The OpenBehavior project is organizing a workshop on open source tools for neuroscience research immediately prior to the 2023 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The workshop will be held on November 10-11 2023 at American University in Washington, DC, USA. It is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (CIBR: The OpenBehavior Project, 1948181) and the Center for Neuroscience and Behavior at American University. There is no cost for attending the workshop.
The session on Friday, November 10 will include talks by the developers of some of the most commonly used open source tools, an extended discussion on how to integrate multiple open source tools into experimental setups, and time for attendees to meet with developers to discuss, and in some cases try out, tools featured in the workshop. Space is still available for attendees in this main session of the workshop.
The session on Saturday, November 11 will cover basic skills for 3D design and printing and the use of microcontrollers, such as Arduino, in experimental rigs and for data collection. It will be held in the Design and Build Lab at American University, which is a fully stocked workspace for digital and analog fabrication. This part of the workshop is now fully enrolled, and a waiting list has been created. We will reach out to those interested in participating in this part of the workshop if spaces become available.
Update on Saturday, August 19: Enrollment for the workshop has now reached capacity and the form below is no longer accepting applications.
To apply to attend the workshop, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/aBsL36F6VcKSFYePA
The application requests a brief statement about why you would like to attend the workshop and completing a survey on how you use open source tools in your research. We are able to accommodate up to 50 attendees for the session on Friday, November 10 and up to 20 participants for the workshop on Saturday, November 11. Priority for registration will be given to trainees and those interested in the session on 3D printing and microcontrollers would also attend the Friday session.
Schedule
Friday session: Open source tools for neuroscience research
9:00-9:30 Introduction to workshop (Mark Laubach, Lex Kravitz, Jibran Khokhar)
9:30-10:30 Behavioral tools
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- Meaghan Creed (WashU), Bruno Cruz (Bonsai), Talmo Pereira (Salk)
10:30-11:00 Coffee and tea
11:00-12:00 Integrated systems
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- Cecilia Herbert (Open Ephys), Daniel Aharoni (UCLA Miniscope), Tim Bussey (Touchscreen Cognition & MouseBytes)
12:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30-15:00 Integration of multiple tools
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- Sean Bradley (NIMH), Elizabeth Glover (UIC), Eric Yttri (CMU), Discussant: Mark Laubach (AU)
15:00-17:30 Open time with speakers and developers
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- Coffee, tea, and other refreshments will be available
- This part of the workshop will allow attendees to meet with the speakers and developers to discuss how to setup and use open source tools
- In addition to the speakers list above, this session will include Dan Palmer from TouchScreen Cognition, Carlee Toddes from the SimBA project, Abbie Schindler from the SIP project, and Alex Smith from the PiRATeMC project. If you are an attendee who would like to participate in this part of the workshop, please let us know!
Saturday session: Tutorials on 3D printing and microcontrollers
8:00-10:00 Introduction to 3D printing and microcontrollers (Arduino)
- Instructors: Gustavo Abbott (Director of the Design and Build Lab at American University) and OpenBehavior team members Mark Laubach, Lex Kravitz, Samantha White, Kevin Chavez Lopez, and Jude Frie.
- The workshop officially ends at 10 AM, as part of an agreement with SfN for this official satellite event. However, the Design and Build Lab will remain open after the workshop and staff from the OpenBehavior project will be available for attendees who wish to work on 3D design and printing and/or microcontroller programming or circuits after the workshop.