ELEN E9060 Representation and Processing of Olfactory Information


Course Benefits

 • In-depth review of up-to-date models of olfaction in insects and vertebrates.
 • Straighforward theoretical foundations of representation and processing in olfactory systems.
 • Exploration of key concepts in theoretical neuroscience research.

Professor Lazar

 • Interests in Computational Neuroscience: In Silico: Time Encoding and Information Representation in Sensory Systems, Spike Processing and Computation in the Cortex. In Vivo: Olfactory System of the Drosophila Melanogaster.
 • Further information about the instructor is available under URL: http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~aurel.

Applicable Degree Programs

Most courses 4000-level and above can be credited to all degree programs. All courses are subject to advisor approval.


Lecturer: Professor Aurel A. Lazar
  Office hours: Mondays, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, EST, Room 819 CEPSR
  E-mail address: aurel "at" ee.columbia.edu
  Class Web Site: Offered by CourseWorks
Day and Time: Mondays, 4:10 PM - 6:00 PM
Class Location: 415 Schapiro (CEPSR)
Credits for course: 3 points
Prerequisites BMEB W4011 (Computational Neuroscience I: Circuits in the Brain).
Description: Overview of the Olfactory System of the Drosophila. Modeling Olfactory Sensory Neurons. The Inverse t-Transform. The Phase Response Curve and Elements of Floquet Theory. Recovery of Stimuli Encoded with Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons. Ensemble Encoding with Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons. Modeling the Olfactory System. Input/Output Characterization of the Glomerular Network. Odor Encoding in the Olfactory System. Olfactory Processing and Memory in the Mushroom Body. Machine Olfaction.
Required text(s): ---
Homework(s): Reading of Research Papers
Paper(s): ---
Project(s) 2 Projects
Midterm exam: Project
Final Exam: Project
Grading Classroom Participation and Projects
Hardware requirements: Laptop for demos
Software requirements: Matlab (student version)