issue II

Volume I Issue III

Volume I Issue IV

Volume I Issue V

Volume I Issue VI

Volume I Issue VII

Volume I Issue VIII

Volume I Issue IX

Volume I Issue X

Volume I Issues XI-XIV

Volume I Issues XV-XIII

Meeting Minutes, 6-27-2007

2007-06-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
6/27/07

Attendance: Andrew Cassidy, Gabriel Colon, Natan Davidovics, Issel Lim, Misti Marr, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong, Dr. Nitish Thakor

Training Grant
N. Thakor discussed things to be kept in mind with regards to the Neuroengineering Training Grant. The grant will need to be renewed next May. In particular, progress should be tracked in the following areas: records of individuals on or previously on the grant, things the group is doing that stand out, seminars or journal clubs that NETI members participate in, suggested curriculum tracks, passion-driven initiatives, and faculty participation. To that end, N. Thakor agreed to assist in obtaining funds for the Essay Contest awards.

Sumer Seminar Series
A. Cassidy presented his eye-opening work on “Color Single Opponent Vision Processing.”

Next Meeting
As next Wednesday, July 4th, is a holiday, the next meeting is scheduled for July 11th. G. Colon therefore has an extra week to come up with a presentation!

Meeting Minutes, 6-20-2007

2007-06-21T17:03:00.001-07:00

Meeting Minutes
Neuroengineering Training Grant
6/20/07

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Andrew Cassidy, Luke Johnson, Issel Lim, Misti Marr, Christopher Smith, Aaron Wong

Clinical Neuroscience
M. Marr talked to her PI, Dr. John McDonald, who was ecstatic about the clinical neuroscience concept. He suggested shadowing a clinician for an hour watching surguries, conducting an interview, and also possibly taking a tour of his affiliated biotech company, RTI. RTI is engaged in cycling rehabilitation. Once the write-up is complete, suggestions are to submit it to the BME Instrumentation class as an idea for their design project, or to send it to a group of design engineers within Hopkins. N. Davidovics was volunteered to undertake the further organization and planning of this endeavor.

Essay Scholarship Contest
Funding is to be brought up at the Ph.D. council meeting regarding securing additional funds to support the essay contest. If additional funding cannot be secured, then we will consider utilizing the funds already allocated to NETI from the Ph.D. council for food and other expenses.

Summer Seminar Series
M. Marr gave a delightful presentation on her work: “Development of an ES cell line to measure neural activity following electrical stimulation in culture and in vivo.”

Next Meeting
The next meeting will take place Wednesday, June 27th, at 1pm in the Hearing Science Library unless otherwise notified. We look forward to a discussion by A. Cassidy at that time

NEWRON vol I issue X (4-20-07)

2007-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Retinal Implants May Be Significantly Enhanced With New Software

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070412113210.htm

Neural computation scientists at Bonn University will introduce a software system at the Hanover Fair that is hoped to change this: with the aid of this software, the visual prosthesis "learns" to generate exactly those signals, which are expected and can be interpreted by the brain.

DARPA to Build Star Wars Binoculars

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/04/soldierportable.html

The wild folks at DARPA have a plan to build some super-duper Star Wars binoculars that true to the original movie, would allow soldiers to see miles off into the distance, day or night, warning them of potential threats almost immediately. They've even dubbed the technology "Luke's Binoculars ," though the official name is the more staid " Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System."

Getting in Touch: Virtual Maps for the Blind

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=BDC29B20-E7F2-99DF-3C6EC4B5008F1FE9
Scientific American (04/07) Ross, Rachel

Researchers in Greece have developed a new system that converts video into virtual, touchable maps for the blind. The three-dimensional maps use force fields to represent walls and roads so the visually impaired can better understand the layout of buildings and cities.

NEWRON vol I issue IX (4-13-07)

2007-05-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Mixed Feelings

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp.html

See with your tongue. Navigate with your skin. Fly by the seat of your pants (literally). How researchers can tap the plasticity of the brain to hack our 5 senses — and build a few new ones.

In Our Messy, Reptilian Brains

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17888475/site/newsweek/

The brain is a "cobbled-together mess." Impressive in function, sure. But in its design the brain is "quirky, inefficient and bizarre ... a weird agglomeration of ad hoc solutions that have accumulated throughout millions of years of evolutionary history,"

*Hopkins professor of neuroscience, David Linden is quoted in this article

Easy on the eyes

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8954632

Thomas Serre and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have built a computer processing system that tries to work in this general way. Among the tasks that computers are bad at is recognising broad categories of images. Tell one to search for something specific, such as a rectangle or even a human face, and it can make a reasonable fist of the task. Ask it to find "animals" among photographs of dragonflies, trees, sharks, cars and monkeys, and it falls over.

Flexible electronics could find applications as sensors, artificial muscles

http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2007/news070402.html

Flexible electronic structures with the potential to bend, expand and manipulate electronic devices are being developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These flexible structures could find useful applications as sensors and as electronic devices that can be integrated into artificial muscles or biological tissues.

4/17/2007: Meeting Minutes

2007-04-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Attendance: Nasir Bhanpuri, Luke Johnson, Issel Lim, Aaron Wong

Essay Competition
A thorough discussion of the essay contest was conducted by N. Bhanpuri. It was agreed that the essay contest would be held off until next year (Fall?), to give more time for adequate planning of the contest. The contest will be distributed via guidance counselors and/or high school science teachers, who will be sent a cover letter (to be drafted by N. Bhanpuri) and a copy of the application to distribute. Additional contest information including resources will be posted on the NETI website. Other potential points of contact for distribution were suggested including people involved in Teach for America or local outreach programs such as SOURCE.

The contest will consist of 2 essay questions, of which one must be answered in a reference-supported manner. Loosely, the two topics involve the future of the field or an ethical consideration of the field. First and second place prizes will be awarded for each category.

As a promotional suggestion for the contest, it has been proposed that a short 10-15 minute video clip (on CD or other medium) will be distributed with the essay contest featuring members of NETI that discusses the field.

N. Bhanpuri will meet with Allen Strong to discuss financial and privacy matters, to ascertain how to go about obtaining and distributing prize moneys.

Next Meeting
The next NETI group meeting has been proposed for the first week of June, at which time the summer seminar series will be organized and the essay contest will be further discussed.

NEWRON vol I issue VIII (4-6-07)

2007-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Shoulder-worn camera acts as a third eye

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11461

A shoulder-mounted camera system that automatically tracks head movements and can recognise hand gestures has been developed by UK researchers. Eventually, they hope the system could identify a wearer's activity and offer assistance, for example by accessing a telephone directory when they reach for the phone.

Unlocking Minds

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17551805/site/newsweek/

Psychic researchers say our consciousness has unexplained powers. That also goes for chickens.

Q&A: IBM seeks to make streaming media accessible to visually impaired

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=software&articleId=9014186&taxonomyId=18&intsrc=kc_feat

IBM researcher Chieko Asakawa has been blind since she was 14 years old. Since joining IBM in Japan in 1985, she has worked on myriad projects to improve accessibility for the visually impaired.

NEWRON vol I issue VII (3-31-07)

2007-04-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Turning thoughts into action
http://medicaldesign.com/articles/ID/13448

Imagine a machine that can sense what you think and act on your commands. Sound scary? Not so for people with paralyzed limbs or debilitating conditions such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Machines like this could let them communicate and even move artificial limbs.

If you're happy, the robot knows it

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/mg19325966.500-if-youre-happy-the-r%20%20obot-knows-it.html

Meet RoCo, the world's first expressive computer (.mov video). Inhabiting a back room in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, the robotic computer has a monitor for a head and a simple LCD screen for a face. It expresses itself using its double-jointed neck, which is equipped with actuators that shift the monitor up and down, tilt it forward and back and swivel it from side to side, rather like Pixar's animated lamp.

A Shock to the System

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.03/brainsurgery.html

Team Hubris is installing a deep brain stimulator, essentially a neurological pacemaker, in my head. This involves threading two sets of stiff wires in through my scalp, through my cerebrum — most of my brain — and into my subthalamic nucleus, a target the size of a lima bean, located near the brain stem. Each wire is a little thinner than a small, unfolded paper clip, with four electrodes at one end. The electrodes will eventually deliver small shocks to my STN. How did I get into this mess? Well, I have Parkinson's disease.

NEWRON vol I issue VI (3-23-07)

2007-03-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129889/article.html

Scientists Show Thought-Controlled Computer at Cebit

James Niccolai, IDG News Service, March 15, 2007

Forget speech-recognition software: How about typing a letter just by thinking it?

In a quiet corner of the Cebit trade show a small Austrian company is showing a "brain-computer interface," a technology that could one day transform how we use computers, play video games and even talk to each other.

http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-11/1173937313282210.xml&%20%20coll=1

A quiet death for bold project to map the mind

Thursday, March 15, 2007 BY KEVIN COUGHLIN

The military, it appears, is no match for the mind.

The Star-Ledger has learned the Pentagon quietly has killed a project to "reverse-engineer" the human brain, a goal one participant compared to inventing the atomic bomb or landing men on the moon.

http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/about/news/1232

New Centre could make independent living a reality for the elderly

Pervasive computing technology which can monitor the welfare of the elderly will be made available within the next 18 months.

http://www.eetimes.eu/design/198001073;jsessionid=TGTEFM5QNXG44QSNDLSCKHA

U.K. researchers target atom chip devices

John Walko

EE Times Europe

03/15/2007

Researchers at the University of Southampton and Imperial College, London are set to make atom chip devices following a further grant of £1.2 million to extend their work on the devices that they say could bring quantum computing nearer to reality.

