Dear Colleagues:
This meeting may be of interest to many.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers
Jerry
_____________
On Friday, December 5, 2003, at the 2169th meeting of the
Philosophical Society of Washington, Paul So & Ernest Barreto,
George Mason University, will speak on "Synchrony in Nature: From
Clocks to Neurons." (Further information is provided below.)
Date and Time: Friday, December 5, 2003, 8:15 PM
Sponsor: Philosophical Society of Washington
Title: "Synchrony in Nature: From Clocks to Neurons"
Speakers: Paul So & Ernest Barreto, George Mason University
Location: the John Wesley Powell Auditorium at the Cosmos Club, 2170
Florida Avenue NW, Washington DC.
Contact person: Michael P. Cohen, 202-366-9949, mcohen@cpcug.org
One of nature's most amazing sights is the rhythmic, synchronized
flashing of thousands upon thousands of fireflies on riverbanks in
Southeast Asia. This is a particularly dramatic example of a general
phenomenon that has been garnering more and more attention from
scientists: The ability of individual rhythmic elements of all
sorts-fireflies, clocks, pacemaker cells of the heart, neurons of the
brain-to synchronize with one another. I will review the development
of our current understanding of synchronization, which dates back to
Huygens, and emphasize the pioneering work of Winfree, Kuramoto,
Strogatz, and others. This leads to the larger question of how more
general collective behavior emerges from large collections of
interacting elements. Finally, I will review our own work in the
biological context of interacting neurons.
About the Speakers:
Paul So is theoretical physicist specializing in nonlinear dynamics.
He obtained his PhD from the Chaos Group at the University of
Maryland. His previous work includes development of control theory
for high dimensional chaotic systems, theory and experimental work in
quantum chaos, identification and characterization of synchronization
in chaotic systems, and dynamical reconstruction using both observer
techniques and unstable periodic orbits. His roles in the George
Mason University Krasnow Institute for Advanced Studies Neural
Dynamics Laboratory include development of new theoretical
understanding of dynamical systems, the development of new analysis
techniques for nonlinear systems, and their application to neuronal
data.
Ernest Barreto works on nonlinear dynamics and chaos. He also
obtained his PhD from the Chaos Group at the University of Maryland.
Recent interests include emergence in coupled maps, control and
synchronization of chaotic systems, the structure of the parameter
space of such systems, and shadow ability (which involved the
relationship between numerical simulations and mathematically
accurate solutions). He is also affiliated with the Neural Dynamics
Laboratory, applying nonlinear dynamics methods to the study of
neuronal systems and EEG data. He was the third-place male grand
champion in the 2002 International Whistler's Convention, with a
performance of the Adagio and Rondo movements of the Mozart Flute
Quartet in D.
Paul So and Ernest Barreto work collaboratively on the topics of
nonlinear dynamics, chaos, and neural dynamics.
The Philosophical Society of Washington, the oldest local scientific
society of the Washington DC area, holds periodic scientific lectures
intended for a general audience. For more information about the
Philosophical Society of Washington, see
http://www.philsoc.org
Michael P. Cohen, Treasurer
Philosophical Society of Washington
michael.cohen@bts.gov
phone 202-366-9949 fax 202-366-3385
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Received on Wed Nov 26 10:18:28 2003
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