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Connected Minds

@connectedminds.bsky.social
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Connected Minds Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society

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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 48m
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We honour the children who never came home, the Survivors, and the families still living with that loss. Connected Minds and our Indigenous Advisory Circle share a joint statement. Read the full statement: www.yorku.ca/research/con...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Proud of our researchers Drs. Etemad and Greenspan! Their NeurIPS 2026 paper reframes Long-Tailed Recognition as a Continual Learning problem—learning rare "Tail" classes sequentially without forgetting the "Head." Theory-backed and experimentally validated. Read more:
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Congrats to our researchers Drs. Etemad and Dolatabadi! Their new NeurIPS 2026 paper, OpenMedReason, introduces a 450K-instance medical reasoning corpus that trains vision-language models on evidence-grounded clinical reasoning boosting accuracy by 20% and beating base models in 86% of comparisons.
arxiv.org
OpenMedReason: Scientific Reasoning Supervision for Medical Vision-Language Models
High-stakes clinical use of large vision-language models (LVLMs) requires reasoning that is grounded in visual evidence and clinical knowledge, not just correct final answers. We introduce OpenMedReas...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Two from our Connected Minds community named Brain Canada Future Leaders! Drs. @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social and Fucile each receive $100,000 to advance brain research on predictive motor control and preterm infant brain injury detection, respectively.Among 26 Future Leaders nationwide. Read more:
braincanada.ca
Brain Canada Names 2025 Future Leaders Cohort | 26 Researchers Funded
Brain Canada announces this year’s Future Leaders cohort – 26 early-career researchers receiving $100,000 each to advance brain and mental health research across Canada
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Our newest Connected Minds trainees joined us yesterday for orientation—meeting the team, learning about the program, and connecting over lunch. Dr. Leela Viswanathan closed the day with an EDI workshop encouraging trainees to weave these principles into every stage of their research.Welcome aboard!
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Dr. Boehnke joined Neuroscience & Society Virtual Career Fair, chatting about grad studies at Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Connected Minds funding opportunities, and the Neurotech Micro-credentials Program. Proud to see our researchers opening doors for future neuroscientists! #Queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
How do you co-create research across different ways of knowing? Researchers from Connected Minds propose 5 lenses—boundary objects, co-production, situated knowledge, institutional reflexivity, multi-scalar evaluation—for organizing transdisciplinary collaboration. Read more: osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
How do neural and muscular systems coordinate a simple movement like standing up?Elham Reyhanian CM's researcher investigates this question in individuals with Cerebral Palsy, comparing their sit-to-stand motor organization to typically developing peers. Findings were presented at #MOBI2026. #Queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Data sovereignty isn't optional. Dr. Michael G. Sherbert discusses how generative AI can threaten Indigenous languages and cultural knowledge without proper consent and control, featured in Up Here Business' "Safe Mode." The piece also spotlights Indigenous-led approaches to AI done right.Read more:
uphere.ca
Safe Mode
Inuit and First Nations are wary of AI, but it may help them save their languages. Here’s how they’re doing it
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Mark your calendars. The Robotics and AI Symposium hits Queen's University October 14, bringing academic and industry voices together across robotics, AI, and human-machine interaction. Proud to see the Connected Minds community well represented on stage this year. Details and registration: #Queens
ingenuitylabs.queensu.ca
Robotics and AI Symposium 2026 | Ingenuity Labs Research Institute
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
What if your commute came with pollution data? Dr. Grothaus' AirWear device is turning invisible air pollution into something communities can see and act on. Built with Dr. Desai's SaTS Lab and shaped by community input every step of the way. How could this change how cities tackle air quality?
yorku.ca
York-led project makes invisible pollution visible - YFile
Through wearable technology, public art and community collaboration, York researcher Grace Grothaus is making invisible pollution visible to help people understand pollution exposure where they live, work and travel.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Balance is more than your feet. Dr. Amiri and team used virtual reality to model exactly how visual stimuli shape postural sway in healthy adults. Their detailed analysis of eye-dominance effects could sharpen how we diagnose and treat balance disorders. Published in the Journal of Neurophysiology.
journals.physiology.org
Characterizing the nonlinear dynamics of the human postural sway response to visual stimuli | Journal of Neurophysiology | American Physiological Society
A clear understanding of how visual information affects postural sway is crucial for assessing normal balance control and developing diagnostic and rehabilitation methods for balance disorders. Howeve...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Networking excellence at Ingenuity Labs. The One Hatch event brought industry leaders and students together at Mitchell Hall. Meaningful conversations, real opportunities, genuine connections. This is what collaboration looks like. #Queensu #QueensuResearch
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Learning leaves traces you can't see. Dr. @jonathanamichaels.bsky.socials' motor learning study reveals "savings" faster relearning on second exposure emerges from neural dimensionality, not conscious strategy. RNNs trained like human brains show the same pattern.