NEWRON vol I issue V (3-9-07)

2007-03-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/03/05/mindreaders.ap/index.html

Mindreading scientists predict behavior

March 5, 2007

In the past, scientists had been able to detect decisions about making physical movements before those movements appeared. But researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience claim they have now, for the first time, identified people's decisions about how they would later do a high-level mental activity -- in this case, adding versus subtracting.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.03/hawkins.html

The Thinking Machine

Wired, March 2007, Evan Ratliff

Jeff Hawkins created the Palm Pilot and the Treo. Now he says he's got the ultimate invention: software that mimics the human brain.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18254/

An Alternative to the Computer Mouse

March 02, 2007, Kate Greene

A user interface that tracks eye movement may provide an alternate way to use a computer.

NEWRON vol I issue IV (3-2-07)

2007-03-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/07/0221fish.html

Biologically inspired sensors can augment sonar, vision system in submarines

James E. Kloeppel, Physical Sciences Editor 2/21/07

To find prey and avoid being preyed upon, fish rely on a row of specialized sensory organs along the sides of their bodies, called the lateral line. Now, a research team led by Chang Liu at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has built an artificial lateral line that can provide the same functions in underwater vehicles.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&tax onomyId=19&articleId=9011945

&intsrc=hm_topic

Scientists: Data-storing bacteria could last thousands of years

Lucas Mearian February 27, 2007 (Computerworld)

Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences and Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus announced the development of the new technology, which creates an artificial DNA that carries up to more than 100 bits of data within the genome sequence, according to the JCN Newswire.

http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/14763/14763.html

To Be Almost Human Or Not To Be, That Is The Question

Daniel Harris | ED Online ID #14763 | February 15, 2007

Researchers are developing robots that will assist the elderly and disabled, but the vote is split on how human-like they should become.

NEWRON vol I issue III (2-23-07)

2007-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020101623.html

New Technique Allows 'Feeling' in Artificial Arm

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter
Thursday, February 1, 2007; 12:00 AM

An innovative method of nerve regrowth now allows a patient with a prosthetic arm to feel its movements.

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11179-haptic-glove-to-touch-on-vi%20%20rtual-fabrics.html

Haptic glove to touch on virtual fabrics

18:28 13 February 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Tom Simonite

"Virtual fabric" that feels just like the real thing is being developed by a group of European researchers. Detailed models of the way fabrics behave are combined with new touch stimulating hardware to realistically simulate a texture's physical properties.

(No link for the next one, article attached below)

We'll all be cyborgs someday, scientist says

British professor foresees day when most people will be implanted with computer chips.

By Don Melvin
INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Saturday, December 23, 2006

READING, England — In "Casino Royale," the latest James Bond movie, Bond is implanted with a microchip that allows headquarters to track his whereabouts and monitor his vital signs.

If a British cybernetics expert is right, the day will come when most people are implanted with chips — and the real-life chips will do a lot more than Bond's does.

Rodica Socolov photos
FOR COX NEWSPAPERS

(enlarge photo)

British professor Kevin Warwick was able to make a robotic hand move using signals transmitted from his brain through a chip implanted by doctors in 2002. He had a less sophisticated implant in 1998.

(enlarge photo)

Robot Morgui can combine input from several sensory receptors to understand its environment.

MOST POPULAR STORIES

Kevin Warwick, a professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, has firsthand knowledge. In 1998, he had a chip surgically inserted into his left arm, becoming, he thinks, the first human ever implanted with a computer chip.

Since then, he's had a more sophisticated chip connected directly to his nervous system. He is still working toward his grandest experiment: having a chip implanted in his brain.

"I want to become a cyborg," he said with an infectious grin. "I can see the advantages."

A cyborg is a mixture of man and machine. And cybernetics is the study of communication and control between humans and computers.

Warwick, 52, presides excitedly over the apparent chaos at the university's MAD lab. (The name stands not for madness but for Mobile Autonomous Devices.)

Cables and machine parts litter workbenches. On the floor, two robots the size of model cars race around, mapping their environment and learning how not to bump into things. Nearby, a robot with a skull for a head works on combining the input from his various senses — audio, video, ultrasonics, radar and infrared — to interpret what's going on around it.

In another lab on campus, computers are being controlled by living tissue taken from the brains of rats.

But Warwick's most daring experiments have been on himself. On Aug. 24, 1998, as the British Broadcasting Corp. filmed, doctors made a small incision in Warwick's left arm, slid in a thin inchlong glass capsule, and stitched him up.

The capsule contained silicon microchips that announced Warwick's presence to computers. His office doors swung open as he approached. Lights flicked on as he entered. His computer said hello and told him how many e-mails were waiting.

That chip stayed in for a couple of weeks. It's now on display at the Science Museum in London.

In 2002, doctors sliced open Warwick's left wrist and implanted a much smaller and more sophisticated device. For three months, its 100 electrodes were connected to his median nerves, linking his nervous system to a computer.

"I moved my hand, and my neural signals were sent over the Internet to open and close a robot hand," he said.

Not only that: The robotic hand had sensors. As it grasped a sponge or a glasses case, it sent information back to Warwick.

"It was tremendously exciting," Warwick said. "I experienced it as signals in my brain, which my brain was quite happy to recognize as feedback from the robot hand fingertips."

The research has significant medical implications.

Paralyzed people might regain some movement if one chip was implanted above the break in the nerves and another was implanted below to receive the impulses, Warwick said.

More intelligent chips in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease might sense when tremors were on the way and signal the brain to stop them.

"It's like a computer brain out-thinking a human brain," he said.

Warwick's biggest experiment, in which he will have a chip implanted in his brain, is seven or eight years away. He will attempt thought communication — "literally the first brain-to-brain communication," he said.

"That excites me beyond all proportion," he said. "Nothing is going to stop me from doing that."

Not everyone approves of Warwick's research. From time to time, he receives missives from people he calls religious extremists, telling him he is tampering with God's work.

And in an opinion piece this month in the Toronto Star, Kevin Haggerty, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Alberta, called Warwick part of the "advance guard" trying to expand chip technology as much as possible. The day will come, Haggerty warned, when all people will be implanted with computer chips and government will be able to track them all the time, recording their smallest behavioral traits.

Warwick acknowledges that the technology raises ethical questions. In the hands of a malign government, he said, it could be used to horrendous effect. But it can be used to good effect as well, he said.

"Ethically, the technology is there," he said. "I show people what it can do."

Despite differing over the desirability of implantation, Warwick and Haggerty agree on a great deal.

For one thing, the procedure, unheard of until recently, is becoming more common.

More pet owners are taking advantage of chip implants in dogs and cats that transmit identification to veterinarians and animal shelters.

Patrons of the Baja Beach Clubs in Barcelona, Spain, and Rotterdam, Netherlands, can have a microchip injected into their arms to get access to VIP lounges and pay for drinks without waiting in line.

For another, one early use of chips to track humans might involve sex offenders. Haggerty views this as a way to get the public used to human tracking. Warwick can envision officers trying to solve a crime pressing a button and seeing instantly the locations of all known sex offenders in a certain area.

And both men foresee a time when most people will be implanted with chips. For Warwick, that is because the advantages will be so obvious — increased memory, better ability to analyze and compare, the ability to think in more dimensions, the possibility of sensing the world in different ways.

But there will be, he said, important questions to answer.

"Is it OK to upgrade? What about the people who don't upgrade?" he asked. "If they don't upgrade, they could become some sort of subspecies."

2/21/07: Meeting Minutes

2007-02-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Preview Weekend:
Misti Marr is organizing a 5-15 minute presentation to be given to BME grad student applicants interested in Neuroengineering during their lunch hour on Friday (12:30 – 1:30 pm).

The presentation will discuss life as a grad student, and will cover:
(1) research (short descriptions, similar to what is listed on the website)
(2) NETI, briefly
(3) classes people took or are taking, especially those that are unique to Hopkins
(4) extracurricular activities (a.k.a. the “look we actually have a life outside of school” section)

Send pictures to Misti Marr by next week Monday (2/26/07) to be included in the presentation. There will be a meeting with Reza Shadmehr next week (most likely Thursday) after the presentation has been compiled.

Scholarship Essay Contest
Nasir Bhanpuri presented preliminary ideas regarding the essay contest. A competition targeted at high school students to promote interest in Neuroengineering was agreed upon, with a small ($100-$500) prize offered as a reward. Potentially there will be two categories for entries, one more ethical and one more technical, with a first prize (monetary) and honorable mention awarded in each.

The finalized version will be solicited to guidance counselors of local Baltimore high schools, with an online form through which entries can be submitted. Judging may be done at a meeting with everyone present and having a couple people rate each essay so the ratings are more fair.

A more finalized version will be presented at the next meeting.

EMBS Neural Engineering Conference, Kohala, HI
Plans are being made to attend the EMBS conference May 2-5, currently being organized by Natan Davidovics and Gabriel Colon. Those interested in attending also include Nasir Bhanpuri, Chris Smith, and Aaron Wong. Those planning to stay longer must pay for the extra days out of pocket.

Next Meeting
The date and for the next meeting was not finalized, but it was agreed that meeting locations should alternate between the Med campus and Homewood. Keep an eye out for an email regarding the next meeting.

NEWRON vol I issue II (2-16-07)

2007-02-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

Chipping In
Scientific American (02/07) Vol. 296, No. 2, P. 18; Griffith, Anna

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=5&sid=5b2cd464-20bd-405f-8ff1-6808e53373f7%40sessionmgr9
(Full article is included below if the link gives you trouble)

Scientists are working on a "brain chip" designed as a memory aid, especially in cases where the patient has suffered neural damage. A team from the University of Southern California is getting ready for live tests of a neural prosthesis in brain-damaged rats, which may be carried out in the spring. In January 2006 USC researcher Theodore W. Berger and his team engineered a silicon chip that imitates biological neurons in tissue slices of rat hippocampus as a replacement for a section of brain that was surgically removed, and that returns function by processing neural input into appropriate output with a 90 percent rate of accuracy.

