Salk scientist Terrence Sejnowski elected to National Academy of Sciences

April 27, 2010

Salk scientist Terrence Sejnowski elected to National Academy of Sciences

April 27, 2010

拉霍亚，加州——索尔克研究所教授 特伦斯·J·塞吉诺斯基, Ph.D., whose work on neural networks helped spark the neural networks revolution in computing in the 1980s, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy made the announcement today during its 147th annual meeting in Washington, DC. Election to the Academy recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, and is considered one of the highest honors accorded a U.S. scientist.

“Terry is an extraordinary neuroscientist,” said Salk President William R. Brody. “His work has bridged computer science and neuroscience and has helped spur many advances in neuroscience. His election is a wonderful recognition of his pioneering accomplishments in computational neuroscience.”

A Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, Dr. Sejnowski tries to understand the computational resources of brains, and to build linking principles from brain to behavior using computational models. He pursues his goal by combining both experimental and modeling techniques to study the biophysical properties of synapses- the connections between brain cells- and the population dynamics of large networks of neurons. For example, he demonstrated that the release of chemical signals from nerves isn’t restricted to synapses, as neuroscientists had previously believed, but is mostly released outside the expected region.

他创建了神经元网络的计算机模型，以探索清醒大脑中注意力机制和睡眠大脑中的脑节律及其之间的联系。这些模型还有助于解释癫痫是如何由大脑回路失衡引起的。.

By studying how computer simulations can perform operations that resemble the activities of the cerebral cortex, Dr. Sejnowski hopes to gain new knowledge of how the human brain is capable of learning and storing memories. This knowledge ultimately may provide medical specialists with critical clues to combating Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders that rob people of the critical ability to remember faces, names, places and events.

As of today, 16 of the Salk Institute’s 60 faculty (about 27%) are members of the National Academy of Sciences.

关于特伦斯·J·塞尤诺斯基：

Dr. Sejnowski graduated from Case Western Reserve University, and earned his doctorate in physics at Princeton University. After completing post-doctoral research studies in biology at Princeton and in neurobiology at Harvard University, he held an appointment in the department of biophysics at Johns Hopkins University before he was appointed a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. In 1988, he joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he directs the Crick-Jacobs Center for Computational Neurobiology. He also heads the Institute for Neural Computation and co-directs the NSF Science of Learning Center, both at UCSD.

Dr. Sejnowski, who is also a member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has been the recipient of multiple honors, including the Wright Prize for interdisciplinary research from Harvey Mudd College, the Hebb Prize and the Neural Network Pioneer Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has published over 300 scientific papers and 12 books, including The Computational Brain, with UC San Diego professor of philosophy, Patricia Churchland.

About the National Academy of Sciences:

The National Academy of Sciences is an organization of scientists and engineers established by Congress and dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, which calls on the Academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology.

Additional information about the Academy is available at www.nasonline.org

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，其国际知名的教职人员在一个独特、协作和富有创造性的环境中，深入探究生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家们致力于发现和指导未来几代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默氏症、糖尿病和传染病的认识方面做出了开创性的贡献。.

学院取得了许多成就，获得了包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士在内的无数荣誉。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 博士于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.