We are requesting support for the 2020 GRC on Neuroelectronic Interfaces: Bridging Neural Engineering and Neurobiology Edge Effects to Divergent Innovation, which will be held March 14th ? March 20th, 2020, at the Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express in Ventura, CA. Following the successful inaugural 2018 Neuroelectronic Interfaces Gordon Research Conference, this conference continues to bringing together world- class clinicians, scientists, and engineers with a multi-disciplinary skillset in cellular neuroscience, brain pathology, neuro-technology and materials science in order to discuss, and eventually solve or discard the obstacles to chronically useful and reliable neural interface. The expectation for Gordon Research Conferences is that vigorous formal and informal discussions will be maximized between prominent investigators and junior attendees of the conferences, with particular emphasis being placed on underrepresented groups, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. This conference is designed to bridge the scientific field by bringing established researchers that provide a strong foundational support for past research and inject new ideas from outside investigators and junior members of the field. Because of the funds we hope to acquire from the pending proposal, support for travel and registration for speakers, discussions leaders, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students who attend the conference with priority going toward the support of members of underrepresented groups. Thus, we will foster the development of and continued involvement of qualified students and researchers from minority groups in neural engineering research. Additionally, the 2020 conference program is inspiring in the range of topics and in the quality and diversity of speakers. We are building a program that we are confident will lead to a lively and inspiring conference that is at the cutting edge of science and engineering. The program covers major recent trends in Neuroelectronic Interface research, including the state of the art, critical hurdles to be overcome, and inspiring sessions from tangential fields that could pave the way to success. This GRC will provide a forum for the findings of established scientists engaged in other biomedical areas to enable identification of new concepts for, and potential collaboration in, neural interfaces research. Therefore, we expect to change the landscape of the Neural Interfacing Community's conference circuit, and become a lasting tradition, worthy of the prestige of the Gordon Conferences, effectively becoming a ?go to meeting for neural interfacing.?
Neuroelectronic interfaces are central to the treatment and rehabilitation of many neurological diseases or injuries. Implants that can record neural activity or stimulate neural tissues are quickly becoming the fastest growing sector of biomedical devices. Despite the initial success, mechanisms that facilitate treatment and failure are largely unknown, and significantly limit the market approval and clinical implementation of many promising approaches; challenging the international community to find a solution.