The Mind Chip
New Scientist (02/03/07) Vol. 193, No. 2589, P. 28; Fox, Douglas

Click Here to View Full Article (may not work so I included an extended summary)

A notable achievement in computer vision has been made by researcher Kwabena Boahen and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who constructed a device that can see via chips that physically imitate the electrical activity of neurons in the primary visual cortex. "I want to figure out how the brain works in a very nuts-and-bolts way," explains Boahen. "I want to figure it out such that I can build it." Boahen aims to top his accomplishment of building an artificial retina with the creation of an artificial cerebral cortex through the generalization of the chip's function; such a breakthrough may be an important step in helping restore neural function to people impaired by disease or injury. The concept of the artificial neuron as a technology for enabling brain-like computing in real time was first suggested in the late 1980s by California Institute of Technology scientist Carver Mead, who discovered he could build such circuits by having digital processors use transistors in their analog amplifier phase instead of their on/off switching phase. Mounted on the surface of Boahen's artificial retina are photosensitive transistors that translate incoming light into analog voltages with a value determined by the light's intensity and which last for as long as the light is beamed onto the transistors; these transmissions are routed to the artificial retina neurons where motion and regions of contrast are recognized, signaling the edges of objects in the image. Processing information about edges and movement in the visual scene is carried out by the low-power visual cortex chips, which build object outlines out of the signals. A successful cortical implant will have to be able to mimic the plasticity of the brain's neural network, in which connections between neurons are created and adapted on the fly.

Loving with all your ... brain

Cnn.com, Elizabeth Cohen

Loving with all your ... brain - CNN.com*

hese areas of the brain, while little known to most people, are helping scientists explain the physiological reasons behind why we feel what we feel when we fall in love. By studying MRI brain scans of people newly in love, scientists are learning a lot about the science of love: Why love is so powerful, and why being rejected is so horribly painful.

BRAIN CHIP FOR MEMORY REPAIR CLOSES IN ON LIVE TESTS

Supplementing the human brain with computer power has been a staple of science fiction. But in fact, researchers have taken several steps in melding minds with machines, and this spring a team from the University of Southern California may replace damaged brain tissue in rats with a neural prosthesis.

For the past few years, researchers have demonstrated the ability to translate another creature's thoughts into action. In 2000 neurologist Miguel Nicolelis of Duke University wired a monkey with electrodes so that its thoughts could control a robotic arm. Brain-machine interfaces developed by Niels Birbaumer, a neuroscientist at the University of Tübingen in Germany, already help some paralyzed patients move a computer cursor with their brain waves to select letters for writing a message.

Theodore W. Berger and his U.S.C. colleagues have developed the first brain-machine interface to communicate back to the brain. Last January they used a silicon chip to mimic biological neurons in tissue slices of rat hippocampus, the hub for memory sorting and storage. The chip replaced a surgically removed section of the hippocampus and restored function by processing incoming neural signals into appropriate output with 90 percent accuracy.

The biomedical engineers had been on the verge of testing a chip in hippocampal slices for several years, but roadblocks slowed work. Existing electrode array technology would not function well in tissue slices, forcing the researchers to construct their own. Cutting the hippocampus slices just right to keep the neural pathway intact was also difficult.

Because building the one-millimeter-square chip costs tens of thousands of dollars and takes several months, the planned spring test will actually rely on a model of that chip --specifically a larger, reprogrammable device linked to a computer called a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The FPGA will allow investigators to easily test and modify their new mathematical model of neural communication for living rats before committing it to a chip. Sam Deadwyler, a professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest University and a collaborator in the study, has demonstrated that stimulating the hippocampus of living rats with a certain pattern of activity can increase performance on a memory task, such as recalling which lever will dispense water. In a few months he will use the FPGA mathematical model to predict hippocampal activity. If the model is correct, the artificial implant should restore memory for such tasks in rats with drug-induced amnesia.

For more complicated animal models, U.S.C. physicist Armand Tanguay suggests a multichip module to facilitate the transition. Light beams would transmit signals between neuron units on multiple chip layers. Unlike wires, light beams pass directly through one another without interference, allowing for many more interconnections. The result: a web of light between silicon chips mimicking a dense neural network.

"Many challenges will be encountered as the researchers move from in vitro to in vivo studies in the rat," says Grace Peng, a program director at the National Institutes of Health's Division of Discovery Science and Technology. In fact, the team is not quite sure what to expect once it goes to live animals. Avoiding rejection by the immune system might mean anchoring cell adhesion molecules to the chip so that the surface of the implant looks like tissue, says U.S.C. chemist Mark Thompson. Neural plasticity, or the brain's ability to reorganize its connections, could also pose a problem by preventing the formation of stable connections between the neurons and chip. "In other application areas such as motor control or perception, plasticity and adaptability of the brain usually facilitate the effects of artificial interfaces," Peng notes optimistically.

One other possible concern, if such implants make it to human testing: Might bypassing damaged neurons in the hippocampus also bypass connections with other areas of the brain that filter what we remember? In other words, would the brain become unable to purge memories? If so, that would make the implant a truly unforgettable device.