elifesciences.org
A context-free model of savings in motor learning
Recurrent neural network models trained on a novel motor skill exhibit a persistent shift in preparatory activity that enables faster relearning, without cognitive or contextual cues.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This is totally in line with what I have been saying for 2 years now re how secondary education needs to change: www.forbes.com/sites/ronsch...
forbes.com
MIT Says AI Is Forcing A Rethink Of College Itself
MIT says AI is forcing higher education to rethink what students learn, how they prove it, and which human skills matter most.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This is what research mentorship looks like. Amir Eskandari from CMs at AI in Finance Summer School learning, presenting, networking, and winning the challenge. Four days in Vancouver that could change his trajectory. So proud to see our trainees thrive in these spaces. Congratulations, Amir!
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Congratulations to Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Pan! Their Meta-Physical Theatre project exploring robotics and smart textiles to bring physical touch into VR earned a SSHRC Insight Grant. CMs Seed funding helped prototype, test, and build evidence. How do we bring more researchers into this pathway? #Queens
yorku.ca
From Connected Minds Seed Grant to SSHRC Insight: The Story of Meta-Physical Theatre  - Connected Minds
Two years ago, Connected Minds invested in an idea. Today, that idea has become a SSHRC-funded research program.  When Meta-Physical Theatre received one of Connected Minds' inaugural Seed Grants in 2024, it brought together engineering, robotics, virtual reality, theatre, and community arts in a way few research projects do. Led by Dr. Matthew Pan and Dr. Michael Wheeler, the team […]
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Excited to support the Robotics and AI Symposium 2026! Connected Minds is proud to sponsor RAIS2026 at Ingenuity Labs, Queen's University. Join us for cutting-edge conversations on robotics, AI, and the future of human-technology collaboration. #Queensu #QueensuResearch Learn more:
ingenuitylabs.queensu.ca
Robotics and AI Symposium 2026 | Ingenuity Labs Research Institute
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Harrison Ritz @hritz.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Our task-switching paper is now out at Current Biology! www.cell.com/current-biol... We find that that our brains reset to a task-neutral state between trials, providing flexibility when the upcoming task is uncertain. RNNs also learn this strategy, but only when trained to switch tasks.
schematic of how a brain might reset to a neutral state between trials
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Dr.Greeff's CUDA MPC rethinks control on modern GPUs parallelizing across prediction horizons instead of computing sequentially. Result:4000× faster than standard solvers. Autonomous parking with 100 seconds of lookahead in 0.1s intervals.What becomes possible when MPC is finally real-time feasible?
arxiv.org
CUDA MPC: A GPU-Native Solver for Model Predictive Control
Model Predictive Control (MPC) delivers constraint-aware control, but its reliance on online optimization limits its use on systems with fast dynamics, high-dimensional models, or long horizons. Exist...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Brilliant cancer research happening. Dr.Wang with colleagues at Sinclair Cancer Research Institute alongside Centre for Health Innovation, bridging engineering and oncology. Celebrating innovation driven by patient partnership. What becomes possible when researchers truly listen to patients? #Queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Real robotics is messy. And rewarding. Dr. Gammell's team crashed a plane hard morning, debugged all afternoon, and had it flying by evening. That's the reality of field robotics. Supported by Public Safety Canada and Coast Guard. What lessons come from crashing and fixing in a single day? #Queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
One scan, two diseases. Dr. Montazeri's team are presenting at ESC Congress in Munich: Can cardiac CT scans already acquired for cardiovascular screening also predict lung cancer risk? Using Sibyl AI on CAC scans vs. full lung CT. What else are we missing by not looking at existing data differently?
