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 Membership Open for SNL
2012
The new
Society for the Neurobiology of Language website is live and
membership is open for the 2012 year. You must renew your membership
for 2012 to be eligible to submit an abstract and to receive
discounted registration rates. Membership is on a calendar year
basis.
To
renew your membership or join SNL, go to www.neurolang.org.
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NLC 2012 Scientific
Program
Consistent
with our developing tradition, the fourth annual meeting of the
Society for the Neurobiology of Language to be held October 25-25 in
San Sebastian, Spain will present two keynote speakers and two
scintillating debates about the role of the insula in speech and
language and the role of the angular gyrus in semantic processing.
State-of-the-art
keynotes will be delivered by Barbara L. Finlay and Nikos K.
Logothetis.
Keynote Session #1
Barbara K. Finlay
Beyond columns and areas: developmental gradients and
regionalization of the neocortex and their likely consequences for
functional organization.
Barbara
Finlay is a Professor of Psychology, Cornell University. Professor
Finlay holds the William R. Kenan Chair of Psychology and is
co-Editor of Brain and Behavioral Sciences. Finlay is an expert on
the evolution and development of sensory systems and the cerebral
cortex.
Keynote Session #2
Nikos K. Logothetis
In vivo Connectivity: Paramagnetic Tracers, Electrical
Stimulation & Neural-Event Triggered fMRI
Nikos
Logothetis is the Director of the Department of Cognitive Processes
at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tubingen,
Germany. Logothetis is well known for his studies of the
physiological mechanisms underlying visual perception and object
recognition as well as his more recent work on measurements of how
the functional magnetic resonance imaging signal relate to neural
activity.
Discussion Panel #1
Nina F. Dronkers vs Julius Fridriksson
What is the role of the insula in speech and
language?
Nina
Dronkers is the Director of the Center for Aphasia and Related
Disorders, and Adjunct Professor of Neurology and Language, U.C.
Davis, California. Dronkers is an expert in the Aphasia and more
generally the cerebral localization of language.
Julius
Fridriksson is a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders,
University of South Carolina, and Director of the Aphasia Laboratory,
UNC. Fridriksson is well known for his work in aphasia - neuroimaging
and treatment.
Discussion Panel #2
Matthew Lambon Ralph vs Jeffrey R. Binder
Role of Angular Gyrus in Semantic Processing
Matt
Lambon Ralph is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Associate
Vice-President Research, University of Manchester, U.K. His lab uses
neuropsychology, computational modeling, TMS, and functional
neuroimaging to investigage semantic memory, language, recovery,
rehabilitation, and neuroplasticity.
Jeffrey Binder, M.D. is a Professor of Neurology at
the Medical College of Wisconsin and Director of the Language Imaging
Laboratory. Professor Binder has made important contributions on the
neural basis of language (esp. speech and word recognition) and is
the incoming president of SNL.
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Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Cal for Submissions
April 13, 2012
Submissions Deadline
June 25, 2012
NLC 2012
October 25-27, 2012
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Job Postings & Announcements
If you have a job posting, general announcement or a
conference/workshop posting you would like to include in the SNL
newsletter,
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Job Postings and Announcements
Postdoctoral
Position/Cognitive Neuroscience Language Lab/U. Maryland
Applications
are solicited for a postdoctoral position in the Cognitive Neuroscience
of Language lab at the University of Maryland Department of Linguistics
to conduct fMRI research on written and spoken language comprehension.
This postdoctoral fellow will work with Dr. Ellen Lau to implement fMRI
research projects, oversee the establishment of fMRI analysis
pipelines, and provide support to PhD students conducting fMRI
experiments. The appointment would be for one year beginning in Fall or
Winter 2012, with possibility of renewal for a second year. Applicants
should have a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, linguistics,
or a related field, and demonstrated experience conducting language
processing research with fMRI. International applicants are welcome.
The
Department of Linguistics (http://ling.umd.edu)
is part of a large and vibrant community of language scientists across
the UMD campus (http://languagescience.umd.edu/).
