Friday, November 20th, 2009

A Functional Model of Neuronal Networks

Dr. James Lo
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Time: noon-1 pm Location: MP 401

Abstract: In his 1958 book, The Computer and the Brain, John von Neumann said: "We require exquisite numerical precision over many logical steps to achieve what brains accomplish in very few short steps." After more than 50 years, the natural question, "What are those very few short steps?" still remains to be fully answered.

This talk presents a functional model of neuronal networks resulting from my attempt to answer the question. The model, called probabilistic associative memory (PAM), has many functions that have not been explained satisfactorily or jointly by other models. The purpose of the talk is to solicit comments and suggestions on PAM and stimulate discussions on the above question.

PAM is ready for testing as a learning machine for application to recognition and understanding of handwriting, face, speech, radiograph, license plate, video, etc.