heartlung.ai
Home Clinicians | Heartlung
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Engineering ethics just got real. Dr. Pan's course has students designing autonomous systems for a town full of rubber ducks. GPS fails. Ducks cross illegally. Fares need adjusting. Reputations are on the line. The stakes are high. The ducks are hilarious. The learning is real. Read more: #Queens
smithengineering.queensu.ca
Rubber ducks and autonomous vehicles - an engineering challenge - Smith Engineering News | Queen's University
Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Matthew Pan devised an exercise to help students navigate the issues around autonomous vehicle design and testing.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Real robotics happens outside the office. Prof. Marshall's team testing USV control algorithms on Lake Ontario with Blue Robotics BlueBoat. Small boats now, bigger autonomous vessels next. What's the hardest part of scaling autonomous systems to real-world water? #Queensu #QueensuResearch
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
CMs researcher Dr. Winston at IVADO's symposium exploring how data science transforms healthcare. Day two brought stimulating exchanges on bridging computational innovation with real-world biomedical challenges. What insights emerged when statisticians and AI researchers collaborate? #Queensu
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Governance for AI and neurotechnology just got serious. Connected Minds and CIGI launched a new 16-month pilot partnership bridging research, policy, and regulation from UN standard-setting to Canadian law to real-world guidance. When scientists and policymakers actually talk, what becomes possible?
cigionline.org
York University’s Connected Minds and CIGI Partner to Strengthen Global AI and Neurotechnology Governance
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
CMs researchers making impact across domains. Amir Eskandari heads to AI in Finance Summer School exploring AI at the intersection of technology and economics. Meanwhile, Michael Sherbert just wrapped meaningful conversations at Nokiiwin Unity Gathering on community-grounded futures. #Queensu
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Jonathan A. Michaels @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Over time I have realized that I have extremely overdrived theory of mind (often to my detriment), but it has been extremely useful in research.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
When AI writes your code, who validates it? CMs postdoc @hritz.bsky.social co-authored practical guidance for using AI in scientific software balancing efficiency with rigor. Human oversight and validation still matter. As AI becomes standard in labs, how do we maintain research integrity? #queens
journals.plos.org
Twelve quick tips for AI-assisted coding in science
While AI coding tools have demonstrated potential to accelerate software development, their use in scientific computing raises critical questions about code quality and scientific validity. In this pa...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We visualize things in our mind constantly. But do we actually understand what's happening? Dr. Kevin Lande's (buffalosentence.bsky.social) Psychological Review paper challenges prevailing theories on mental imagery, arguing we need fresh perspectives on how perception and cognition actually work.
yorku.ca
Research led by York questions scientific nature, role of mental imagery - YFile
A new paper in Psychological Review co-authored by York University’s Kevin Lande argues that despite its prominent place in many people's conscious experience, scientists still don’t fully understand ...
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Reinforcement Learning Conference @rl-conference.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
What an incredible way to kick off RLC26! The first keynote by Marc Bellemare was amazing with a fantastic start with “Stability & Scale in Experimental RL”! Excited for the next few days? -w/ @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social @glenberseth.bsky.social @sologen.bsky.social @audurand.bsky.social
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Sainsbury Wellcome Centre @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Join us for 'What can Neuroscience teach us about the Mind?', a 1-day symposium exploring whether neural mechanisms can truly explain behaviour, and what this means for minds both biological and artificial. Free and open to all: www.sainsburywellcome.org/events/stude...
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
From lab to market. Congrats to Dr. Salahandish on securing $5M toward $25M for her AI-enabled wearable biosensor. Continuous health monitoring through sweat analysis. Connected Minds research becoming real-world impact. What health metrics would YOU want to monitor continuously?Read more:
yorku.ca
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
AI and brains solve the same problem differently. CMs postdoc @hritz.bsky.social presented research comparing how RNNs and human brains represent task sequences.Valuable benchmark for human-centered AI development. What does this tell us about building more human-like AI? #QueensuResearch Read more:
openreview.net
Verifying your browser | OpenReview
Please complete the verification above.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Open data reveals hidden patterns. CM postdoc researcher Timothy Teatro scraped transit data to build network graphs showing how GTHA transit flows. GO Transit emerges as the backbone connecting local systems. How does seeing the network this way change how we think about transit planning? #queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Second place at IEEE Summer School! CM researcher Eric Godden and his team built a multi-robot teleoperation interface balancing intuitive design with complex back-end integration. Unreal Engine + ROS 2 = elegant human-robot interaction. What surprised you most about human-centered robotics? #queens
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
How does brain activity change over time? @hritz.bsky.social co-led a keynote and hands-on tutorial at OHBM 2026 on dynamical systems modeling, making advanced computational neuroscience accessible to researchers everywhere. What becomes possible when researchers can model neural dynamics? #queens
github.com
GitHub - harrisonritz/DynamicsTutorial_CCN2026: Putting Dynamics First: State-Space Modelling for Human Neuroscience
Putting Dynamics First: State-Space Modelling for Human Neuroscience - harrisonritz/DynamicsTutorial_CCN2026
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Neuromatch @neuromatch.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"Emerging Questions in #AIWelfare" with Winnie Street and Geoff Keeling, Google Research. 30 minute talk, 20 minutes of discussion and Q&A 19 August 2026, 17:00 UTC Free & everyone welcome to attend ➡️ Register for free: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #AISentience #AIConsciousness #AI
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Connected Minds is proud to support the Neurotech Micro-credentials Capstone Course at Queen's U. International participants arriving now for two intensive weeks of hands-on neurotechnology, EEG, fNIRS, robotics, wearables. Building the next generation of neurotech innovators. What will they create?
