School of Ideas in Neuroscience 2023

Warsaw, June 28th – July 5th 2023

It is often being said that neuroscience desperately needs ideas. We are flooded by data and it is harder and harder to make sense of it. But, at the same time, most courses and workshops in neuroscience teach us experimental techniques, giving us more tools to gather even more data. But we are not taught how to develop ideas.

We believe that theoretical thinking and idea development are skills that can be trained. At this school we aim to teach participants how to think theoretically, how to create ideas, and put their research in a broader context. In other words we want you to learn how to make sense of your data.

Our school is divided into three parts – frameworks, metatheory and thinking tools workshops.

In the first section, selected theoretical frameworks serves us as examples – together with their authors, we discuss how different theoretical frameworks can be applied to empirical research – but we also trace how they were developed.

In the metatheory section, together with philosophers and historians of science, we look at how ideas were and are developed, and what factors foster their evolution.

In the thinking tools section, we try to teach our participants how to think theoretically by building models, transgressing borders of their discipline, think creatively and critically – and how to find time to think.

Confirmed speakers are:

Frameworks:

  • Gregory Kohn (University of North Florida)
  • Luiz Pessoa (University of Maryland)
  • John Krakauer (Johns Hopkins)
  • Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington)
  • Pamela Lyon (University of Adelaide)
  • Michał Wierzchoń (Jagiellonian University)
  • Aikaterini Fotopoulou (University College London)

Metatheory:

  • Antonella Tramacere (Western University)
  • Nedah Nemati (Columbia University)
  • Marcin Miłkowski (IFiS PAN)
  • Kate (Kathryn) Nave (The University of Edinburgh)

Tools:

  • Nicolai Waniek (Kavli Institute)
  • Carina Curto (Penn State University)
  • Wiktor Młynarski (LMU Munich)

The school will take place June 28th – July 5th 2023 in Warsaw, in the beautiful surroundings of the Jazdów estate, in Finnish wooden houses run by NGOs that host workshops, seminars, and conferences (http://otwartapracownia.pl/). The fee is EUR 550, but we offer fee waivers and travel grants.

Organizers:

Mateusz Kostecki (Nencki Institute)

Anna Chrzanowska (NERF)

Natalia Rutkowska (Nencki Institute)

Wiktor Rorot (Warsaw University)

Urszula Włodkowska (Nencki Institute)

Łucja Doradzińska (Nencki Institute)

Daniel Kozłowski (Warsaw University)

Justyna Wiśniewska (Nencki Institute)

STER grant funding coordinators: Małgorzata Skup & Mariusz Więckowski

The project is financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange.