Waterloo researchers build giant brain

a news release from the media relations office.

A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo has built the world's largest simulation of a functioning brain. It can help scientists understand how the complex activity of the brain gives rise to the complex behaviour exhibited by animals, including humans.

The model is called Spaun, which stands for Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network. It consists of 2.5 million simulated neurons. The model captures biological details of each neuron, including which neurotransmitters are used, how voltages are generated in the cell, and how cells communicate. Spaun uses this network of neurons to
process visual images in order to control an arm that draws Spaun’s answers to perceptual, cognitive, and motor tasks. The research team's findings appear in this week's issue of the journal Science.

"This is the first model that begins to get at how our brains can perform a wide variety of tasks in a flexible manner—how the brain coordinates the flow of information between different areas to exhibit complex behaviour," said Professor Chris Eliasmith, Director of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at Waterloo (pictured above). He is a Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Neuroscience, and professor in the Department of Philosophy and Department of Systems Design Engineering.

Unlike other large brain models, Spaun can perform several tasks. Researchers can show patterns of digits and letters the model's eye, which it then processes, causing it to write
its responses to any of eight tasks. And, just like the human brain, it can shift from task to task, recognizing an object one moment and memorizing a list of numbers the next. Because of its biological underpinnings, Spaun can also be used to understand how changes to the brain affect changes to behaviour.

"In related work, we have shown how the loss of neurons with aging leads to decreased performance on cognitive tests," said Eliasmith. "More generally, we can test our hypotheses about how the brain works, resulting in a better understanding of the effects of drugs or damage to the brain.”

In addition, the model provides new insights into the sorts of algorithms that might be useful for improving machine intelligence. For instance, it suggests new methods for controlling the flow of information through a large system attempting to solve challenging
cognitive tasks.

Professor Eliasmith has written a book on the research. "How To Build A Brain" will be on shelves this winter. Videos about the project are available online.

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Student injured at south campus entrance

Police reported that yesterday a University of Waterloo student was struck by a car at the south entrance to campus, receiving light injuries.

The collision occurred just after 1:00 p.m., as the student was crossing University Avenue on a red light after leaving campus. A vehicle moving through the intersection on a green light struck the student.

Waterloo Regional Police Services has charged the student with an offence under section 144 of Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, which sets out rules for pedestrians at intersections that include not crossing when facing a red or amber indication, and when facing a flashing or solid "don't walk" light.

"We are relieved to hear that the student's injuries are minor," said Dan Anderson, director of police services. "And everyone—drivers, cyclists and pedestrians—has an obligation to follow the rules of the road and heed traffic lights."

"Safety is paramount, and it is much safer for all users of our roadways if we obey the law."

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Wallace named open data ambassador

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has named University of Waterloo Chief Information Officer David Wallace an Access By Design (AbD) Ambassador.

Wallace is one of four people to be named an AbD Ambassador, and joins a group of thought leaders committed to ensuring open and transparent access to government-held information by following the 7 fundamental principles of the Access by Design movement championed by Ann Cavoukian, the province’s information and privacy commissioner.

Access by Design, according to Dr. Cavoukian, “consists of fundamental principles that encourage public institutions to take a proactive approach to releasing information, making the disclosure of government-held information an automatic process where possible – access as the default.”

The principles include a proactive rather than reactive approach to sharing information, embedding access into the design of public programs, openness and transparency as part of a culture of accountability, encouraging collaboration between citizens and governments in utilizing public data, enhancing efficiency, making information easily available, and ensuring that information is accurate.

“I am very honoured to receive this designation,” says Wallace.

Wallace received the ambassadorship based on his work with open data at the City of Toronto and also applying privacy and access principles in the Ontario government’s enterprise architecture.

Wallace’s work in the area of open data now continues at the University of Waterloo. “At UW, I see the privacy by design and accessibility by design principles applying to our open data directions,” he says. “We are well underway with an open data site and guidelines, and I see this as a continuing trend at the university."

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Notes at the close of November

As lectures come to an end and students prepare for their exams, there's no shortage of exciting things going on.

If you're waiting until the last minute to donate to someone's Movember campaign, now is the time. The razor blades will come out in force tomorrow. I'm happy to publish any "before" and "after" photos showing participants' progress.

The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) will be holding its Fall General Meeting on Tuesday, December 4 at 10:00 a.m. in MC 4059. Agenda items include an amendment to the memorandum of agreement, daycare, per diems, pensions and copyright. Refreshments will be served.

Professor William Press (right), the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), will be on campus Tuesday to deliver the latest talk in the University of Waterloo Lecture Series entitled "What’s So Special About Science – And How Much Should We Spend On It?”

Press is the Warren J. and Viola M. Raymer Professor in Computer Science and in Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of President Barack Obama's Science and Technology Advisory Council.

The lecture is free (RSVP for a ticket) and will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Theatre of the Arts in the Modern Languages Building.

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