Dear ISHers, 

Here are a few of announcements:
(1) Reminder: Call for nomination for the 2025 David Hull Prize - deadline Feb 15th 2025
(2) Center for Philosophy of Science seminar: Edouard Machery - January 17th
(3) Conference: "Theorizing and Modeling in Neuroscience" - January 16th-17th

Have a good day, 
Lucie

(1) Call for nomination for the 2025 David Hull Prize

The David L. Hull Prize is a biennial prize established in 2011 by ISHPSSB to honor the life and legacy of David L. Hull (1935–2010). It is awarded to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to scholarship and service in ways that promote interdisciplinary connections between history, philosophy, social studies, and biology and foster the careers of younger scholars. These are strengths that reflect the contributions of David Hull to our professions and to our Society.

Nominations for the Hull Prize are now open for consideration by the 2025 David Hull Prize Committee. The nomination packet should include the following materials:

1. Nominator's name and email address,
2. nominee's name and email address,
3. a full CV of the nominee,
4. citation text (maximum of 1000 words),
5. and a minimum of two and a maximum of four letters of nomination, each signed by at least one member of ISHPSSB.

Those who submitted nominations in the last recent past are encouraged to resubmit an updated nomination packet.

Nomination packets should be sent as PDF attachments to the chair of the 2025 David Hull Prize Committee, Prof. Gregory Radick ([log in to unmask]), with "Hull Prize" in the subject heading. Nominations should be received no later than 15 February 2025. The Hull Prize Committee will inform the nominator of the outcome of their decision process in late March/early April.

Gregory Radick
Chair of the David L. Hull Prize Committee

(2) Center for Philosophy of Science seminar: Edouard Machery January 17th
The Center for Philosophy of Science invites you to join us for our first Lunch Time Talk of the Spring semester.  Attend in person, Room 1117 on the 11th floor of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

Lunch Time Talk -   Edouard Machery
Friday, January 17 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
To follow along via Zoom, use this link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/99540534472

Title: The Untenable Status Quo: The Concept of Representation in the Neural and Psychological Sciences
Abstract: In this talk review the evidence that the concept of representation used in neuroscience and psychology is both unclear and confused. I then discussed why the concept of representation has these two features, arguing that appearances to the contrary lack of clarity and confusion are functional.


(3) Conference: "Theorizing and Modeling in Neuroscience" 

Schmid College of Science and Technology, the D.Sc. Program in Mathematics, Philosophy, and Physics, the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Sciences present a conference on the topic of "Theorizing and Modeling in Neuroscience" to be held at Chapman University, CA, on January 16-17, 2025.

The conference is co-organized by Marco Panza, Thomas Pradeu, Michael Ibba, Uri Maoz, and Aaron Schurger.

The conference will take place in Argyros Forum Boardroom 212 at Chapman University, and the talks may be viewed live via Zoom with the link below:
https://chapman.zoom.us/j/97819217405  
Meeting ID: 978 1921 7405
Passcode: 02051914

Schedule (Pacific time, UTC-8):

Thursday, 1/16/25
8:15am - 9:15am - Coffee and Breakfast in Argyros Forum 201
9:15am - 9:30am - Michael Ibba: Introductory Remarks

Session 1: Neuroscience & AI
9:30am - 10:30am - James L. McClelland: “Comparing Human and Artificial Intelligence: Functions, Computations, and Architectures”
10:30am - 11:00am - Coffee Break

Session 2: Beyond the Brain
11:00am - 12:00pm - Sarkis Mazmanian: “The Gut Microbiome Modulates Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease Models”
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Michael Levin: “Neuroscience Beyond Neurons: How Somatic Bioelectricity Implements an Unconventional Intelligence”
1:00pm - 2:00pm - Lunch in Argyros Forum 201
Session 3: Social & Emotional Perspectives
2:00pm - 3:00 pm - Carolyn Parkinson: “The Brain in the Social World: Integrating Approaches from Neuroscience, Psychology and Social Network Analysis”
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Ralph Adolphs: “Functionalism, Emotion, and the Brain”
4:00pm - 4:30pm - Coffee Break in Argyros Forum 201
Session 4: Neuroscience of Action
4:30pm - 5:30pm -  Uri Maoz: “A Spiking-Neural-Network Model for Slow Ramping in the Human Brain”
5:30pm - 6:30pm - Adina L. Roskies: “Inference in Neuroimaging and the Problem of Cognitive Ontology”
7:00pm - 9:00pm - Dinner at O SEA (109 S Glassell St, Orange, CA 92866)


Friday, 1/17/25
8:15am - 9:15am - Coffee and Breakfast in Argyros Forum 201

Session 5: Neural Circuit Models
9:15am - 10:15am - Jean Petitot: "Geometrical Models for the Functional Architecture of the Visual Area V1"
10:15am - 11:15am - William Newsome: "Dynamical Systems as Mechanistic, Explanatory Models in Neuroscience"
11:15am - 11:45pm - Coffee Break in Argyros Forum 201
Session 6: Memory
11:45am - 12:45pm - Michael A Yassa: “Episodic Memory in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease”
12:45pm - 1:45pm - Lunch in Argyros Forum 201
Session 7: Perception
1:45pm - 2:45pm - Megan Peters: “Towards Quantifying Qualitative Experience: Introspective Psychophysics”
2:45pm - 3:45pm - Aaron Schurger: “Transient Stability in Attractor Networks as a Mechanism for Perceptual Decision Making and Action Initiation”
3:45pm - 4:15pm - Coffee Break in Argyros Forum 201

Session 8: Causality
4:15pm - 5:15pm - Lauren N. Ross: “The Circuit Concept in Neuroscience: Causation, Constraints, and Computation”
5:15pm -  6:15pm - Frederick Eberhardt: “Causal Modeling in Neuroscience”
6:30pm - 8:30pm - Reception with Hors d’Oeuvres and Champagne in Argyros Forum 201

Speakers: 
  • Ralph Adolphs (California Institute of Technology)
  • Frederick Eberhardt (California Institute of Technology)
  • Michael Ibba (Chapman University)
  • Michael Levin (Tufts University)
  • Uri Maoz (Chapman University)
  • Sarkis Mazmanian (California Institute of Technology)
  • James L. McClelland (Stanford University)
  • William Newsome (Stanford University)
  • Carolyn Parkinson (University of California, Los Angeles)
  • Jean Petitot (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris)
  • Megan Peters (University of California, Irvine)
  • Lauren N. Ross (University of California, Irvine)
  • Adina L. Roskies (University of California, Santa Barbara)
  • Aaron Schurger (Chapman University)
  • Michael A Yassa (University of California, Irvine)

Argument
Neurosciences have a long tradition of theoretical and conceptual thinking. This interdisciplinary conference organized at Chapman University (CA) aims at exploring various theoretical and modeling approaches in today’s neurosciences, with a focus on cognitive neuroscience and systems neuroscience. The conference will gather experts in cognitive, computational and theoretical neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of neuroscience, who will collectively discuss how these various approaches originated, how they are currently developing, the extent to which they are compatible, and, crucially, how they could be combined into more comprehensive theoretical frameworks.

Conference details

https://www.chapman.edu/scst/conferences-and-events/conferences/theorizing-modeling-neuroscience-conference.aspx 
Sincerely,

Thomas.