Workshop Flyer (Download)

Last update: May 16th 2023

MSNE Guest talk by Prof. Reza Shadmehr

A MSNE talk hosted by MSNE Student Mohsen Rastegari.

Prof. Shadmehr kindly agreed to interact with MSNE students on the upcoming MSNE Student Retreat. Eextending the audience beyond this student retreat, we are announcing a talk at TUM, open for the scientific public:

Registration required: https://wiki.tum.de/display/eifak/MSNE+Guest+Talk+-+Prof.+Reza+Shadmehr

Date and Venue:
June 6th 2023, 18:00 CEST in room N1135

Title: Neural computations in the cerebellar cortex during control of a movement

Abstract: Damage to the cerebellum typically causes dysmetria, affecting endpoint accuracy. What is the cerebellum computing that is so important for stopping a movement? In the marmoset, we have been studying saccadic eye movements, using silicon probes to quantify both the information that the cerebellar cortex receives via mossy fibers and climbing fibers, and the output it produces via Purkinje cells (P-cells). Our results suggest that the input encodes two different kinds of information: the goal of the movement in sensory coordinates, and the ongoing commands in motor coordinates. The output, as computed by populations of P-cells, produces a burst that rises analogous to predicting the real-time displacement of the eyes, and then suddenly and synchronously is inhibited when the eyes need to decelerate and stop. Thus, we speculate that the cerebellar cortex is computing in real-time the sensory consequences of the motor commands until it reaches a bound, as set by the desired goal of the movement, at which point the P-cells synchronously disinhibit the nucleus, thus stopping the movement.

Bio: Reza Shadmehr was born in Tehran, Iran, and was fortunate to be allowed by his parents to immigrate to the United States when he was 14 years old. He was raised in Spokane, Washington by foster parents and attended Gonzaga University, earning a BS in Electrical Engineering. He was subsequently mentored in robotics at the University of Southern California by Michael Arbib, where he was an IBM Graduate Fellow, then was awarded a McDonnell-Pew Postdoctoral Fellowship to attend MIT, where he was mentored in computational neuroscience by Emilio Bizzi. After MIT, he joined the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Department, where he has remained his entire career. He has authored three books and is an elected Fellow of the AIMBE. His greatest accomplishment, however, has been mentoring students who have gone on to become good citizens and creative scientists.

Last update: May 8th 2023

MSNE Guest talk by Prof. Jordan Green

A MSNE talk hosted by Prof. Kristen Kozielski

Date and Venue:
June 26th 2023, 9.30 AM N1135

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Last update: Mar 1st 2023

Program Flyer (PDF Download)

Date and Venue:
June 27th 2023, 7 PM in Vorhoelzer Forum (TUM Main building, 5th floor)

Registration required: https://forms.gle/tmfjxAhaNNT55pft9

Last update: May 30th 2023

We are currently planning the third "MSNE Project Week" event.

This week is planned to be a combination of talks, workshops, discussions, lab tours and social events to encourage the onboarding of our new batch of MSNE students, in combination with workshops and a hackathon for sophomore students. One goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused and on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration, and wonder. In addition, we aim to provoke conversations that matter in the field of Neuroengineering. On top of that, visiting and seeing the labs where actual research is happening will considerably contribute to our mission. This will also profoundly connect MSNE students with the topics of Neuroengineering.

Contact for further questions is msne@ei.tum.de

MSNE Guest talk

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Last update: Apr 6th 2023

MSNE Guest talk - highly recommend to save the date, especially for MSNE students interested in entrepreneurship in neuro-x domain

Title: Brightmind.AI's journey from idea to MVP undergoing clinical studies

Abstract: TBA

brightmind.ai

Last update: May 4th 2023

MSNE Guest talk by Dr. Esma Ismailova

Title: Organic bioelectronic devices in neural interfacing

Date and Venue:
February 27th 2023, 4.00 PM, hybrid event (online & in-person)

Venue: Room D00.003 at LMU - Fakultät für Biologie, Biozentrum - Großhaderner Str. 2 - 82152 Planegg-Martinsried
and
Online: Zoom credentials will be provided in the registration confirmation email.

Registration required

The talk is hosted by Prof. Anton Sirota.

Abstract: In the past decade, there has been considerable interest in the development of Brain Computer Interface devices for basic research as well as for the diagnosis and treatment of numerous diseases. Since a key readout of brain function and dysfunction is an electrical activity, recording these signals is instrumental for many of these devices. Conducting polymers (CPs) have demonstrated the unique ability to conduct ions in addition to electronic charge carriers. Their integration allows for a more intimate coupling at the interface between the traditional microelectronics and biological tissue, which relies primarily on ion-based signaling. The “soft” nature of CPs results in better mechanical compatibility with biological environments than inorganic electronic materials, and allows for their simple processing onto a variety of flexible substrates often used in biomedical implants. These properties are essential for developing new tools for neuroscience, as current technology relies on highly invasive, penetrating probes that induce neural tissue damage and degrade signal quality. During this talk, I will review our latest advances in applying highly conformal CP-based devices to record electrophysiological signals from the brain. I will introduce the different examples of my recent work, covering the development of novel devices for neural interfacing in deep and surface EEG, and the fundamental understanding of conducting materials processing and signal recording rational.

