INCF workshop

 

Overview
This workshop is designed to serve two primary roles: 1. To introduce basic issues and concepts in neuroinformatics and multiscale interactions in biology to Indian students and researchers. 2. To promote the definition of model exchange standards for multiscale systems in biology.

To achieve these goals, the workshop is structured with open sessions where students and other scientists are welcome to attend and participate; and brief closed sessions for each theme where the invited scientists will collate user requirements for each level of multiscale modeling. In addition, the first two days will have public lectures. Finally, the third day of the workshop will be entirely devoted to model exchange definition work among the invitees.

 

 

Biologically detailed modeling has expanded into many different directions, each with specialized numerical tools and unique approaches to representing data and defining models. Multiscale models are becoming increasingly important, as modelers seek to capture crucial biological phenomena that span scales and representations. The figure below illustrates the challenge for multiscale modeling: there are several sets of tools and approaches that tackle specific aspects of neuronal function. Several of these already have model definition languages, others are yet to be so formalized. NeuroML already serves to compose several levels of description (morphology, passive cable properties, channel composition) into neuronal model definitions. This meeting seeks to go the next step, to see how one can generally compose models that span many kinds of mathematical forms and model definitions, and couple this to definitions of experimental manipulations.

 

 

Schedule
The first four sessions will begin with an introduction to model specifications. Then there will be two or three 15-min 'user' presentations setting out the specific problems and user needs for a model definition.  The presenters will introduce their system, explain how models are currently defined in it, and give a wish list of things they will soon need from this definition.

Then there will be a closed discussion round to place these requirements in the context of current model specification capabilities, and other projects of the INCF. Each of these brief discussion rounds will aim to put a list of key points on the table for the main discussion session on Saturday.

The Saturday program (which can be extended as needed) is where we hope to pull together the discussion points and come up with specific proposals and responsibilities.

Schedule For Open Sessions