DIAGRAM: HEADSTRONG: Implants communicating with the hippocampus might someday restore or improve memory, if such devices succeed in rat tests.

~~~~~~~~

By Anna Griffith

Anna Griffith is based in Chico, Calif.

NEWRON vol I issue I (2-9-07)

2007-02-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

Edited by: Natan Davidovics

http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/527140/

Mimicking How the Brain Recognizes Street Scenes

Scientists in Tomaso Poggio's laboratory at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT developed a computational model of how the brain processes visual information and applied it to a complex, real world task: recognizing the objects in a busy street scene. The researchers were pleasantly surprised at the power of this first application of a biologically inspired computer model for artificial vision, which has many potential practical applications.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/medtech/1,72580-0.html

A Wheelchair That Reads Your Mind

Patients who suffer from disease or injury that leave them unable to move have little hope of independent mobility. But that may be about to change. Researchers are developing a thought-controlled robotic wheelchair.

http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/tech/dn10963-brain-activity-provides-novel-biometric-key.html

Brain activity provides novel biometric key

An electronic security system that identifies people by monitoring the unique pattern of electrical activity within their brain is being tested by European scientists.

2/7/07: Meeting Minutes

2007-02-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Meeting Minutes: NeuroEngineering Training Initiative: 2/7/07

Stuff we need to do:
-Submit conferences, workshops to Andrew
-If you email anything, or if you've got information, send it to neuroengineering@gmail.com

neuroengineering@gmail.com = archive
neuroengineering@googlegroups.com = mailing list

Officer Elections
President: Issel Lim

Organizes meetings, emails people, coordinates w/ Dr. Thakor

Takes care of mailing lists
Vice President: Misti Marr

Organizes summer seminar
Secretary: Aaron Wong

Meeting minutes

Publicity/Newsletter?

Compiling the progress reports

Takes care of the blog: Aaron, Nasir, Luke
Treasurer/Fundraiser: Gabriel Colon

Possible Fundraiser for April/Spring: Activities Fair/Spring Festival

Reimbursement

JHU account or credit card (ask Allen Strong)

Keeps track of budget

We usually spend money on food, cups, plates, beer, dinner.
Webmaster: Andrew Cassidy (website)

Webpage

Write a "how-to" manual for how to edit the website

Compile/Post list of fellowships, etc.

Committees/Tasks:
Curriculum: Chris Smith, Luke Johnson, Natan Davidovics

Compiles lists of classes, who's taking/taken them

Which classes to take for each focus

Which professors did you have on your GBO? (w/ sample questions, so we know whom to put on our mock GBOs)

(Debbie/Issel : send Chris the information)

Symposium/Events: Gabriel Colon

Invite big speakers for a day (spend neuroeng money)

Or travel to some other university for that

Ski trip, camping, etc, for networking purposes

Paintball, laser tag,

... Email Gabriel your ideas.

Summer Seminar: Luke Johnson, Nasir Bhanpuri

Students talk about their research, past rotations

Newsletter/Current Events/"In the News": Natan Davidovics

What's going on in the news

Email him w/ links

Interview Weekend: Misti Marr

Neuroengineering lunch

Meet on Feb 21st: Wednesday @ 130p Clark 311 @ Feb 21st

Entrepreneurialship: Debbie Castillo, Aaron Wong

Business opportunities; meeting w/ industries;

Job opportunities for neuroengineers

Speakers; alumni from NETgrant

High School / Undergrads: Nasir Bhanpuri, Aaron Wong

Get younger students thinking about neuroengineering

College scholarships ($1000)

Submit essay and resume

Give information to guidance counselors at high schools

Connect w/ Dunbar Incentives Mentoring Program (Sarah Hemminger)

Summer Tasks
Clinical neuroengineering class/summer project

Solve faculty problems, write a proposal

Recommend as a BME senior design project

Trainees could be TAs for that class

Get clinicians to email us their problems; compile a list, organize design project

Fall Seminar

Introduce professors (chalk talks) in September so first years can choose rotations

Big Sibs/Little Sibs

Answers first-year questions. (Refer to past blog entries for details.)

How often to have meetings:
Spring 2007: Wednesdays at 130p in Clark 311
Next meeting: Wednesday @ 130p Clark 311 @ Feb 21st; Neuroengineering

Preview Weekend:

Tour of Homewood Campus

Tour of Hospital + Meet at Med Campus

March 2nd: Gabriel Colon

March 9th: Issel Lim
Meet students from Homewood and bring them to Talbot Library; Dr. Thakor will give a talk at 1100p.
Ask other alumni if they want to help w/ presentation
Presentation @ 100p: Debbie, Misti, Aaron, Chris, Gabriel, Natan, Issel
(neuroengineering grad students @ Hopkins)

Stipend increasing! :)

Email / Information:
Please email Andrew Cassidy any conferences, workshops, and/or fellowships that would be suitable for neuroengineers.

When you send out emails or documents, please also send a copy to "neuroengineering@gmail.com" so that we'll have a searchable archive of information.

neuroengineering@googlegroups.com is the mailing list for all of the people currently on the grant.
neuroengineering2@googlegroups.com is for Hopkins students interested in NETI, our events, our seminars, etc.

http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu
is the current website, and it's currently being managed by Andrew Cassidy.
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com
is the blog, on which we can put more "internal affairs" sort of things -- for example, the links/news that Natan sends out, the meeting minutes, etc.

The minutes have been emailed. Thanks for coming to the meeting! The next one will be on February 21st in Clark 311 at 130p.

Email from Dr. Reza Shadmehr:
Dear colleagues:

The BME grad student applicants are visiting on March 2 and 9th. This is my
current rough draft of their schedule.

The neuro students will start their day at Homewood at 8AM with a talk by
Rai Winslow. They will then get a tour of Mind/Brain, starting at around
9AM. I wonder if Lauren and Sia could take the students from Clark Hall to
Mind/Brain and along the way give them a brief tour of the campus. The
Mind/Brain tour should end by around 10:30, at which point the students will
be put on a bus and brought to medschool. It would be great if some of the
current neuroengineering students including Issel, Natan, and Gabriel could
meet the students upon arrival and bring them to Talbot library. At around
11:00, I will give a 15 minute intro to the various labs at medschool and
lay out the schedule for the rest of the day. I will then take the students
to the FMRI center for a tour by Jim Pekar.

Around 12:30, we will return to Talbot to have lunch. During the hour long
period, Nitish will give a description of the neuroengineering program. I
think it would also be great if the students put on a presentation, talking
about life as a grad student at Hopkins.

Around 1:30 we will leave for a tour of the hospital, focusing on the
epilepsy monitoring unit and a discussion led by Greg Bergey. From
2:30-4:30 the students have free time to visit the various labs and talk to
professors of their choice. A student panel starts at 4:30.

Neuroengineering Seminar Fall 2006: Rescheduled

2006-11-14T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Neuroengineering Seminar will now meet on Tuesdays at 400p in Traylor Library (Talbot 709) at JHMI.

The following speakers have been scheduled thusfar:

November

11/21
Dr. Romergryko Geocadin
(Neurology and Anesthesiology-Critical Care Medicine)
Acute neurological injuries after global cerebral ischemia; neuro-electrophysiology; disorders of intracranial pressure; coma and cerebrovascular disorders.
Dr. Frederick Lenz
(Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Epilepsy Surgery)
Deep brain stimulation in patients and motor neurophysiology.
(Can also take students to lab / surgery.)

11/28
Dr. Nathan Crone
(Neurology)
Cortical recording, cognitive functions, and epilepsy.
Dr. Lawrence Schramm
(Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience)
Central autonomic regulation.

December

12/05
Dr. Reza Shadmehr
(Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience)
Motor control in health and disease, motor learning, robotics, computational neuroscience, brain imaging, neurophysiology.
Dr. Xiaoqin Wang
(Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Otolaryngology)
Auditory neurophysiology, quantitative characterization of vocalizations of the common marmosets, vocal development, computational modeling.

12/12
** At the Mind-Brain Institute on Homewood campus: Krieger Hall, Room 338.
Dr. Steven Hsiao
Mechanisms underlying sensory substitution. Somatosensory neurophysiology.
Dr. Ernst Niebur
Computational Neuroscience.

The old schedule can be viewed at the following link:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/09/neuroengineering-fall-2006-seminar.html

*This schedule was last updated on 12/5/06.

Seminars @ Hopkins

2006-10-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of seminars going on around JHMI:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/scical/

And for Hopkins in general:
http://webapps.jhu.edu/eventslist/standardtemplate.cfm

Also, if you're interested in Neuroengineering, please join:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering2

^_^

Fun link for the day: The Inner Life of the Cell, from Harvard:
http://aimediaserver.com/studiodaily/videoplayer/?src=harvard/harvard.swf&width=640&height=520

Neuroengineering Fall 2006 Seminar

2006-09-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

The Fall 2006 Seminar in Neuroengineering will feature informal "chalk talks" by various professors affiliated with Neuroengineering at Hopkins. These professors will describe their research and possible rotation projects. Students are encouraged to talk to the faculty and schedule further discussions or lab tours. The seminars are usually hosted at 200p in Talbot Library (Traylor 706) on the JHMI campus and teleconferenced to Clark 110 on the Homewood campus.

Neuroengineering Fall 2006 Seminars
580.703
Thursdays at 200p
JHMI: Talbot Library (Traylor 706)
Homewood: Clark 110

Students who are interested in neuroengineering at Hopkins are strongly urged to attend these seminars.

Neuroengineering Seminar: Fall 2006 Schedule:

September
7: Hearing Sciences: Wang, Young
14: Neural Prosthesis: Thakor, De La Santina
21: Epilepsy: Franaczuk, Bergey, Crone
28: Hearing/Cortical Neurophysiology; Neuromodeling: X Wang, Zhang

October
5: MRI Imaging: Van Zijl, Mori
12: No Seminar
19: Neuromorphic Engineering: Andreou, Vogelstein/Tenore
26: Spinal Cord Injury: Schramm, McDonald/Oudega

November
2: Motor Systems: Shadmehr, Lenz
9: Neuroradiology: Wong, Prince
16: Clinical Neuroengineering; Brain Injury/Neurocritical Care: Geocadin, Thakor
23: No Seminar
30: Sensory Neurophysiology: Hsiao, Neibur

December
7: Neural Prosthesis: Thakor, De La Santina

Neuroengineering3: Interorganizational Collaboration

2006-08-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Issel has created a Google Group / Mailing List called "neuroengineering3" (http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering3) for intercollegiate collaboration in the realm of Neuroengineering. Hopefully, this will provide a forum for discussing neuroengineering solutions.

People are welcome to join this group for international collaboration, an exchange of research ideas, or help in solving a particular problem. Neuroengineering3 is a more research-oriented forum.

Neuroengineering2 is for interested Hopkins students.

Neuroengineering is for students who have been funded by the Neuroengineering Training Grant.

8/23/06: Meeting Minutes

2006-08-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

The NETI officers had a meeting yesterday, after our student seminar. Here are a few of the things we discussed:

*Collaborations*

Debbie (the Chairperson) suggested that students "shadow" a clinical faculty member. Issel (the Organizational Vice President) is currently working with the leader of the Neurosurgery Interest Group (NSIG) to initiate a "shadowing" program. NSIG usually invites clinical faculty speakers to their meetings. Members of NETI will be alerted of these meetings, and meet more clinical faculty. NETI first years will also be required to "shadow" a clinical faculty member for two weeks, during Developmental Biology if they are taking the Medical School courses, or during Intercession if they are taking the Alternate Track. After that time, they will brainstorm a few engineering ideas to ease particular medical problems, and will be encouraged to develop these ideas as part of their research or propose those ideas to engineering faculty.

Issel has also created a Google Group / Mailing List called "neuroengineering3" (http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering3) for intercollegiate collaboration in the realm of Neuroengineering. Hopefully, this will provide a forum for discussing neuroengineering solutions.