Bio: Dr. Esma Ismailova is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioelectronics (BEL) at the Centre Microélectronique de Provence of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France. She received a Master’s Degree in Polymer Science and a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Physics through an Industrial Fellowship with STMicroelectronics from the University of Strasbourg. Her PhD work consisted of new generation photoresists development for high-resolution photolithography in semiconductor manufacturing. She held a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory for Organic Electronics at Cornell University, NY USA studying the interfaces between biological systems and electronics. She joined BEL department as a staff member working on the elaboration of microfabrication processes for soft neural implants based on organic electronic materials. During her career, Dr. Ismailova has initiated national and international projects to develop organic electronic interfaces with the human body to allow for multimodal health data collection essential in advancing next generation of personalized diagnostics and therapies. She is actively involved in projects including materials development for neural interfacing, wearable health monitoring, neuromorphic computing in data processing, as well as AI-guided device design.

Last update: Feb 14th 2023

MSNE Guest talk by Dr. Simon Nimpf

Date and Venue:
January 24th 2023, 6.30 PM N1135

The talk is hosted by MSNE team (msne@ei.tum.de)

Registration required

Title: Investigating the neural basis of magnetoreception in the pigeon

Abstract:

The remarkable ability of animals to navigate over long distances is at least in part mediated by sensing the Earth’s magnetic field. Behavioral experiments on a large number of taxonomically diverse species support the existence of magnetoreceptive systems, however, the underlying sensorineural structures remain elusive. In the Keays lab we investigate where and how a magnetic stimulus is transduced into a neuronal impulse and how this information is integrated in the central nervous system of pigeons. Employing neuronal activity mapping, whole brain clearing and light sheet microscopy we show that exposing pigeons to rotating magnetic fields leads to increased activity in the brainstem vestibular nuclei, the dorsal thalamus and regions of the mesopallium and hippocampus of pigeons. These experiments provide evidence for a magnetosensory neuronal pathway originating in the pigeon vestibular system. Physical calculations, modeling and molecular ablation studies further support the hypothesis that magnetic fields might be detected by voltage sensitive ion channels in the vestibular system through a process called electromagnetic induction.

Since Oct. 2021                      Post-doctoral researcher in the labs of Prof. David Keays and Prof. Laura Busse at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich; Project: Visual circuits in pigeons
2015 - 2020                              PhD in the laboratory of David Keays at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna; Project: Neuronal basis of magnetoreception in pigeons
2012 - 2015                              Master’s in Molecular Biology with a focus on Molecular Medicine at the University of Vienna
2009 - 2012                              Bachelor’s in Microbiology and Genetics at the University of Vienna

Last update: Dec.21th 2022

Within 2016-2022, MSNE invited more than 30 Researchers for guest talks, workshops, and other form of interaction with MSNE Students and researchers. --> Talks, Abstracts and Bio of Guests 2016 - 2022 (PDF)

First public screening of documentary movie "Neurofutures".
Download the Program Flyer

Date and Venue:

April 18th 2023, 8.00 PM N1179

Last update: Mar. 9th 2023

MSNE Students already received invitations.

In 2022, after a pause due to the pandemic, students organized a 4-day scientific retreat, returning to Ofterschwang (Allgäu, Germany).

More than 50 students joined, spanning several cohorts, supported by MSNE-Alumni Nogay Küpelioglu and Matthijs Pals, inviting scientic guests

• Prof. Solaiman Shokur (EPFL, Lausanne)
• Dr. Nataliya Kosmyna (MIT)
• Dr. Henry Shelvin (Cambridge University)

MSNE Students interested in joining the event may register using the link provided in Newsletter. Please save the date! Tentative schedule: morning + early afternoon, agenda will be provided soon

Initiative by Prof. Bernhard Wolfrum & team.

Contact for administrative questions: msne@ei.tum.de

The 3rd MSNE Retreat will take place in the wonderful region of Tyrol (Austria), more precisely in Brixlegg. A four-day event (May 30th - June 2nd 2019), eintirely organized by MSNE students, for MSNE students and invited guests.

This year's invited talks / guest researchers are (in alphabetical order):

• Prof. Albert Compte / Insitut d'Investigations Biomèdiques August Pi y Sunyer

• Dr. Nora Heinzelmann, LMU, (Munich/Germany)

• Prof. Emily King, Bremen University, (Germany)

• Prof. Tobias Reichenbach from Imperial College London (UK)

The event is designed and organized by MSNE-Students. A few tickets are available for students from other related study programs. Interested students are encouraged to contact (msne@ei.tum.de) latest by May 15th 2019.

Scientific guests have been Prof. Jakob Macke (recently appointed at TUM), Prof. Benjamin Grewe (ETH Zurich) and Prof. Thomas Euler (University of Tübingen). This second retreat was jointly organized by both student batches with 33 people contributing.

The students managed the full planning as a group, including proposal phase, budget issues, guest invitation as well as formal requirements coming from TUM administration. Attending guests have been Dr. Dmitry Fedosov (FZ Jülich), Prof. Heiko Neumann (Ulm University), and Prof. Matthias Bethge (Universität Tübingen).