Events Calendar

Integrated Systems Seminar Series - Prof. Karim Oweiss from Michigan State University

Title: Conversing with the Brain

Speaker: Prof. Karim G. Oweiss, Michigan State University

Abstract: Brain machine interfaces (BMIs) are a direct communication pathway between the brain and a man-made device, with an ultimate goal of improving the lifestyle of neurologically impaired subjects. For these systems to operate optimally, some means of bi-directional translation should occur between the signals that the brain uses for its internal communication and those used by the machine to achieve a desired functional outcome. In this talk, I will discuss some of our recent efforts to establish a readout methodology that translates neural ensemble activity to machine language. I will follow with a brief discussion on how to optimize microstimulation of these ensembles to increase the effectiveness of BMIs. I will conclude with a brief overview of our progress in engineering a wireless, fully implantable system for large-scale neural interfaces to pave the way for deploying BMIs in clinical applications.

Biography: Karim G. Oweiss received his B.S. (1993) and M.S. (1996) degrees with honors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and the Ph.D. degree (2002) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He completed a post-doctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2002. In 2003, he joined the departmentof Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University, where he is currently an associate professor and director of the Neural Systems Engineering Laboratory. His research interests span the areas of statistical signal processing and information theory, neural integration and coordination in sensorimotor systems, computational neuroscience and brain-machine interfaces. Dr. Oweiss is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the Society for Neuroscience. He served as a member of the board of directors of the IEEE Signal Processing Society on Brain Machine Interfaces, and continues to serve on the technical committees of the IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems, the IEEE Life Sciences, and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology societies. He was awarded the excellence in Neural Engineering award from the National Science Foundation in 2001. His lab is currently supported through the Neural Interfaces Program (NIP) and the Repair and Plasticity Program (RPP) at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as well as DARPA’s Reliable Central-Nervous-System Interfaces (RCI) program. He is the editor and co-author of the book: Statistical Signal Processing for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, published by Academic Press in 2010.

More Information: 10.4 Seminar_Speaker_Oweiss_2011_10_4_modified.pdf

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Danielle Hamra