Graduate Courses

Term Schedule

Fall 2021

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
BCSC 433-1 Statistical Speech & Language Processing Daniel Gildea TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM
An introduction to statistical natural language processing and automatic speech recognition techniques. This course presents the theory and practice behind the recently developed language processing technologies that enable applications such as speech-driven dictation systems, document search engines (e.g., finding web pages) and automatic machine translation. Students taking this course at the 400 level will be required to complete additional readings and/or assignments. Location Hylan Building Room 101 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)
BCSC 501-1 Language Elise Piazza –
An interdisciplinary introduction to the field of natural language, emphasizing behavioral, linguistic, and computational perspectives. Topics include language structure, production, comprehension, and acquisition
BCSC 515-1 Applied Introduction to Signal & Systems in Brain and Cognitive Sciences Michele Rucci –
Why should I care about vector spaces and orthonormal bases? Or that a matrix defines a linear transformation? How should I properly acquire a biological signal? How are linear time-invariant systems useful to my research? What is a power spectrum and how do I properly estimate it? These are examples of the questions that will be addressed in this course. Students in BCS come from a variety of programs, some of which do not emphasize quantitative training. The goal of the course is to provide an introduction to the analysis of signals and systems and establish a background foundation by covering fundamental mathematical concepts that are essential for conducting rigorous research. To do so, the course will follow an applied approach, in which individual concepts are first introduced by means of scientific articles in the BCS-relevant literature, covered in depth in class, and then reviewed by means of additional articles or case-study problems. Rather than simply surveying topics at an introductory level, the course aims to reach a sufficiently advanced level for each technique introduced, that the student should be able to use that technique in his/her research and in other graduate courses. To give a common introductory framework to the materials, the course will focus on linear methods, but we will also discuss deviations from linearity. Covered topics, all introduced with the immediate goal of grasping why they are critically important to the student's research, include fundamental concepts from linear algebra, system analysis, and signal processing.
BCSC 528-1 Special Topics in Vision Duje Tadin F 12:00PM - 2:30PM
Advanced graduate seminar on a chosen problem in vision sciences. In previous years, topics have included motion perception, stereopsis, color vision and visuo-motor control. Readings for the course are drawn from the scientific literature in the topic being covered. Students are typically required to lead discussions on papers. Location Meliora Room 224 (F 12:00PM - 2:30PM)
BCSC 541-1 Neurons, Circuits, & Systems Farran Briggs TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
This course takes a bottom-up approach to understanding the neurons and circuits of the sensory systems in the mammalian brain. Thematic topics will include: structural and functional diversity among sensory neuronal populations, common themes across sensory systems such as parallel information processing, coordination among feedforward/feedback circuits, and neuronal plasticity during development of functional domains. The final course module will focus on exploring the neuronal mechanisms of attention, again from a neuron- and circuit-centric perspective. Visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems will be discussed with most emphasis on the visual system as a model for understanding structure/function relationships. The course will also introduce students to modern methodological approaches in systems neuroscience aimed at measuring and manipulating the activity of large populations of neurons while also incorporating information about individual neuronal identity, structure, and circuit connectivity. Prerequisite: BCSC 240/NSCI 201 Location Gavett Hall Room 312 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
BCSC 542-1 Neuropsychology Melinda Patterson MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM
Examines clinical neuropsychology, which bridges neurology, neuroscience, and clinical psychology. Covers history of clinical neuropsychology, principles of neuropsychological assessment, and the interpretation of cognition and behavior as they relate to brain dysfunction. Considers specific neurological syndromes including neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular, toxic, and memory disorders; epilepsy; head trauma; infectious processes; pediatric neuropsychology; psychiatric syndromes; and forensic neuropsychology. Patient presentations (videotape and in-person interviews) supplement lectures. Prerequisite: BCSC 110 or BCSC 240/NSCI 201 Location Dewey Room 1101 (MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM)
BCSC 543-1 Neurochemical Foundations of Behavior Renee Miller MWF 10:25AM - 11:15AM
This class covers how the brain controls behavior, and what goes wrong in various diseases, from a neurochemistry perspective. We start by learning about the neurochemicals –neurotransmitters, peptides, growth factors, etc. and move on to their receptors and associated signaling pathways, including gene transcription and epigenetics. An emphasis is placed on primary research literature, experimentation/data analysis and application of knowledge to the interpretation of scientific data. Students will attend research seminars on campus or online and write brief summaries of their understanding. The course culminates in small group presentations about the neurochemistry of diseases of interest, and an individual research review paper on the same topic. Prerequisite: BCSC 240/NSCI 201. BIOL 250 is helpful but not required. Location Meliora Room 205 (MWF 10:25AM - 11:15AM)
BCSC 570-1 Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality Mujdat Cetin MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM
This course provides a broad introduction to augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) systems. The course involves lectures covering an overview of all aspects of the AR/VR domain, as well as individual work performed by each student aimed at providing more intensive training on various aspects of AR/VR. Topics covered in the lectures include history, conceptual origins, and design/evaluation principles of AR/VR technologies; overview of visual/auditory/haptic AR/VR interfaces and applications; visual perception; optics/platforms/sensors/displays; auditory perception and spatial audio; silicon hardware architecture and materials; graphics and computation; interfaces and user experience design; data processing and machine intelligence for AR/VR; introduction to AR/VR programming tools; societal implications and ethical aspects. At the end of the course, students will have gained familiarity with the techniques, languages, and cultures of fields integral to the convergent research theme of AR/VR. This course is co-instructed by Mujdat Cetin, Michele Rucci, Ross Maddox, Jannick Rolland, Yuhao Zhu, Andrew White, Chenliang Xu, and Zhen Bai. Location Gavett Hall Room 312 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)