The 3T MRI scanner was installed on campus last year as the centerpiece
of the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center, and the department also houses
state-of-the-art facilities for conducting EEG and MEG research.
Applicants
should send a cover letter, a statement of research interests, relevant
manuscripts and publications, and 3 letters of reference to Dr. Ellen
Lau at ellenlau@umd.edu.
The
information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it
is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and
the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Partners
Compliance HelpLine at http://www.partners.org/complianceline .
If the e-mail was sent to you in error but does not contain patient
information, please contact the sender and properly dispose of the
e-mail.
Several
Post-bac Positions Available at the University of Maryland
The
University of Maryland is looking to fill up to five full-time
positions for post-bac researchers. Starting date: Summer/Fall 2012.
Salary competitive, with benefits. The positions are ideal for
graduates interested in gaining research experience in a very active
lab as preparation for a research career. US or Canadian citizens or
permanent residents only; BA or BS required by time of appointment. The
ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people (and
machines) is a distinct advantage. Applicants may request to be
considered for all five positions. Positions are open until filled, but
best consideration date is April 20th.
Positions #1-#2: Baggett Research Fellowships
Baggett
Fellowships are full-time positions. Fellows can pursue research in
linguistics, cognitive (neuro-)science, or computational modeling of
language. 1-2 positions are available for 2012-2013. Positions are for
1 year and not renewable. Contact: Andrea Zukowski, zukowski@umd.edu. Further details
including faculty mentor list at: http://www.ling.umd.edu/baggett
Position #3: Research Assistant in
Psycholinguistics/Cognitive Neuroscience
This
person will be involved in studies of language comprehension using
behavioral and electrophysiological techniques (training provided). The
person will also contribute to Maryland's IGERT training program in
Language Science, http://languagescience.umd.edu.
Previous research experience preferred. 1 year initial appointment,
possibility of extension. Contact: Colin Phillips, colin@umd.edu.
Position #4: Research Assistant in
Psycholinguistics/Cognitive Neuroscience
This
person will be involved in projects examining language comprehension
with behavioral and neurophysiological methods including ERP, MEG, and
fMRI (training provided). Previous experience in linguistics and/or
language processingis preferred; reasonable comfort with basic
programming and statistics is a significant plus. 1 year initial
appointment with possibility of extension. Contact: Ellen Lau, ellenlau@umd.edu.
Position #5: MEG Laboratory Manager
This
person will play a leading role in the operation of an MEG facility
managed by the Department of Linguistics but serving researchers from
many departments. The person will be trained as an expert user and will
guide other users, coordinate resources, and manage the smooth daily
operation of the lab. The person will also help to coordinate the
relocation of the lab to the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center.
Opportunities to participate in research projects and a range of other
intellectual activities in language and cognitive neuroscience.
Previous lab experience preferred. Prior experience with MEG is NOT
required. 1 year initial appointment, with the possibility of
extension.
Contact:
lab co-directors Colin Phillips (Linguistics, colin@umd.edu) or Jonathan Simon
(Electrical Engineering, jzsimon@umd.edu).
Applicants
for any of the positions should submit a cover letter outlining
relevant background and interests, including potential faculty mentors;
current CV; writing sample; names and contact information for 3
referees. Letters are not needed for the initial application. All
application materials should be submitted electronically. Individuals
may submit one application and specify which positions they are
interested in.
The
Department of Linguistics has facilities for testing of infants,
children and adults, 2 eye-tracking labs, ERP and MEG labs. The
department is part of a vibrant language science community of 200
researchers across 10 departments.
INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM ON IMITATION AND CONVERGENCE IN SPEECH (ISICS 2012)
Aix-en-Provence, France, 3-5 September 2012
Second call for communications - Website: http://isics2012.sciencesconf.org/
OVERVIEW
In the
course of a conversational interaction, the behavior of each talker
often tends to become more similar to that of the conversational
partner. Such convergence effects have been shown to manifest
themselves under many different forms, which include posture, body
movements, facial expressions, and speech. Imitative speech behavior is
a phenomenon that may be actively exploited by talkers to facilitate
their conversational exchange. It occurs, by definition, within a
social interaction, but has consequences for language that extend much
beyond the temporal limits of that interaction. It has been suggested
that imitation plays an important role in speech development and may
also form one of the key mechanisms that underlie the emergence and
evolution of human languages. The behavioral tendency shown by humans
to imitate others may be connected at the brain level with the presence
of mirror neurons, whose discovery has raised important issues about
the role that these neurons may fulfill in many different domains, from
sensorimotor integration to the understanding of others' behaviour.
The focus
of this international symposium will be the fast-growing body of research
on convergence phenomena between speakers in speech. The symposium will
also aim to assess current research on the brain and cognitive
underpinnings of imitative behavior. Our main goal will be to bring
together researchers with a large variety of scientific backgrounds
(linguistics, speech sciences, psycholinguistics, experimental
sociolinguistics, neurosciences, cognitive sciences) with a view to
improving our understanding of the role of imitation in the production,
comprehension and acquisition of spoken language.
The
symposium is organized by the laboratoire Parole et Langage, CNRS and
Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France (www.lpl.univ-aix.fr). It will be
chaired by Noell Nguyen (LPL) and Marc Sato (GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble), and
will be held in the Maison Medditerranenne des Sciences Humaines.
INVITED
SPEAKERS
Luciano
Fadiga, University of Ferrara, Italy
Maeva
Garnier, GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble, France
Simon
Garrod, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Beatrice
Szczepek Reed, University of York, United Kingdom
CALL FOR
PAPERS
Papers
are invited on the topics covered by the symposium. Abstracts not
exceeding 2 pages must be submitted electronically and in pdf format by
15 April 2012 (http://isics2012.sciencesconf.org/).
They will be selected by the Scientific Committee on the basis of their
scientific merit and relevance to the symposium. Notifications of
acceptance/rejection will be sent to the authors by 31 May 2012.
IMPORTANT
DATES
- 15
April 2012: Abstract submission deadline
- 31 May
2012: Notification of acceptance / rejection
- 30 June
2012: Early registration deadline
13th
Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW13) to be held in San
Sebastian (Spain) from July 12-14, 2012
We
cordially invite you to participate in the 13th Neural Computation and
Psychology Workshop (NCPW13) to be held in San Sebastian (Spain) from
July 12-14, 2012: http://www.bcbl.eu/events/ncpw13
This
well-established and lively workshop aims at bringing together
researchers from different disciplines such as artificial intelligence,
cognitive science, computer science, neurobiology, philosophy and
psychology to discuss their work on models of cognitive processes.
Previous themes have encompassed categorisation, language, memory,
development, action. There will be no specific theme, but papers must
be about emergent models -- frequently, but not necessarily -- of the
connectionist/neural network kind, applied to cognition. These
workshops have always been characterised by their limited size, high
quality papers, the absence of parallel talk sessions, and a schedule
that is explicitly designed to encourage interaction among the
researchers present in an informal setting.
Furthermore,
this workshop will feature a unique set of invited speakers:
- Mark
Seidenberg. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
- Jeffrey
Elman. University of California, San Diego. USA.
- Randall
C. O'Reilly. University of Colorado. USA.
- Kim
Plunkett. University of Oxford, UK.
Important
dates to remember:
Abstract
deadline: March 31st, 2012
Notification
of abstract acceptance: May 1st, 2012
Early
registration deadline: June 1st, 2012
Online
registration deadline: July 1st, 2012
Conference
dates: July 12 - 14, 2012
The Rumelhart Memorial Travel awards, generously funded
by Professor Jay McClelland, will provide funding to support travel
costs for students presenting at the conference. Awards of US$250 are available
to students from Western European countries, and US$750 for students
from elsewhere.
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SAVE THE DATE for NLC 2012
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Society
for the Neurobiology of Language
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