Faculty affiliated with MBI are developing a novel educational/research program introducing undergraduate students and their educators to the field of topological and geometric data analysis (TGDA) and its application to problems in neuroscience. The TGDA+Neuro Program consists of a one-semester online course, followed by an in-person research experience held at the MBI on the campus of The Ohio State University. The program will bring together faculty from the TGDA@OSU Phase I TRIPODS Center, members of the Ohio State Speech, Language, and Music (SLAM) Lab, and faculty and student participants from the following seven US institutions:
Howard University (Site leader: Abdul Aziz Yakubu)
Kenyon University (Site leader: Erin Leatherman)
Ohio Weslyan University (Site leaders: Craig Jackson and Pamela Pyzza)
Penn State University (Site leader: Carina Curto)
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (Site leader: Karen Rios-Soto)
Universidad Metropolitana (Site leader: Juan Arratia)
Youngstown State University (Site leaders: Steven Rodabaugh and Jamal Tartir)
During Summer 2019, MBI hosted a 3.5-day Curriculum Design Workshop to develop the program. These activities were facilitated by a professional course design consultant who led the faculty through a “backwards design” approach, where the program’s learning goals are the starting point, followed by the development of appropriate assessment tools. The specific content of the online course was then developed with these learning goals in mind. The course is running for the first time during the Spring 2020 Semester, with weekly video-enabled meetings that allow participants from all eight universities to participate simultaneously. The 3.5-day research experience will be held at MBI from May 26 - 29.
The TGDA+Neuro Program will run again in Spring Semester 2021. For more information, please contact Dr. Janet Best at jbest@math.ohio-state.edu.