*Budget*

Misti (the Financial Vice President) will get a list of our budget and email a list of our expenditures to neuroengineering@gmail.com Emails to the GoogleGroups have been sent to neuroengineering@gmail.com, which we will use as a searchable archive of information. Progress reports, ideas, and emails should be cc'd to this address in order to keep a record of NETI information.

Other ideas for funding include:

A symposium, either Hopkins-based or intercollegiate
Continuing the summer seminar into the school year, with refreshments
A gathering in February or March, once the new students have joined the training grant,in order to get to know each other and encourage collaboration.
Conferences, especially having all members of NETI go together
T-shirts

*Fall Seminar*

For the fall seminar, we would like to invite faculty for "chalk talks" -- quick overviews of their research that also mention possible rotation projects for interested students. Once all of the faculty of the Neuroengineering Training Grant have introduced the students to their research, we will schedule laboratory tours. After that, we will invite faculty speakers from other areas of interest, such as pharmacology or genetics, in order to spur collaborative interest. We will also invite previous trainees and/or alumni to speak at the seminar.

We would also like to collaborate with NSIG and other neuro-based groups at Hopkins to encourage an exchange of information between departments. NSIG invites clinical faculty to speak at their meetings.

*Website*

Andrew Cassidy and Issel Lim are categorizing the content on the website (http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu) to make it more user-friendly. We have already added journals and conferences to the Resources page, and would like to add a list of grants or other funding opportunities. We will be editing the home page, putting the faculty research information with the faculty contact information, categorizing the research focuses, and proposing training opportunities for the new trainees (e.g., microscope training, workshops, research compliance tests, and coursework requirements from the PhD handbook). We will also add a section for "Previous Trainees" on the Students page, and another section for "Alumni."

*Formal Elections*

After the new trainees are selected, we will hold formal elections within the group. The current positions are: Chairman, Organizational Vice President, Financial Vice President, Secretary/Historian, Treasurer, Webmaster. We would also like to include an Outreach Coordinator that will focus specifically on collaborations and publicizing NETI events.

--
Quite a few new students came to the seminar, and we answered a lot of their coursework and labwork questions. We will also be talking to them at the Neuroengineering Reception on Friday.

Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas. Thank you very much!

Q: Access to the Gym

2006-08-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

How do I get access to the gym?

To get access to the Homewood gym (the "Ralph O'Connor Rec Center"), you first have to ask Hong to email the Homewood gym people a list of all of the students. Then, you just go to the office; they've got office hours on the website. (http://www.jhu.edu/~recsport/). They check your name off the list, take your picture, and give you a gym ID card.

It should be free -- BME grad students get access to gyms on Homewood and on the med campus. You shouldn't need a J-card; most BME grad students don't have one. I do have one, but I was initially going to use it for parking. Our medical school ID badges get us into the Eisenhower Library.

You should also drop by the Cooley Center to pick up a gym card for the medical campus -- that's a little tag w/ a barcode, which you get after filling out a form. The Cooley Center also has a website:
http://www.jhucooleycenter.com/

IM Indoor Soccer is at Cooley, whereas IM Basketball is at Homewood.

Q: Alternate Track / Medical School Classes

2006-08-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there
Sorry for bothering you. I am a first year student. I have one quick question on course selection...
If I choose an alternative track curriculum, can I still take two of the medical school's courses? I only have interest in Molecules and Cells, and Neuroscience.
Is there anybody who has also done this way before? Just chose one or two course of SOM ?
Thanks!

One of the things that you need to consider is when the courses will meet. The medical school classes are taught in blocks -- so for Molecules and Cells, you'll start with one subject (e.g., Biochemistry). You'll have 3-5 lectures a day, starting at 8:00a and usually ending at 1:00p. Then, after about two weeks, you'll finish with Biochemistry, take the final, and move on to another class (for example, Genetics), which is also taught from 8:00a to 1:00p each day. The entire Molecules and Cells block ends around mid-October. However, when you're registering for the Alternate Track fall semester classes, you'll need to choose classes that meet after 1:00p. Vasudev Bailey (baileyv at jhu dot edu) took the alternate course, with Molecules and Cells last year, so you can email him and ask him for advice.

Some people in my year, like Hailiang Huang (hlhuang at jhmi dot edu) also took only the a few med school courses, so you can email him and ask what he did. Others took Neuroscience and Cognition, which is a yearlong graduate student course that covers the same material as the medical school Neuroscience course. Last year, the people taking Neuroscience in the Alternate Track took the laboratory component of the medical school class. Misti Marr (mmarr1 at jhmi dot edu) did that, and she could probably answer your questions.

In short, you can take whichever courses you want. You just have to make sure that there are no time conflicts, and that you fulfill all of your biology and engineering credits. The PhD requirements can be found in the PhD Handbook:
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm

I hope that helps! :)

Q: Classes / Locations / Books

2006-08-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

i did not get a registration packet but i filled out a couple of forms (i believe one of them was green) that hong gave me so i think i'm registered (i hope). when does the neuroengineering seminar meet? oh, speaking of which, how do we find out where our classes are meeting (i can't find room locations for any of my classes at all), and how do we find out what books we'll be needing?

1. Other people been asking a few questions about registration/classes, too, so I posted another entry about that, along w/ comments from other graduate students, on the neuroengineering blog. The particular entry is:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-classes-registration.html

2. For Homewood classes, you can call the registrar's office/check the website. Homewood classes usually include engineering classes, though sometimes the BME classes are taught through the School of Medicine. (It depends on the professor's preference.) For Homewood classes, also, you can usually check the status of your registration using the Online Services via JHU Registrar. The link to that is:
http://www.jhu.edu/~registr/online.html

For Medical School classes, you can call the JHMI registrar, or you can just drop by the registrar's office, which is in the Broadway Research Building, accessible via N. Broadway St. They close early on Thursdays.

I highly recommend checking to make sure that you're actually registered; apparently last year, some people hadn't been registered for courses by midterms. You probably don't need to pester them now, but you should probably check at some point in the first few weeks of classes.

3. I doubt it's posted yet, but you can view the Room Schedule at this URL:
http://www.jhu.edu/~registr/roomsched.html
(It's accessible via http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/ --> Undergrad and Grad Students --> Course Schedule, and then it's a link in the sidebar.)

4. The NETI Summer Seminar meets on Wednesdays at 1p. The schedule can be found here:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/summer-seminar-series.html

5. On your first day of classes, you'll be given a syllabus that details what books/materials you'll need. Alternatively, if you really want to get a head start, you could email the professor who teaches that class, or the course administrator behind the class, and ask. You can also check out the course website from previous years to get a gist of the material. You can buy the books themselves in the book store, which is located in the basement of Gilman Hall on the Homewood campus. The bookstore (Matthews) at the med campus also sells a few books.

Q: Classes / Registration

2006-08-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Are there suggested classes for students who are interested in neuroengineering? If not, are there some you suggest? Are we supposed to register for the neuroengineering seminar, or is that for people already in the NETI program?

Should I register soon or should I wait until orientation? Is there anything else I need to know about classes?

For registering -- have you received your registration packet in the mail already? Last year, we filled one out w/ a green sheet detailing personal info, including address, emergency contacts, etc.

If you're thinking of taking the medical school track, you should email Hong Lan and tell her -- that's the only registration that needs to be done before you get here. In general, med school classes have three to five lectures a day, from 8a to 1p. Sometimes there's a lab or discussion group meeting or journal club. The subjects are taught in blocks -- so if you take Molecules and Cells, that's done in September, and you move onto Immunology. It's kind of like having a final every couple of weeks, but you get complete immersion and then can focus on a new subject, rather than dividing your attention. It's intense, but fun.

For the Homewood/Engineering courses, registration at Hopkins is pretty laid back; you can really add/drop classes whenever. I suggest going to the first meeting of a class, and then, if you want to add it, fill out the form by add date. Quite a few people tend to register for a lot of classes, and then drop them by drop date. You do have to check periodically w/ the registrar to make sure that all of your paperwork/records are correct.

Hmm... if you're thinking of Homewood classes (biomedical engineering classes are taught through the School of Engineering), then I suggest looking at the JHU Registrar website and picking a few that pique your interest. You'll probably be given an introduction on how to register for classes during Orientation. If you're around the med campus, go to the JHMI registrar in Broadway Research Building and pick up a form. They'll also have a list of courses and course numbers. You can ask them more questions about registering.

For the alternate track/regular grad school classes: We're supposed to list classes on the JHMI form, and, if we're "cross-registering" between the med campus and Homewood campus, we need to fill out another sheet and have that signed by Hong Lan or Dr. Winslow. (Hong usually signs them. I think Alan Strong might be able to sign them, too; he takes care of a lot of our paycheck stuff, and he's in Traylor on the 7th floor.)

Some suggested Homewood classes: for Neuroengineering, it really depends on what you want to focus on. Most people recommend taking Models of the Neuron (Young) -- involves modeling and Matlab, Hodgkin & Huxley, etc. If you're going into a digital signal processing lab, or if you want to analyze neuronal firing, then taking Probability in the fall and Statistics in the spring are also recommended. Quite a few people take Applied Math for Engineering (Hilpert), which taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering. If you're not taking the med school track, then you also should take Neuroscience and Cognition, which is basically a year-long version of the medical school "Neuroscience" course -- the med school version is more condensed, and taught in the spring.

A note about the Neuroengineering Seminar: last semester, the seminar was quite informal. This year, the students who are already part of NETI are thinking of working w/ Dr. Thakor to invite speakers, organize talks, or perhaps mesh it with our own summer seminar, which is basically a casual student-run journal club w/ free lunch. I'm not sure if I've registered for it yet, but Dr. Thakor will probably ask us for suggestions at the first meeting.

Added 8/15/06: You might actually want to head to the Registrar as soon as possible, to make sure that the paperwork's done on time.

From Tessa (PhD05 / Young Lab):

The students should take their questions about registration to Hong.

If you wait till orientation to sign up for classes you risk having a really messed up transcript. The med school registrar is archaic and they do everything by hand. It takes them forever to get registration information over to Homewood. We had people last year who signed up at orientation and weren't enrolled in classes yet at midterms. There are similar problems with adding and dropping classes.

