Seminars

The GSC coordinates a series of seminar hosted in both the Fall and Spring semesters for the benefit of the graduate student community. In the Fall the speaker series is hosted by the GSC and is known as the Distinguished BME Lecture — the full schedule of speakers can be found here. In the Spring the speaker series is hosted by the BME Department as part of its Faculty Search Lectures — the full schedule of speakers can be found on BME GSC Calendar. In addition to Department Seminars, the GSC also coordinates Student Seminars as a venue to practice presentation skills and bounce ideas off peers.

 

[Student Seminar] 12/12/17 Lia Bonacci

By Joanna ChiuDecember 10th, 2017in Grad Seminar
Please join us on Tuesday, December 12th at 1:00pm in ERB 203 for our next BME Student Seminar. Our goal is to create a laid-back environment where BME grad students can share their research and get feedback from their peers. Lia Bonacci will be presenting her research on the Cocktail Party Problem. Come by to learn about his work, provide feedback, and (of course) enjoy lunch with your peers!

When: Tuesday, December 12th 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Where: ERB 203

Title: Neural Correlates of Selective Attention: Enhancing Communication at the Cocktail Party

Abstract: Interaction with the outside world is guided by the ability to direct and maintain attention, selecting objects of interest while simultaneously suppressing distractors. However, many individuals struggle to communicate in noisy environments—settings in which a multitude of stimuli constantly compete for attention. In these settings, it would be useful to monitor where an individual is directing their attention. This ability would make it possible to assist in object selection, enhancing how well a listener understands surrounding stimuli. Selective attention has been shown to modulate the neural response to both auditory and visual stimuli. Yet the neural mechanisms underlying selective attention are still not well understood. Electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to examine these mechanisms, namely through measurement of event-related potentials and oscillatory power.  Using EEG, we will identify neural correlates of selective attention to dynamic auditory and visual stimuli. By doing so, we hope to gain insight into the neural mechanisms that underlie selective attention in both sensory modalities. In addition, these correlates will form the feature space for a classifier that can reliably determine where an individual has directed attention in a complex scene. The goal of this work is to assess the degree to which EEG can be used in real time to monitor direction of attention and assist communication in noisy environments.

GSC Grad Student Seminars is a laid-back way to share research with your peers. We welcome practices for talks, prospectus, thesis defense, research rants, science discussions, and anything in between. Interested in presenting or leading a discussion? Sign up here, or nominate a peer whose research you're curious about.

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Special Student Seminar 12/5/17

By Joanna ChiuDecember 10th, 2017in Grad Seminar
Please join us on December 5th at 1:00pm in ERB 203 for our next BME Student Seminar. This month, we'll be having a special seminar regarding graduate student life, led by our executive co-chair, Andrew Acevedo. Come discuss the PhD Experience, and enjoy lunch with your peers!
When: Tuesday, December 5th , 1 - 2 PM
Where: ERB 203
Andrew Acevedo, GSC Executive Co-Chair
Some Thoughts on the Modern PhD Experience
In a special edition of the student seminar series, we will be talking about the graduate student experience and being in a PhD program in 2017. The discussion will be centered around the National Graduate Survey conducted by Nature which explored career development and PhD program satisfaction of grad students internationally. The discussion will also touch on some current events in the news pertaining to graduate students. Relevant initiatives being pursued at the GSC, Department, and University level will be highlighted. We hope for this to open up to a conversation about people's experiences and views.

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Student Seminar Speed Presentations

By Joanna ChiuSeptember 26th, 2017in Grad Seminar
When: Tuesday, September 26th, 4:00 - 5:30pm
Where: LSEB 103

Please join us on Tuesday, September 26th at 4:00pm in LSEB 103 for our next BME Graduate Student Seminar. Our goal for this seminar is to expose you to a range of research going on in the BME department, and help set expectations for your rotation projects. Several current students will share their current or past research with you. Due to the speakers' scheduling restrictions, we'll start the talks at ~4:30. Feel free to show up early to mingle and enjoy Otto's Pizza with your peers!

Presenters:
Anup Tank Robyler Lab
Christine Nykyforchyn Waxman Lab
Joshua Kays Dennis Lab
Raeef Istfan Robyler Lab
Sam Ghilardi Dennis Lab
Sanaya Shroff Han Lab
Shwan Javadan Sgro Lab

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