How genomes make neural networks
WTI Inspiring Speaker: P. Robin Hiesinger
Thursday, January 23, 2025
4:00 - 5:15 pm
Reception to follow
100 College Street
Floor 11, Workshop 1116
New Haven, CT 06510
Biological neural networks grow through genome-driven processes that can encode entire behavioral sequences prior to learning: babies, in contrast to current AI systems, are not born with empty networks and switched on to learn. But how does a genome 'encode' information in a neural network? To answer this question, it helps to observe how neurons choose to connect in their natural habitat: the developing brain. The Hiesinger lab has pioneered live imaging of such adolescent neuronal behavior, including cooperation, self-organization, competition, and fights for life and death in their search for partners. Such genome-driven processes ensure flexibility and robustness and that there is no fundamental limit to how much information the growth process can encode in a neural network.
Hiesinger will be hosted by Damon Clark (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Physics; Neuroscience).
WTI Inspiring Speaker Series
The Wu Tsai Institute presents the 2024-25 Inspiring Speaker Series.
The Institute’s new signature series features an interdisciplinary lineup of speakers studying the mind and brain from different angles, including perspectives from beyond academia. These speakers were selected for their ability to bridge and communicate across disciplines with state-of-the-art research and ideas relevant to the entire Wu Tsai Community.
Talks occur on Thursdays at 4:00 pm approximately every two weeks, beginning September 2024. They take place in the Workshop on the 11th floor of the Wu Tsai Institute at 100 College Street. There will be an opportunity for questions and a reception following each talk.
All members of the Yale community are welcome. Please contact wti@yale.edu if you have any accessibility-related needs. View upcoming talks and subscribe to our monthly newsletter for updates.