BCSC 572-1 Practicum in Augmented and Virtual Reality Mujdat Cetin TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
This is the third course offered as part of the PhD training program on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). The goal of the course is to provide interdisciplinary collaborative project experience in AR/VR. The course involves small teams of students from multiple departments working together on semester-long projects on AR/VR with the guidance of one or more faculty involved in the PhD training program. The expected end products of this Practicum course are tangible artifacts that represent what the students have learned, discovered, or invented. Types of artifacts include research papers; patent applications; open-source software; as well as online tutorials and videos for undergraduates, K-12 students, or the general public. Prerequisites: ECE 410-1 or OPT 410-1 or BME 410-1 or BCSC 570-1 or NSCI 415-1 or CSC 413-1 or CVSC 534-1 Instructors: Lead - Mujdat Cetin; Zhen Bai, Jannick Rolland, Michele Rucci Location Computer Studies Room 426 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
BCSC 595-01 PhD Research Ralf Haefner –
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BCSC 595-02 PhD Research Manuel Gomez-Ramirez –
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BCSC 595-03 PhD Research Duje Tadin –
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BCSC 595-04 PhD Research Robert Jacobs –
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BCSC 595-05 PhD Research Michele Rucci –
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BCSC 595-06 PhD Research Adam Snyder –
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BCSC 595-07 PhD Research Martina Poletti –
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BCSC 595-08 PhD Research Gregory DeAngelis –
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BCSC 595-11 PhD Research Karl Rosengren –
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BCSC 595-12 PhD Research Elise Piazza –
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BCSC 595-13 PhD Research Dora Biro –
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BCSC 598-1 Supervised Teaching Assistant Amy Martinez –
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BCSC 598-14 Supervised Teaching Assistant Farran Briggs –
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BCSC 598-2 Supervised Teaching Assistant Duje Tadin –
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BCSC 598-3 Supervised Teaching Assistant Chung-Lin Yang –
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BCSC 598-4 Supervised Teaching Assistant Gregory DeAngelis –
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BCSC 598-5 Supervised Teaching Assistant Dora Biro –
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BCSC 598-6 Supervised Teaching Assistant Robert Jacobs –
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BCSC 599-1 Professional Development & Career Planning Duje Tadin –
The purpose of this 1-credit course is to provide first- and second-year graduate students with a set of guiding principles for optimizing their progression through the PhD program. The following topics will be discussed: fulfilling program requirements, advising and mentoring, time management, conference presentations and journal publications, writing skills for journals and grants, how to juggle, persist, drop, and collaborate in your research projects, the post-PhD job market and qualifications required for success.
BCSC 895-1 Cont of Master's Enrollment – –
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BCSC 897-1 Master's Dissertation Ralf Haefner –
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BCSC 995-1 Cont of Doctoral Enrollment Tim Jaeger –
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BCSC 997-1 Doctoral Dissertation Michele Rucci –
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BCSC 999-01 Doctoral Dissertation Ralf Haefner –
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BCSC 999-02 Doctoral Dissertation Manuel Gomez-Ramirez –
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BCSC 999-03 Doctoral Dissertation Duje Tadin –
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BCSC 999-04 Doctoral Dissertation Robert Jacobs –
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BCSC 999-05 Doctoral Dissertation Michele Rucci –
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BCSC 999-06 Doctoral Dissertation Adam Snyder –
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BCSC 999-07 Doctoral Dissertation Martina Poletti –
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BCSC 999-08 Doctoral Dissertation Gregory DeAngelis –
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BCSC 999-09 Doctoral Dissertation Rajeev Raizada –
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BCSC 999-10 Doctoral Dissertation Tim Jaeger –
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BCSC 999-11 Doctoral Dissertation Jude Mitchell –
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Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Monday
Monday and Wednesday
BCSC 570-1 Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality Mujdat Cetin
This course provides a broad introduction to augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) systems. The course involves lectures covering an overview of all aspects of the AR/VR domain, as well as individual work performed by each student aimed at providing more intensive training on various aspects of AR/VR. Topics covered in the lectures include history, conceptual origins, and design/evaluation principles of AR/VR technologies; overview of visual/auditory/haptic AR/VR interfaces and applications; visual perception; optics/platforms/sensors/displays; auditory perception and spatial audio; silicon hardware architecture and materials; graphics and computation; interfaces and user experience design; data processing and machine intelligence for AR/VR; introduction to AR/VR programming tools; societal implications and ethical aspects. At the end of the course, students will have gained familiarity with the techniques, languages, and cultures of fields integral to the convergent research theme of AR/VR. This course is co-instructed by Mujdat Cetin, Michele Rucci, Ross Maddox, Jannick Rolland, Yuhao Zhu, Andrew White, Chenliang Xu, and Zhen Bai.
BCSC 542-1 Neuropsychology Melinda Patterson
Examines clinical neuropsychology, which bridges neurology, neuroscience, and clinical psychology. Covers history of clinical neuropsychology, principles of neuropsychological assessment, and the interpretation of cognition and behavior as they relate to brain dysfunction. Considers specific neurological syndromes including neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular, toxic, and memory disorders; epilepsy; head trauma; infectious processes; pediatric neuropsychology; psychiatric syndromes; and forensic neuropsychology. Patient presentations (videotape and in-person interviews) supplement lectures. Prerequisite: BCSC 110 or BCSC 240/NSCI 201
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
BCSC 543-1 Neurochemical Foundations of Behavior Renee Miller
This class covers how the brain controls behavior, and what goes wrong in various diseases, from a neurochemistry perspective. We start by learning about the neurochemicals –neurotransmitters, peptides, growth factors, etc. and move on to their receptors and associated signaling pathways, including gene transcription and epigenetics. An emphasis is placed on primary research literature, experimentation/data analysis and application of knowledge to the interpretation of scientific data. Students will attend research seminars on campus or online and write brief summaries of their understanding. The course culminates in small group presentations about the neurochemistry of diseases of interest, and an individual research review paper on the same topic. Prerequisite: BCSC 240/NSCI 201. BIOL 250 is helpful but not required.
Tuesday
Tuesday and Thursday
BCSC 541-1 Neurons, Circuits, & Systems Farran Briggs
This course takes a bottom-up approach to understanding the neurons and circuits of the sensory systems in the mammalian brain. Thematic topics will include: structural and functional diversity among sensory neuronal populations, common themes across sensory systems such as parallel information processing, coordination among feedforward/feedback circuits, and neuronal plasticity during development of functional domains. The final course module will focus on exploring the neuronal mechanisms of attention, again from a neuron- and circuit-centric perspective. Visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems will be discussed with most emphasis on the visual system as a model for understanding structure/function relationships. The course will also introduce students to modern methodological approaches in systems neuroscience aimed at measuring and manipulating the activity of large populations of neurons while also incorporating information about individual neuronal identity, structure, and circuit connectivity. Prerequisite: BCSC 240/NSCI 201
BCSC 572-1 Practicum in Augmented and Virtual Reality Mujdat Cetin
This is the third course offered as part of the PhD training program on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). The goal of the course is to provide interdisciplinary collaborative project experience in AR/VR. The course involves small teams of students from multiple departments working together on semester-long projects on AR/VR with the guidance of one or more faculty involved in the PhD training program. The expected end products of this Practicum course are tangible artifacts that represent what the students have learned, discovered, or invented. Types of artifacts include research papers; patent applications; open-source software; as well as online tutorials and videos for undergraduates, K-12 students, or the general public. Prerequisites: ECE 410-1 or OPT 410-1 or BME 410-1 or BCSC 570-1 or NSCI 415-1 or CSC 413-1 or CVSC 534-1 Instructors: Lead - Mujdat Cetin; Zhen Bai, Jannick Rolland, Michele Rucci
BCSC 433-1 Statistical Speech & Language Processing Daniel Gildea
An introduction to statistical natural language processing and automatic speech recognition techniques. This course presents the theory and practice behind the recently developed language processing technologies that enable applications such as speech-driven dictation systems, document search engines (e.g., finding web pages) and automatic machine translation. Students taking this course at the 400 level will be required to complete additional readings and/or assignments.
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
BCSC 528-1 Special Topics in Vision Duje Tadin
Advanced graduate seminar on a chosen problem in vision sciences. In previous years, topics have included motion perception, stereopsis, color vision and visuo-motor control. Readings for the course are drawn from the scientific literature in the topic being covered. Students are typically required to lead discussions on papers.