The interdisciplinary field of "connectionism", or "neural networks," explores computer systems that are loosely modeled on the human brain. These systems, composed of large numbers of simple neuron-like computing elements, exhibit a variety of intelligent behaviors, including the ability to recognize visual images (e.g., handwriting recognition), store and remember facts by association, control complex mechanical systems (e.g., robot arms), understand natural language, and learn from experience. The field has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is now enjoying an explosion of popularity, due in large part to the rapid rate of advances and practical applications of recent theoretical developments. Connectionism provides a possible approach to solving complex problems in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition for which no other approaches appear viable. Connectionist models are being used successfully in the real world and have opened new possibilities for explaining aspects of human cognition and perception. Research in the field requires remarkably broad and deep training in a number of areas--neurobiology, cognitive science, theoretical foundations, computational methods, engineering applications, and hardware implementation. Some students are fortunate enough to receive training from leaders in one or two areas, but few if any have access to the full breadth of high-quality training required. For this reason, Summer Schools have been organized to train top young researchers and to encourage interdisciplinary research collaboration. These Summer Schools provide an intense and stimulating opportunity for graduate students to become immersed in the latest research in this fast-changing field. The success of the previous Summer Schools has been widely acknowledged; they have had an extremely important catalytic effect on the field. Many of the leading young researchers in the field today attended a previous Summer School, and their research directions and contributions were influenced by the experience. The next Summer School will be held in Boulder, Colorado from June 21 through July 3, 1993. The faculty of the 1993 Summer School will consist of approximately twenty leading researchers from the US and Canada. Sixty-five graduate students will be selected by a competitive admissions process for the 12-day intensive program. This funding will allow graduate students to be selected on the basis of merit and potential for contributing to the field.