Registration was due to the registrar by July 17th. I think you need to get the forms in ASAP so you're enrolled in the school. I know that you can defer choosing courses till September 1st, but there's some paperwork that has to be in so that you're enrolled as a full time student.

Honestly, questions about registration should be sent to Hong. She's in charge of getting all of this stuff organized. In terms of choosing classes, it depends on their backgrounds and their research interests. I'd encourage them to speak with faculty their interested in working with and/or their faculty advisors- that's what they're there for. Students are a good resource for finding out about classes and professors, but ultimately you don't want to waste your time taking classes you don't need- this is graduate school.

Phew! I hope that helps. A few of us second years, as well as quite a few first years, are taking Models of the Neuron, so we should do homework together. Woohoo for Matlab! :)

Q: Neuroengineering / Instrumentation / Classes

2006-07-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Does Neuroengineering have many than two years for classes? If you want to do instrumentation and more engineering, is the Neuro track the best way to go? Is Hopkins most known for Neuro, there seems to be a lot of professors.

Neuroengineering at Hopkins is more like a concentration. You're officially accepted into one department; in our case, it's Biomedical Engineering. Therefore, you need to fulfill the academic requirements for that particular department. I suggest looking at the PhD handbook on the JHU BME website; you have to take a certain number of biology-based and engineering-based classes, but once you fulfill your credits, you don't have to take any more classes. You can and should be doing rotations/research throughout the year.

Neuroengineering still covers a pretty broad spectrum. At Hopkins, it's more of an application. If you're focusing on instrumentation, and you'd like to specifically work on an instrument that focuses on a neurologically-based problem, then neuroengineering is a great venue. I suggest that you find a PI or lab that you like, and go from there.

Hopkins is one of the few neuroengineering centers in the country; as biomedical engineers, we've got a tremendous advantage b/c of the excellent research at the medical campus, and the possible connections in a very clinically applicable setting.

Take a few classes, talk to a few professors, come to the NETI meetings, and see what interests you. You're still a first-year, so shop around and ask lots of questions.

Good luck!

Neuroengineering 2: Mailing list for incoming students

2006-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

"Neuroengineering2" is a new google-group for the incoming students who are interested in NETI, the NeuroEngineering Training Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

Neuroengineering Website:
http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu

NETI Blog:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/

Neuroengineering: group for students on NETI funding
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering

Neuroengineering2: group for students interested in NETI funding
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering2

NETI Meeting Minutes:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/meeting-minutes.html

Summer 2006 Seminar Schedule:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/summer-seminar-series.html

Incoming Student Info:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/info-for-incoming-students.html

Questions/Comments: post on the blog
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/questionscomments.html

Email:
NETI Officers:
neuroengineering at gmail dot com

NETI Group:
neuroengineering at googlegroups dot com

NETI Interested Incoming Students Group:
neuroengineering2 at googlegroups dot com

If you have organizational emails about NETI (like seminar messages, picnics, etc), then email both neuroengineering@googlegroups.com (for the people currently on NETI) and neuroengineering2@googlegroups.com (for the incoming students).

Q: Thakor Lab

2006-07-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Can I speak to anyone who works in Dr. Thakor's lab?

Sure -- Karthik (karthik at jhu dot edu) said that he'd be willing to answer any questions that you might have.

Q: Course Registration

2006-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely interested in NETI. Please keep me informed about the program.

By the way, do you know if there's anything I should be doing right now in terms of course selection/registration? I received some materials from Hopkins with course offerings, but I have no idea what I should be looking into and how the whole course registration process works. Let me know if you have any advice on the matter--I have not read everything thoroughly yet so it's probably in there somewhere. Thanks again for all your help over the past few months.

Last year, if we decided to take the medical school track, we emailed the departmental administrator, Hong Lan (hlan1@jhmi.edu). She'll probably send out an email or letter to you later this summer. Registration for the other courses occurs about a week before classes start. I'm also cc-ing this email to Misti Marr, a fellow second year NETI-trainee who took the alternate track, and Debbie Castillo, the current student president of NETI. Misti and Debbie, if you have any advice for choosing courses, registration, etc, please add more.

The course schedule for the fall can be found here:
http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/schedule.html
Requirements for PhD Coursework can be found here: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm

Q: Finding a Residence

2006-07-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am very interested to the neuroengineering, please keep me in touch about any seminar or news on this point. (However, I live out of the US, now and will arrive to Baltimore in the mid. of August.)

I wonder if you can help me find how it could be planned at present having a residence just for arrival to Baltimore and finding an appropriate place.

As for finding a residence: most of the graduate students live around Homewood campus, and take the shuttle into the medical school. Mt. Vernon is also a popular place, with shuttle stops to the med campus and to Homewood campus. Downtown (Fells Point, Canton, Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Butcher's Hill) tends to be safe and has tons of restaurants/bars, though it's also busier, and you usually need a car to get to class. (Many people in Fells Point also walk or bike to JHMI.) Mt. Washington is super safe, but farther away. If you want to be in between Baltimore and DC, then look at Columbia or Ellicott City. When you're considering a place, look at the parking situation, whether it's got a washer/dryer in the unit, where it's located, the crime around the area, etc.

More info can be found here:
http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls#Housing
and especially on the Off-Campus Housing website:
http://www.jhu.edu/~hds/offcampus/

Q: Alternate Courses / IM Sports

2006-07-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the email and the help during the visitings before. Hopefully I will pronounce the name right the second time. I am interested in the Neuroengineering Training program also. How have you liked it? I was curious on some of the classes for the program. I am not going to take the med school courses, so I was wondering if you knew what kinds of courses first years take for neuroengineering. Is it pretty flexible for the person or are there a 'core' neuro courses that a lot of students take? I've seen the website for the Neuro Training program, so I saw some of the courses listed there. I am just curious what was popular amongst first years.

And as for softball and intramurals in general, I would be interested in that too. I'm not coming up until August, so is that only for the summer or are there other intramurals during the year too? If you are the contact for all that, I would definitely be up for that.

Thanks for all the help and see you in the fall.

I enjoy being on the Neuroengineering Training Grant; in fact, I'm doing a rotation outside of the department right now, in the FM Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging. My PI is on the neuroengineering grant, but not part of BME.

The neuroengineering classes are pretty flexible -- you do have to make sure you fit the requirements on the PhD coursework handbook (http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm), which entails taking 600 or 400 level classes. I addressed some of these issues in a mass mailing to the rest of the first years. Which aspect of neuroengineering would you like to concentrate in? One concern that some of the alternate track students told me is that it's harder to get biology credits if you take the alternate track. However, you're also welcome to register for parts of the medical school classes; for example, some students take Molecules and Cells, Neuroscience, and Organ Systems, while opting not to take Genetics, Immunology, etc. Next semester, I'm taking Models of the Neuron, Applied Math for Engineering, Intro to Biostatistics through the School of Public Health, and an MRI course.

When are you coming up? We've got plenty of guys right now for the softball team, and I'm not sure when our games are ending. I'll ask our captain, though; there might be room if you'd like to play. :)

Q: Rotations / Joining NETI

2006-07-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I'm very intersted in the Neuroengineering Training Program. I was wondering about a couple of the things.
* Do NETI students have 18 months for rotations? I remember at the visit Dr. Winslow said we needed to pick a lab by the beginning of the second year.
* How do I go about joining the NETI?
* I had previous obligations and couldn't start in July. How important is it to nail down a fall rotation now? You mentioned that there's a showcase september 6th, but that seems like waiting until the last minute.

Hello!
I don't think there's a specific time restriction on rotations, but I think that all of the incoming students in biomedical engineering are supposed to commit to a lab by second year. Choosing a rotation or committing to a lab is governed by the department you're in, rather than NETI. NETI is primarily a source of funding, collaborations, and training opportunities; if you get on the grant, then you receive funding from the grant. However, your primary appointment as a Hopkins graduate student will be through biomedical engineering.

There will be an introductory meeting on September 6th, and we'll have more information for you then about joining NETI. NETI really has two purposes. Financially, it supports students who are training with extra money for conferences, workshops, or supplies. Organizationally, the students are initiating journal clubs, seminar speakers, and collaborations.

On the financial side, Dr. Thakor will ask for applications for the Neuroengineering Training Grant funding, and applicants must send him their resume, write an essay on why they want to go into neuroengineering, and ask two or three faculty members to recommend them to the training grant. Doing a rotation, attending the journal clubs or lab meetings, or talking to professors who run neuroengineering-affiliated labs is a good way to get to know the faculty.

For the student-organized portion of NETI, you're welcome to join the discussions, group outings, and other the student activities, like the seminar. Let me know if you'd like to join the google-group for interested students.

As for your third question: When are you getting to Baltimore? I started in mid-July last year, and did a rotation w/ Dr. Xiaoqin Wang. If you're going to get here before the school year begins, I'd recommend looking at the various websites, figuring out which labs you're interested in, and emailing professors to see if they've got any possible openings. If you're not getting here until the start of the school year, you might need a bit of time to settle down -- organize your apartment/home, get used to classes, iron out financial/administrative details, etc. There's no pressure to start a rotation immediately, though I got a lot of advice from starting off early. The professors are quite approachable, and many people are willing to offer you advice. The NETI showcase will probably occur for a few weeks after Sept 6th, with several faculty members presenting possible rotation projects per meeting.

I hope that helps! I'll post this email on the neuroengineering blog (http://neuroengineering.blospot.com), as well. Have a good summer! ^_^

-Issel :)

Incoming Student Questions & Answers

2006-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of questions that incoming / interested students have sent, and links to the accompanying answers.
Questions from Incoming PhD Students of 2007
Questions from Incoming PhD Students of 2006
Questions from Interested Undergraduate Students
(Last update: 7/28/07)

To see the information for 2007, please go to:
Incoming Students 2007: Questions and Answers