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Machine learning for epilepsy prediction is advancing but how ready is it for clinics? Dr. Winston's group published a paper evaluating ML/DL models across clinical pathways and data types. What's still holding back real-world deployment of predictive systems? Ream more: #queens#QueensuResearch
iopscience.iop.org
Machine learning approaches for prediction of epilepsy risk across clinical pathways: a systematic review
Machine learning approaches for prediction of epilepsy risk across clinical pathways: a systematic review, Omar, Amr M, Omisade, Antonina, Gallivan, Jason P, Winston, Gavin P
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
What if robots could actually understand older adults? Dr. Elder's CMs project (Psibot) develops AI-powered robotic vision so social robots respond meaningfully not just functionally. Supporting independence while complementing human care. How would intelligent companionship change aging? Read more:
yorku.ca
How AI-powered social robots could help older adults live more independently - YFile
York University researcher James Elder is developing AI-powered robotic vision technology to help social robots better support older adults and their caregivers.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
CMs researchers from Queen’sU are advancing health discovery. CIHR Spring 2026 grants support Drs. Cook & Gallivan (whole-brain stroke reorganization), Dr. Fucile (virtual infant screening), Dr. Mousavi (personalized prostate surveillance), and Dr. Purzner (glioblastoma research).Read more: #queens
queensu.ca
$12.7 million for cancer, heart, and health research | Queen's Gazette
Thirteen Queen's research teams receive federal funding to advance discoveries aiming to improve the health of Canadians.
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Harrison Ritz @hritz.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
ccn tutorial coming together just in time. nilearn through julia PyCall in colab. Shouldn't be possible.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Can AI predict crashes before they happen? Connected Minds researcher Dr. Ali Etemad's CollideNet uses hierarchical video analysis to forecast time-to-collision with state-of-the-art accuracy. How would real-time collision prediction change vehicle safety? #QueensuResearch
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
What if motion tracking didn't require expensive tools? Drs. @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social and Mulla developed ATHENA, open-source AI that captures natural movement without wearable sensors. Moving research from labs to clinics to communities. Read more:
yorku.ca
AI tool developed at York U signals breakthrough for movement research - YFile
Learn about ATHENA, a new, open-source AI system created by York University researchers that removes barriers to motion tracking, making it easier to study how people move.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Proud of Dr. Sherbert's work getting national attention! Indigenous innovation in AI isn't optional, it's essential. When Indigenous peoples lead ethical conversations about technology, everything changes. What would AI look like if Indigenous values shaped it from start? Read article here: #queens
thestar.com
‘Create change:’ Why these Indigenous entrepreneurs are leaning into AI
Shani Gwin's foray into the world of artificial intelligence began with a problem.
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
How does brain know what someone's feeling? New Nature research from Dr. @kohitij.bsky.social reveals expression and identity are processed through overlapping neural representations. We read faces instantly but the brain's strategy is more nuanced.What does this mean for AI understanding emotions?
nature.com
Facial expression discrimination emerges from partially overlapping neural subspaces of detection and identity - Nature Communications
How the brain supports facial expression perception remains unclear. Here, the authors show that macaques are a good model of human expression perception and that early high-level visual cortex activi...
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Lina Pinto-García @linapintogarcia.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
We're excited to announce the Interdisciplinary Workshop: Art and Brain Health (Aug. 12–13, Medellín, Colombia), funded by Connected Minds at York University. Program: acesse.one/vwhknsw Registration: acesse.one/m9izoxf @stsyorku.bsky.social @connectedminds.bsky.social
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Connected Minds @connectedminds.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Congratulations to Connected Minds researchers at Queens on NSERC Discovery funding! From intelligent systems to brain science to robotics, the breadth is remarkable. What excites you most about the questions these projects are asking? Where do you see the biggest breakthroughs coming? #queens
queensu.ca
Queen's researchers awarded over $14 million for natural sciences and engineering research | Queen's Gazette
Funded through the federal government, projects span computing systems to neuroscience and clean energy.
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