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<div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Project Title: A virtual reality environment for neurotechnology invention</span></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Project Description: Our laboratory is adapting an air-cushioned</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">spherical treadmill, used to allow naturalistic behavior in headfixed</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">mice, for the inventing and evaluation of novel neurotechnologies.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">This approach allows us to study a range of meaningful behaviors with</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">novel neural recording techniques we are developing, thus revealing</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">underlying neural computations and dynamics.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">The goal of this UROP project is to develop a simple VR environment,</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">to be used with the treadmill, which alters the visual 3-D environment</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">projected onto a screen, according to the motion of the mouse (which</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">is reflected by the motion of the ball, which itself is tracked by two</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">side-mounted optical computer mice). (See Imaging Large-Scale Neural</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Activity with Cellular Resolution in Awake, Mobile Mice DOI</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">10.1016/j.neuron.2007.08.003 for more information on the original</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">setup.) The student would be working in conjunction with a technician</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">and the graduate student using the treadmill setup, to code the VR</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">environment.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Requirements/Prerequisites:</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Good coding skills (specially in C and/or Python) are required.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Experience with 3-D game engines (Quake, Blender) preferred but not</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">required. General familiarity with electronics is a plus.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Strong preference for students who can commit to at least 12 hours per</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">week , starting as soon as possible.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Contact: Please send an email to </span><a href="mailto:geggio@mit.edu" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span class="il" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,204);color:rgb(34,34,34);background-repeat:initial initial">geggio@mit.edu</span></a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> if
interested with a</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">CV/resume, a short description of why you might be a good fit for this</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13.333333969116211px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">project, and schedule availability as well as potential start date.</span><br clear="all">
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-- <br>
Sunanda Sharma<br>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
<div>Department of Biology</div>
<div>Class of 2014</div>
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