[vslist] call for PhD applications to CELEST

[Cynthia Bradford]

Call for PhD applications to the
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR LEARNING 
IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY (CELEST) 
http://cns.bu.edu/CELEST 
Boston University, Brandeis University, MIT, University of Pennsylvania

A new National Science Foundation Center grant, called CELEST, has just been
funded. It offers exciting opportunities to earn a PhD for students from a
wide range of backgrounds, including psychology, biology, mathematics,
computer science, physics, and engineering. CELEST will solve fundamental
problems of learning that involve autonomous real-time learning systems by
integrating experimental and computational brain science, biologically
inspired technology, and classroom innovation. The new Center brings
together educators, scientists, and technologists to carry out four types of
mutually reinforcing and integrated activities: (1) quantitative behavioral
and brain modeling of both normal and abnormal learning processes during
perception, cognition, emotion, and action; (2) interdisciplinary cognitive
and neuroscience experiments to probe these processes and to test model
predictions; (3) development of algorithms, based on biological learning
models, for incremental fast learning about complex and rapidly changing
environments in large-scale engineering and technological applications that
are important in many areas of society; and (4) integration of research and
education through contributions to educational technology, curriculum
development, and early career recruitment of underrepresented communities
into scientific practice. CELEST will also include a wide range of
activities, including collaborative research teams, seminars, workshops,
conferences, retreats, and educational outreach activities. A summary of
CELEST goals, activities, and personnel can be found at
http://cns.bu.edu/CELEST.

Students who are interested in the PhD opportunities in CELEST should write
directly to the relevant departments listed at http://cns.bu.edu/CELEST.
These departments are the Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems at
Boston University (contact Mr. Robin Amos, amos at cns.bu.edu), the Brain,
Behavior, and Cognition Program in the Department of Psychology at Boston
University (contact http://www.bu.edu/psych/), the Volen Center for Complex
Systems at Brandeis University (contact vision at brandeis.edu), the Department
of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT (contact Professor Earl Miller,
ekmiller at mit.edu), and the Department of Psychology at the University of
Pennsylvania (contact Professor Michael Kahana, kahana at psych.upenn.edu).