Events - Event View
This is the "Event Detail" view, showing all available information for this event.
If the event has passed, click the "Event Report" icon to read a report and view photos that were uploaded.
SOLD OUT: PHL (P) UPenn Aviary Research, Group 1 of 2, Sat. May 31 at 10 am 053125
About this event
UPenn Aviary Research
Penn Smart Aviary at Pennovation Works
3401 Grays Ferry Ave., Phila 19146
Group 1 (of 2): Saturday, May 31 at 10 am
Limited space: WC members only: $15
We will be visiting Professor Marc Schmidt’s laboratory of Computational Neuroethology at the University of Pennsylvania. Here he studies social behavior in small groups of songbirds (brown-headed cowbirds), a socially gregarious species, in a large “smart aviary” equipped with an array of cameras, microphones and other devices with the purpose of quantifying social network properties of the group and its changing dynamics over the breeding season. This is a highly integrative research project involving a physicist, two engineering teams, and a biologist. Marc is the biologist. The long-term goal of this work is to understand how the brain processes information in naturalistic social contexts.
Marc will lead the tour by describing the species being studied, its interesting biology, as well as introduce the group to the concept of Computational Neuroethology, which is a growing trend to study behavior, and its neural underpinnings in in a naturalistic context. While the technology to perform non-invasive neural recordings is still currently being developed by the engineering lab, we will be able to observe birds in the aviary at the height of their reproductive social interactions, including the production of complex vocal and postural displays. We will perform several observation exercises with Marc and some of his students, to learn how to perform careful behavioral observations and then discuss the challenges of how such observations can be automatic by AI based animal pose tracking programs. We will then finish our tour by having a conversation with Mac about the implications of why studying the brain in a naturalistic context promises to open new frontiers in our understanding of brain function.
Note that a second tour is repeated at 11:30 am.
Also note that cancellations are accepted through 5/24/25. In the event that you need to cancel prior to that date, a credit will be applied to your WC account for future use.
Location
Penn Smart Aviary Lab
Pennovation Works
3401 Grays Ferry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19146
USA
Event Contact(s)
Jean E Brubaker
Leader
Registration Info
Registration is closed - Event is full
Payment In Full In Advance Only
Registration cancellations will be accepted until Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Cancellation Policy:
If you are a member and cancel your registration before the specified deadline, you will receive a full refund as a credit to your account. You can use the credit to pay for another event or put it toward your annual dues payment. Non-members will receive a refund on their credit card, minus a $4 processing fee.
No refunds are available to members or non-members after the cancellation deadline.
Capacity
12 Total Slots
Event is full - Waitlist available
Invalid Quantity