And/or:
For Incoming Students: 2007

Questions from 2007
7/24/07: Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-med-school-vs-alternative-track.html)
Hi,
I'm interested in neuroengineering, right now specifically clinical neuroengineering. I was wondering if you had any advice on what classes to take as an incoming first-year. What's your advice regarding the med. school classes vs. standard BME classes? And, are there any particular standard BME classes that are highly recommended? Any advice you could give would be a great help!

Thanks!

7/27/07: Q: Register for the Seminar?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-register-for-seminar.html)

Hi,
I am very interested in the program. Is registration required for the seminar in Aug?

Questions from 2006
7/7/06: Q: Alternate Courses / IM Sports
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-alternate-courses-im-sports.html)

I am interested in the Neuroengineering Training program also. How have you liked it? I was curious on some of the classes for the program. I am not going to take the med school courses, so I was wondering if you knew what kinds of courses first years take for neuroengineering. Is it pretty flexible for the person or are there a 'core' neuro courses that a lot of students take? I've seen the website for the Neuro Training program, so I saw some of the courses listed there. I am just curious what was popular amongst first years.

And as for softball and intramurals in general, I would be interested in that too. I'm not coming up until August, so is that only for the summer or are there other intramurals during the year too?

7/8/06: Q: Course Registration
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-course-registration.html)
Do you know if there's anything I should be doing right now in terms of course selection/registration? I received some materials from Hopkins with course offerings, but I have no idea what I should be looking into and how the whole course registration process works.

7/9/06: Q: Finding a Residence
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-finding-residence.html)
I am very interested to the neuroengineering, please keep me in touch about any seminar or news on this point. (However, I live out of the US, now and will
arrive to Baltimore in the mid. of August.)

I wonder if you can help me find how it could be planned at present having a residence just for arrival to Baltimore and finding an appropriate place.

7/11/06: Q: Thakor Lab
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-thakor-lab.html)
Can I speak to anyone who works in Dr. Thakor's lab?

7/13/06: Q: Rotations / Joining NETI
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-rotations-joining-neti.html)
* Do NETI students have 18 months for rotations? I remember at the visit Dr. Winslow said we needed to pick a lab by the beginning of the second year.
* How do I go about joining the NETI?
* I had previous obligations and couldn't start in July. How important is it to nail down a fall rotation now? You mentioned that there's a showcase september 6th, but that seems like waiting until the last minute.

7/28/06: Q: Neuroengineering / Instrumentation / Classes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-neuroengineering-instrumentation.html)
Does Neuroengineering have many than two years for classes? If you want to do instrumentation and more engineering, is the Neuro track the best way to go? Is Hopkins most known for Neuro, there seems to be a lot of professors.

8/13/06: Q: Classes / Registration
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-classes-registration.html)

Are there suggested classes for students who are interested in neuroengineering? If not, are there some you suggest? Are we supposed to register for the neuroengineering seminar, or is that for people already in the NETI program? Should I register soon or should I wait until orientation? Anything else I need to know about classes?

8/14/06: Q: Classes / Locations / Books
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-classes-locations-books.html)

i did not get a registration packet but i filled out a couple of forms (i believe one of them was green) that hong gave me so i think i'm registered (i hope). when does the neuroengineering seminar meet? oh, speaking of which, how do we find out where our classes are meeting (i can't find room locations for any of my classes at all), and how do we find out what books we'll be needing?

8/16/06: Q: Alternate Track / Medical School Classes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-alternate-track-medical-school.html)
If I choose an alternative track curriculum, can I still take two of the medical school's courses? I only have interest in Molecules and Cells, and Neuroscience. Is there anybody who has also done this way before? Just chose one or two course of SOM ?

8/16/06: Q: Access to the Gym
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-access-to-gym.html)

How can I get access to the gym?

Questions from Interested Undergraduate Students
7/26/07: Q: Undergraduate Major + Neuroengineering
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-undergraduate-major-neuroengineering.html)

Hi, I'm an undergrad intending to major in Neural Science, and wanted to ask you something after coming across the Neuroengineering Facebook group. I was wondering whether an undergraduate degree in a field of engineering is required to pursue/gain admission into grad/PhD programs in Neuroengineering. Is it required to have previously studied biomedical engineering, or is it enough to have a Neural Science background in order to apply to and succeed in these programs? I have recently decided that I would like to study/pursue Neuroengineering after graduation. However, my college does not have an engineering school, and am thus considering transferring. I was also wondering whether or not you began this PhD program at Johns Hopkins immediately after graduation from the college you went to?

Info for Incoming Students

2006-07-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

To see a list of questions and answers from incoming/interested students, refer to:
Incoming Student Questions & Answers

To see additional/updated information for and from the incoming class of 2007, please refer to:
For Incoming Students: 2007
Incoming Students 2007: Questions and Answers

General Infomation from Emails:

Sent on 7/7/06:

Hello, First Years! :)

Welcome to Hopkins and Baltimore! I'm a rising second year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins, and I'm also the "big sibling" for the neuroengineering students. If you are interested in NETI (the NeuroEngineering Training Initiative), email me (issel at jhu dot edu). This summer, we're running a weekly student seminar with free lunch, and we'll be having an introductory seminar on September 6th to showcase research opportunities for new students. (More details will be sent to those interested.)

Alternatively, if you've got questions (on residences, neuroengineering, or life in general), feel free to send me an email or IM (azngeekgirl). I emailed quite a few of you about transportation during the Interview Weekends, and am offering advice, social invitations, general guidance, etc. If you'd like to come see/play softball or soccer w/ the BME team(s), if you'd like to go salsa/swing dancing or shopping or barhopping, or if you'd like info on what to do in Baltimore, let me know! :)

Here's a list of useful URLs: http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls
And a few guides to Hopkins: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/%7Ercheong/Baltimore/

Congratulations! We look forward to meeting you all soon. :)

Sent on 7/10/06:

To answer a couple of questions:

Last year, if we decided to take the medical school track, we emailed the departmental administrator, Hong Lan (hlan1 at jhmi dot edu). She'll probably send out an email or letter to you later this summer. Registration for the other courses occurs about a week before classes start. I'm also cc-ing this email to Misti Marr, a fellow second year NETI-trainee who took the alternate track, and Debbie Castillo, the current student president of NETI. Misti and Debbie, if you have any advice for choosing courses, registration, etc, please add more.

The course schedule for the fall can be found here:
http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/schedule.html
Requirements for PhD Coursework can be found here: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm

The Neuroengineering summer seminar is at 100p on Wednesdays. To see more details, check out "Summer Seminar Schedule" on the NETI blog: http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com
We'll also be making updates to the website throughout the summer, and we are currently working on a recommended curriculum for the students in Neuroengineering. Some of the classes that most people have taken include "Models of the Neuron," taught by Dr. Eric Young, "Neuroscience" (either through the medical school track in the spring, or the year-long course in the medical school catalog), Intro to Probability and Statistics (there are a couple of versions of these; depending on your math background, you might want to consider taking the Intro to Biostatistics Class through the School of Public Health), and an Applied Math in Engineering course (the most commonly taken class is taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering). People also take Learning Theory, Theoretical Neuroscience, Microfabrication Lab, etc. It depends on what you would like to focus on, in particular.

As for finding a residence: most of the graduate students live around Homewood campus, and take the shuttle into the medical school. Mt. Vernon is also a popular place, with shuttle stops to the med campus and to Homewood campus. Downtown (Fells Point, Canton, Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Butcher's Hill) tends to be safe and has tons of restaurants/bars, though it's also busier, and you usually need a car to get to class. (Many people in Fells Point also walk or bike to JHMI.) Mt. Washington is super safe, but farther away. If you want to be in between Baltimore and DC, then look at Columbia or Ellicott City. When you're considering a place, look at the parking situation, whether it's got a washer/dryer in the unit, where it's located, the crime around the area, etc.

More info can be found here:
http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls#Housing
and especially on the Off-Campus Housing website:
http://www.jhu.edu/~hds/offcampus/

There are tons of intramurals! :) We usually do softball and soccer in the summer, soccer/dodgeball/basketball in the fall/winter, and soccer again in the spring. Most of the summer rosters are full, but if you'd like to play sports/pick-up games, let me know when you get here, and I'll give you the contact info for the team captains.

Again, if you're interested in the seminar, NETI, or have questions, let me know.

To see a list of specific emailed questions and answers, refer to:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/incoming-student-questions-answers.html

Incoming Firsties, T-shirts, Neuroengineering Gmail

2006-07-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

This schedule has been posted to the blog
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com). Andrew, do you want to post it on the website (http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu)? Also, Francesco, could you please send me the log-in info for editing the website?

I've also emailed Hong asking for a list of the incoming first years and their contact info. If anyone would like to help out as an additional "big sib," or help in planning the intro meeting, please let me know.

Oi -- and how about T-shirts? Perhaps a "brain-storming" idea, or even an ASCII brain w/ "neuroengineering" and "Hopkins" and everyone's names? What symbolizes neuroengineering? I've made a few T-shirts and I'm probably going to order T-shirts for the BME Beasts softball team, so please send ideas and I can order 'em all in one fell swoop. Alternatively, if someone else wants to be in charge of these, that'd be
awesome...

By the way, if you have projects, papers, progress reports, anything you'd like to go on the website, or anything "official" for the NETI, please cc a copy to "neuroengineering@gmail.com" -- that way, we'll have a backup copy just in case something happens to the email account of the person in charge of that particular field. For example, please email your progress reports to Christina and email a copy to neuroengineering@gmail.com. (As the current secretary, I'd originally asked for a cc to my JHU address so we'd have backups, but it'll be easier for incoming secretaries and officers to keep track of and pass on information via the Gmail account.) Sending email to "neuroengineering@googlegroups.com" will send a copy to the Gmail account, as well as post an entry on the googlegroups website:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering

Summer Seminar Series

2006-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

From Misti:
All of the seminars will be at 1pm in either Clarke or the
Hearing Science Library on 5th floor Ross.

