Marder, Epstein & Volen Celebration on Nov. 17

"Oscillators: Chemicals, Neurons and People: A Celebration of Eve Marder, Irving Epstein and the Volen National Center for Complex Systems”

November 17, 2019
Schwartz Auditorium, Schwartz

A celebration of Eve Marder and Irving Epstein being named University Professors and 30th anniversary of the founding of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17. The title of University Professor is the highest designation Brandeis bestows on a faculty member. The afternoon symposium, located in the Schwartz Auditorium, is open to the entire community.

Marder, the Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of Neuroscience, studies the dynamics of small neuronal networks. Epstein, the Henry F. Fischbach Professor of Chemistry, focuses on nonlinear chemical dynamics, particularly pattern formation, oscillating reactions, chaos and the behavior of complex networks. Both professors were instrumental in the opening of the Volen Center building 25 years ago. The Center houses Neuroscience, Computer Science, Linguistics and Biochemistry faculty who are involved in the study of the brain and intelligence.

Celebration Agenda

• 1:00 PM: Opening remarks: Leslie Griffith, Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems
• 1:30 PM: Panel Discussion: “Oscillators: Chemicals, Neurons and People”
  

  Moderator: Gina Turrigiano, Joseph Levitan Professor of Vision Science

  Panelists:

  Jorge Golowasch, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology

  Nancy Kopell, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University

  Horacio Rotstein, Professor of  Mathematical Biology & Computational Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology

  Frances Skinner, Senior Scientist, Krembil Research Institute and Professor, Division of Neurology, Departments of Medicine and Physiology, University of Toronto 

• 2:30 PM: Coffee 
• 3:00 PM: Irving Epstein “How I Wandered Into an Oscillatory State”
• 4:00 PM: Eve Marder “The Challenges Posed by Neuronal Oscillators That Are Both Stable and Plastic”
• 5:00 PM: Closing remarks: Leslie Griffith