2017 IEEE SPS WINTER SCHOOL ON BRAIN CONNECTOMICS

OCT. 8-13, DEPT. OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF VERONA, ITALY

Technical theme

Connectomics is one of the hottest inter-disciplinary topics today. It links computer science and Engineering with life sciences and medicine. Connection networks grow over functional (fMRI, ASL, EEG, MEG) and structural (diffusion weighted MRI) data and the integration of the two in both static and dynamic conditions would shed light on the way our brain actually works. Connectomics also holds paramount potential for clinical applications through the characterization of the network’s modulation in pathologies and the assessment of the treatment. In particular, it allows capturing the plasticity processes that are due to different causes including learning, aging and recovering from injury. All these topics must be faced in a multidisciplinary approach touching the different fields that are involved by this exquisitely interdisciplinary topic.

The School on Brain Connectomics aims at gathering the knowledge in the different fields that are touched by these topics providing the students a comprehensive view of this research area as well as awareness about the cutting-edge methodological, experimental and clinical aspects that are involved. Connectomics bridges signal and image processing with applied mathematics, graph theory and machine learning. 
Organizing Committee

Gloria Menegaz, Full Prof., Dept. of Computer Science, University of Verona. 
Alessandro Daducci, Assistant Prof., Dept. of Computer Science, University of Verona and LTS5-EPFL, Switzerland 
Silvia F. Storti, post-doc research associate, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Verona

Speakers

Marina Bentivoglio, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine And Movement Science, University of Verona 
Giorgio Innocenti, Karolinska Institutet, Department Of Neuroscience, Solna, Stockholm 
Janine Bijsterbosch, Analysis Group, Fmrib Centre, University Of Oxford 
Emmanuel Caruyer, Visages Research Team - Irisa, France 
Olivier Coulon, Meca Research Group - Laboratory for Signals and Systems (Lsis), CNRS, Marseille, France 
Alessandro Daducci, Dept. Of Computer Science, University of Verona 
Flavio Dell'acqua, Natbrainlab, King's College, London 
Alessandra Griffa, Dutch Conectome Lab, University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, Netherlands 
Martijn Van Den Heuvel, Dutch Conectome Lab, University Medical Center (Umc) Utrecht, Netherlands 
Markus Nilsson, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Sweden 
Carlo Pierpaoli, National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development 
Silvia F. Storti, Dept. Of Computer Science, University Of Verona 
Jean Philippe Thiran, Signal Processing Lab. (LTS5), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Switzerland 
Giulia Preti, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Switzerland 
Donald Tournier, Department Of Biomedical Engineering, King's College, London

Why to attend

The School features a unique balance of lectures from world-wide experts in their respective fields to experimental demonstrations and hands-on laboratory work in small groups. 
The School will provide the attendants the opportunity to appreciate the link between hard and life sciences, in accordance with the IEEE Life Sciences branch aiming at applying methods of quantitative analysis to biological problems.

During the School each participant will become familiar with a range of tools dedicated to neuroimaging focusing on magnetic resonance imaging (functional and structural) and electroencephalography.

The students will acquire cutting-edge knowledge in the fields of

After the opening lecture that will provide an overview on the field, the first day is dedicated to the neuroanatomical perspective, while the following days will explore the different fields that are touched by the School in order to provide a comprehensive view of the main issues that are implied at all scales. The first two days will be focused on diffusion MRI and microstructure so as to illustrate the structural backbone of brain connectivity. The third day will be devoted to functional imaging, including fMRI and EEG modalities. The fourth day will regard aspects related to the design and modeling of the structural/functional network. To conclude, the last day will face the challenging open issue of validation and highlighting the main bottleneck and challenges, besides providing a view on the phantoms that are available at the state-of-the-art, their features and limitations. 
In the afternoon, hands-on sessions will complement the topics introduced by the lessons giving the attendants the opportunity to experiment the available tools on their own under the guide of supervisors. Finally, the last afternoon will be devoted to a plenary discussion where the students will have the opportunity to discuss with the panel about open issues and challenges. 
A power-pitch and a poster session will also be organized with posters hanging for the whole duration of the School, giving the students the opportunity to discuss their research topics with top experts in the field.

Travel grant program

Depending on the available funding, travel grants could be offered to PhD students.

Dates

Oct. 9-13, 2017. Registration will open on Sunday Oct. 8 and the event will open on Monday.

School Official Website

http://brainconnectomics.org

How to apply

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Sept. 15th, 2017

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE

Sept. 25th, 2017.

REGISTRATION FEES