Here's the schedule that can be posted to the webpage:

July 5 - Andrew @ Med School
July 12 - N/A
July 19 - Christina @ Homewood
July 26 - Francesco @ ?
August 2 - Bennett @ Homewood
August 9 - Debbie @ Med School
August 16 - Minnan @ Med School
August 23 - Issel @ Med School
August 30 - Misti @ Med School
Sept 6 - Intro meeting with new students

I'll try to talk to the secretaries again about setting up a room at
Clarke for the dates we are at Homewood.

(Issel has emailed Hong to ask for a list of students, and will hopefully email them about the introductory meeting soon.)

...This has also been posted to http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering :)

Call for Progress Reports

2006-06-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Please fill these out and get them to me by June 30 please. That way we can organize them and get everything up for the new students to look at.

Thanks,
Christina

Name:

Email:

Position/Title:

Incoming Year:

Years on Training Grant Funding:

Websites (lab, personal):

Research Interests:

Classes (taken, planning to take next year):

Training (microscopes, animal research, etc):

Methods/Techniques (that you use and could teach someone via collaboration; e.g., "spinal cord coculture" or "microfabrication"):

Conferences (attended, planning to attend):

Meetings and Workshops (NIBIB, etc):

Educational Background (alumni from where, major, minor, concentration):

Lab Experience at JHU (rotations, current lab):

Awards:

Publications at JHU w/ NETI Funding (title/abstracts, links to papers online):

Publications w/o NETI Funding (title/abstracts, links to papers online):

6/14/06: Meeting Minutes

2006-06-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

NETI : NeuroEngineering Training Initiative
Meeting Minutes : June 14, 2006

Important Notes / Assignments

1. Curriculum meeting with Dr. Xiaoqin Wang on 6/28: type up a list of classes you've taken, noting the books you needed and the content gleaned and email to Debbie Castillo and Issel Lim by 9p on 6/27. Debbie will send out a reminder / confirmation email for the meeting time next week.

2. Send progress reports to Christina Randall (rchris10@jhu.edu); see specific fields under the meeting minutes.

3. Summer seminar: current students will present current projects for one hour; lunch provided. Misti Marr will send out a schedule this week.

4. Send links for journals, websites, conferences, websites for classes taken to Issel.

5. Officer positions. (If you would like to help out and/or organize a specific event, please let Debbie, Issel, or Misti know.)

Officers
Weekly Meetings: Wednesdays at 1:00p
Seminar Series
Summer: Student Presentations on Rotations/Papers: Misti Marr
Fall: Student/Faculty Presentations on Neuroengineering Opportunities: Issel Lim
Curriculum Meeting with Dr. Xiaoqin Wang on 6/28 at 1p
Type up your curriculum by 6/27
Website: Suggestions
Send content suggestions/links: conferences, seminars, journals, abstracts
Send progress reports to Christina Randall and Issel Lim
Other Updates
NETI: NeuroEngineering Training Initiative
NIH/NIBIB
Lounge
T-Shirts
People Currently on the NETI Grant

NETI : NeuroEngineering Training Initiative
Meeting Minutes : June 14, 2006

Attendees:
Andrew Cassidy, Deborah Castillo, Issel Lim, Misti Marr, Christina Randall, Minnan Xu

Officers
President: Deborah Castillo
Responsibilities:
- Older member who has been on the training grant and can guide/direct/advise new members
- Organizes meeting times

Vice Presidents: Issel Lim (organizational) and Misti Marr (financial)
Responsibilities: Organizational
- Current member who sends out e-mail reminders, takes care of any paperwork, etc.
- PhD Council Representative for BME

Responsibilities: Financial
- Current member who organizes financial aspects, bookkeeping, food, reimbursements.

Secretary: Issel Lim
(In the fall, this position will be held by an incoming first year.)
Responsibilities
- Notes / meeting minutes and sends them out to the club, publicity.

Treasurer: Misti Marr
(In the fall, this position will be passed to an incoming first year.)
Responsibilities
- Handles receipts and reimbursements.

Web Editors: Andrew Cassidy (HTML) and Issel Lim (content/categorization)

Weekly Meetings: Wednesdays at 1:00p
Alternating between the Hopkins campuses.
Misti will send out a sign-up schedule soon.
One of the officers will send out email reminders a day in advance.
JHMI
Talbot 709 / Talbot Library
Ross 529 / Hearing Science Center
Homewood
Clark 110
Maryland 221

Seminar Series
Summer: Student Presentations on Rotations/Papers: Misti Marr
One student per week, presenting work in a seminar format for an hour.
Explain what you’re doing in lab, with pictures/posters/presentations.
Send out a background paper the week before you present.
Misti will email out the schedule; email her with any questions.

1. Misti: scheduling rooms
2. Christina: orders food for Homewood
3. Debbie: orders foods for Med School
4. Lunch will be provided at these seminars.

Fall: Student/Faculty Presentations on Neuroengineering Opportunities: Issel Lim
September:
1. Welcoming new students: group dinner/lunch or picnic.
2. Introductory lectures: three speakers per one hour seminar
a. BME faculty will give an overview of their research, rotation projects, etc.
b. NETI students will give an overview of their research, class advice, etc.
3. Informal journal club, run by the students for the students.

Curriculum Meeting with Dr. Xiaoqin Wang on 6/28 at 1p
Curriculum meeting with Dr. Xiaoqin Wang on 6/28: type up a list of classes you've taken, noting the books you needed and the content gleaned and email to Debbie Castillo and Issel Lim by 9p on 6/27. Debbie will send out a reminder / confirmation email for the meeting time next week.

Type up your curriculum by 6/27.
Include: the classes you've taken, books you've needed or not needed, and a summary of the important points you've gleaned from the class.
These suggestions and notes will be placed on the NETI website after the meeting on 6/28.

Website: Suggestions
Send content suggestions/links to Andrew Cassidy and Issel Lim: conferences, seminars, journals, abstracts
- Thank you to Andrew and Francesco for posting updated information and biosketches.
- Group content by categories: faculty, conferences, etc.
- Include minutes from meetings.
- Change "six classes per semester" to "three to four classes per semester," and list link for BME PhD Handbook (http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm) and/or EECS handbook.
- Seminars (a list of seminars on Homewood and JHMI)
- Conferences: group by local or international, and by category
(Christina will send her spreadsheet to Issel and Andrew, who will put it on the site.)
- Curriculum: will list class websites and summaries from the meeting with Dr. Wang
- Journals (email relevant journals/resources/useful links to Issel)
- People:
Each person has his/her own page/profile.
Differentiate between the lab webpage versus the personal webpage.
List abstracts, progress reports.
Send progress reports to Christina Randall and Issel Lim
(Christina will organize these for Dr. Thakor. Issel will edit these and send to Andrew to place on the NETI website.)
Name:
Email:
Position/Title:
Incoming Year:
Years on Training Grant Funding:
Websites (lab, personal):
Research Interests:
Classes (taken, planning to take next year):
Training (microscopes, animal research, etc):
Methods/Techniques (that you use and could teach someone via collaboration; e.g., "spinal cord coculture" or "microfabrication"):
Conferences (attended, planning to attend):
Meetings and Workshops (NIBIB, etc):
Educational Background (alumni from where, major, minor, concentration):
Lab Experience at JHU (rotations, current lab):
Awards:
Publications at JHU w/ NETI Funding (title/abstracts, links to papers online):
Publications w/o NETI Funding (title/abstracts, links to papers online):

Other Updates

NETI: NeuroEngineering Training Initiative
From the "Neuroengineering Training Grant" to the "NeuroEngineering Training Initiative," we are now "NETI." Kudos to Christina for thinking up the title! Now, it's time to go national...

NIH/NIBIB
Misti, Andrew, Christina, and Debbie were planning to go to this meeting, which was last Friday. They can include results from this on their progress reports.

Lounge
We would like to create a space for NETI members to gather and meet, either at JHMI or Homewood, and where we can also store notes or tests from previous classes. If you've got an idea for the lounge (where to put it, what to put in it), send an email to Debbie Castillo, Issel Lim, and Misti Marr.

T-Shirts
If you've got a logo idea for the T-shirt, email Issel. Issel will create a T-shirt this summer, and hopefully have it to the rest of the trainees in September, in time for the BME retreat. Ideas, as well as company information for T-shirt makers, would be quite appreciated.

Resources: Neuro Imaging: MRI

2006-06-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm currently doing a rotation at the F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, focusing mainly on developing MRI technologies. Here are a few useful overviews on MRI:

Bennett Landman's Introductory Site:
http://iacl.ece.jhu.edu/~bennett/intro.shtml

An overview of MRI from RIT:
http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/inside.htm

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imaging

HowStuffWorks:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm

Emergency Medicine Picture Archiving and Communication System:
http://www.empacs.com/scripts/mainlogin.php

The Whole Brain Atlas:
http://www.med.harvard.edu/AANLIB/home.html

Feel free to comment/post your own links and resources. I'll try to compile them and add them to the neuroengineering website.

Resources: Useful URLs: Administrative

2006-06-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is a list of useful administrative URLs for fellow Hopkins Neuroengineering Trainees. (Continually updated.)

[Last update: 10/4/06]

Raymond Cheong's Site
(http://www.raymondcheong.com/)
Specifically the Guide to Baltimore
(http://www.raymondcheong.com/Baltimore/index.html)

Aiyah.Org: Issel's Collection
(http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls.html)

==

Useful URLs for [Biomedical Engineering] Graduate Students @ Johns Hopkins

NETI

Academic

Administrative

Housing

Transportation

Miscellaneous

Overall

Activities & Entertainment

Taxes

Resources: Useful URLs: Scientific References

2006-06-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is a list of blog entries that list useful scientific references on the Internet.

Neuro Imaging
Textbooks

Neuro Imaging
MRI
Resources: Neuro Imaging: MRI
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/resources-neuro-imaging-mri_20.html)

Textbooks
NCBI Bookshelf
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=books)

Meeting Minutes

2006-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

The following list links to meeting minutes, as posted on the blog.

6/14/06: Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/61406-meeting-minutes.html)

8/23/06: Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/82306-meeting-minutes.html)

2/7/07: Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/02/2707-meeting-minutes.html)

2/21/07: Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/02/22107-meeting-minutes.html)

6/20/07:
Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/06/meeting-minutes-6-20-2007.html)

6/27/07:
Meeting Minutes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/06/meeting-minutes-6-27-2007.html)

Questions/Comments?

2006-06-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

If you have a question or comment, feel free to post here and the NETI Representatives will address your statements as soon as possible. Alternatively, please feel free to email us: Email:neuroengineering[at]gmail[dot]com

NETI: NeuroEngineering Training Initiative

2006-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, All!

Welcome to the NETI Blog. "NETI" is the Neuroengineering Training Initiative, the developing chapter of neuroengineering at Johns Hopkins University. We are funded by the NIH's NeuroEngineering Training Grant, with Dr. Nitish Thakor and Dr. Eric Young.

This blog will host updates on meetings, fun events, information, resources, etc.

Website: http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu

Google-Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering

Blog:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com

Meeting Minutes:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/meeting-minutes.html

Johns Hopkins University:
http://www.jhu.edu/

JHMI: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
http://www.jhmi.edu

WSE: Whiting School of Engineering
http://engineering.jhu.edu/

BME: Hopkins Biomedical Engineering
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/">

Useful Scientific Resources: www Links
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/resources-useful-urls-scientific.html

Useful Administrative Resources: Life at Hopkins and in Baltimore
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/resources-useful-urls-administrative.html

Questions: neuroengineering[at]gmail[dot]com