Neurotechnology @ MIT

 

A summary guide from the organizers of the MIT NeuroTech Club ~ http://web.mit.edu/neurotech/

 

DRAFT v.020915 * Joost Bonsen * jpbonsen@alum.mit.edu

 

Mission

The NeuroTech Club is a new MIT-wide student organization which aims to (a) advance understanding of emerging applied neuroscience & neuroengineering advances, (b) to serve researchers from throughout MIT through events and activities, and (c) to build links between interested science, engineering, and business communities at and beyond the Institute.

 

Neuro Frontier

Emerging Neurotechnology Wavefront – Neurotechnologies are a broad emerging area of research activity at MIT, and correspondingly, a major arena for discovery, innovation, & entrepreneurship. 

 

MIT Emerging Technology Matrix – To place the NeuroTech activity at MIT in the broadest possible Institute context, you might consider the MIT Matrix which maps MIT’s major strategic research thrusts to the MIT Triad -- Research, Education, and Community as defined by the MIT Task Force on Student Life & Learning  – basically the main things MIT does.  The MIT Matrix is online:  http://web.media.mit.edu/~jpbonsen/emerging-tech-mit.html

 

MIT Neuro Efforts Generally

Research – Many labs & departments at MIT are pursuing different aspects & approaches to Neurotechnology.  In the School of Science, Biology and Brain & Cognitive Science each have faculty seeking fundamental understanding of neural development & brain function.  In the School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineers, Materials Scientists, Electrical Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Biological Engineers, and more, investigate neuromorphic computing, artificial intelligence, prostheses, motor-control systems, and neuroengineering generally ( http://hst.mit.edu/nerc/ ).  MIT Labs actively involved in this domain include MTL, RLE, HST, AI, CBCL, BCS, McGovern, Whitehead, Picower, Martinos, and more (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2000/neuromit.html ).

 

Education – Several classes are potentially relevant to aspiring science, engineering, and business folks.  Certainly all undergraduates at MIT benefit from the core curriculum of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.  These form the educational foundation for understanding the deeper elective offerings in virtually all disciplines.  Furthermore, an increasing number of cross-electives, especially School-wide and Institute-wide offerings, are emerging, as faculty seek to draw together and serve an interdisciplinary group of students ( http://student.mit.edu/catalog/search.cgi?search=neuro ).  The premier MIT Sloan School offering, for those interesting in NeuroTech commercialization and innovation strategy, is 15.968 Building a Biomedical Enterprise.

 

Entrepreneurship – A growing number of MIT students & alumni have founded or are founding & building companies to commercialize Neurotechnologies.  Established firms such as MIT Professor Emeritus Ray Badour’s (MIT ChemE ’49) Amgen ( http://www.amgen.com ) has bought Immunex and is deploying Novatrone indicated for reducing neurologic disability due to Multiple Sclerosis.  Emerging companies, such as Shai Gozani’s (HST alum) NeuroMetrix ( http://www.neurometrix.com ) is commercializing neuromuscular diagnostics; MIT HST Professor Richard Cohen’s Cambridge Heart ( http://www.cambridgeheart.com/ ) ships noninvasive cardiac diagnostics which can predict ventricular tachyarrhythmias associated with sudden cardiac death.

 

NeuroTech Club Activities

Although our club is just getting started, our founding members have already run a half-dozen substantial events related to neurotechnology – guest speakers, dinner receptions, entrepreneurship gatherings, and the like – and we have a rich line-up for this year.  We hope you will both consider attending as well as helping organize some of these activities!

·          Speaker Series – We both encourage students to attend the many established lab colloquia and talks – for example, the Brain Lunches, or McGovern Seminars – and will be hosting Fall, IAP, and Spring speakers series.  These are both special-purpose, with a focused technology concentration, and general survey introductions for a broad audience. 

·          Dinner Soirees & Tech Dinner Talks – Active club members periodically organize dinner gatherings for a broad cross-section of MIT community-members working on NeuroTech related research and development.  Our most recent dinner gathering was in the Spring of 2002 and were attended by some 50-100 people each, including several MIT & Harvard faculty.

·          NeuroTech Venture SIG – In coordination with the MIT HealthTech Club and the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition --http://50k.mit.edu -- and with the support of Professors Schneider, Massaquoi & Murray, we are rallying a Special Interest Group (SIG) will all students & teams interested in a NeuroTech-related business plan Executive Summary entry in the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition’s Fall Semester $1K Warm-Up ( http://50k.mit.edu/info/mit1k.html ). 

·          Sign-Ups – Those interested in attending or participating in NeuroTech activities should check the website ( http://web.mit.edu/neurotech/ ) for upcoming events and attend them! 

 

Peer Club Connections vis a vis NeuroTech

The MIT NeuroTech Club sees itself as a collaborator and participant in the larger MIT Technology & Business mission along with several other MIT & MIT Sloan clubs, including, at least:

·          MediaTech Club ( http://www.sloanmediatech.org/ ) – focused especially on media, info, & high technology;

·          HealthTech  (http://web.mit.edu/healthtech/ ) & BioStrategy Clubs ( http://web.mit.edu/biostrategy/ ) – biomedical & life-sciences focus;

·          TinyTech Club (http://web.mit.edu/tinytech/ ) – micro-thru-nanoscale systems engineering;

·          SEID (http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena/org/s/seid/ ) – advancing international development through technology & business action;

·          MIT VC Club (http://www.mitvcpi.org/ ) – which focuses on the financing of emerging technology ventures;

·          SEBC (http://web.mit.edu/sebc/ ) – catering to science & engineering students seeking careers in business;

·          MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition ( http://50k.mit.edu ) – which catalyzes new business plans & startup companies;

·          and TechLink ( http://web.mit.edu/techlink/ ) – which connects graduate students from all around campus.