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SUMMARY:Engineering Behavior in Drosophila
DTSTART:20150414T093000
DTSTAMP:20260406T155714Z
UID:865e94ca9631c07ad5c785b270b300c084d86c169cf014fe4c824905
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Pavan Ramdya\, Ph.D.\, Dickinson Lab\, Caltech\, Pasadena\, CA
  (USA)\nBIOENGINEERING SEMINARAbstract:\nA shared goal of neuroscience and
  robotics is to understand how systems can be built to move effectively th
 rough the world. Powerful new tools for reverse engineering animal behavio
 r (e.g. genomics\, optogenetics\, and neural recording) and for constructi
 ng bioinspired artificial systems (e.g. compliant materials\, miniaturized
  sensors\, and neuromorphic chips) now permit a more fluid and fertile exc
 hange between biology and robotics. For example\, the fruit fly\, Drosophi
 la melanogaster\, has a genome that is easily edited\, a numerically small
  nervous system\, and a remarkably complex repertoire of behaviors. This m
 akes it ideally suited to reveal how neurons and genes orchestrate animal 
 behavior with potentially profound impact on robotic control applications.
  In this talk I will describe how\, with this goal in mind\, I have combin
 ed experimental and computational tools to uncover design principles for D
 rosophila behavior. First\, I will discuss how I used neural engineering t
 o identify the sensory pathways responsible for driving enhanced\, group-l
 evel responses to environmental cues. These findings make it possible to e
 xplore the neurogenetics of collective behavior with potential impact on o
 ur understanding of human crowd dynamics as well as in the control of robo
 tic swarms. Second\, I will show how I identified an unexpected link betwe
 en leg adhesion and the evolution of locomotor coordination using computat
 ional and robotic approaches. These results motivate a deeper understandin
 g of how genes shape biomechanics and animal behavior. In combination\, th
 ese studies provide a glimpse of the exciting scientific opportunities at 
 the interface between Drosophila biology and robotics.Bio:Research Experie
 nce\nCaltech\, Pasadena\, California USA (2015 - )\nNeurobiology and behav
 ior\nSNSF Advanced Postdoctoral fellow with Michael Dickinson\nEPFL/UNIL. 
 Lausanne\, Switzerland (2009 - 2015)\nNeurobiology\, behavior\, and roboti
 cs\nHFSP Long-term Postdoctoral fellow with Dario Floreano & Richard Bento
 n\nHarvard University. Cambridge\, Massachusetts USA (2004 - 2009)\nSystem
 s neurobiology\nNSF and NDSEGF Doctoral fellow with Florian Engert\nMGH/Ha
 rvard Medical School. Boston\, Massachusetts USA (2001 - 2003)\nMolecular 
 neurobiology\nPredoctoral work with Bradley Hyman\nMount Sinai School of M
 edicine. New York\, New York USA (2000 Summer)\nIon channel neurobiology\n
 SUR fellow with Diomedes Logothetis\nAccra\, Ghana. (1999 Summer)\nMedical
  anthropology\nResearch with Philip PeekEducation\nHarvard University. Cam
 bridge\, MA (2003-2009)\nPh.D. in Neurobiology\nDrew University. Madison\,
  NJ (1997-2001)\nB.A. in Neurobiology
LOCATION:SV1717a http://map.epfl.ch/?room=sv1717a
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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