Pristupačnost
The first generation of students of the international study programe "Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Brain and Data Science - NeuroData" arrived to Zagreb to participate in a two-week summer school organized by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) and the Faculty of Medicine (MEF) of the University of Zagreb.
The summer school, which lasts from August 26 to September 6, this year hosted 14 top students from Italy, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, USA, Mexico and Brazil.
NeuroData is a study program that combines the fields of neuroscience and data science, and is implemented by a consortium of universities from six countries. The coordinator is Bar-Ilan University from Israel, and in addition to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb, the partners are universities in the Netherlands (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Portugal (Universidade de Lisboa - Instituto Superior Técnico), Italy (University of Padua). and Finland (University of Jyväskylä).
The visit to Zagreb also includes the arrival of the main project coordinator, prof. Alon Korngreen from Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Professor Korngreen is a recognized expert in the field of neuroscience and data science, especially in the field of biophysics and neurophysiology, and his presence will further enrich the event, especially through discussions about the NeuroData project and the concept of joint interdisciplinary graduate studies.
"For me, as the project coordinator, it is an incredible experience to collaborate with an excellent team of scientists from MEF and FER of the University of Zagreb. Also, the first generation students of the NeuroData project are great young people who have been a great pleasure to teach during the past academic year. An interdisciplinary summer school program, such as the one currently being held in Zagreb, is an excellent opportunity to attract top students. Therefore, we plan to continue with this practice even after the end of the project", said the project coordinator prof. Alon Korngreen.
NeuroData Summer School
The organizers and leaders of the Summer School are prof. Melita Šalković-Petrišić (MEF) and prof. Mario Cifrek (FER) who, together with their teams, designed a curriculum dedicated to specific segments of neuroscience and selected parts of data science. In the first week of classes, the school's program is focused on the pathophysiological mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, memory disorders and pain, as well as methods of modeling these disorders. In the second week, students will deal with the measurement and analysis of neurophysiological signals and machine learning methods, along with practical exercises in the laboratories.
"The special value of this interdisciplinary study is the creation of a new profile of experts for whom there is already a great need on the labor market in the broad field of applied neuroscience. A new quality that this unique profile of experts with complementary knowledge of neuroscience and data science should bring to medicine is the understanding of all aspects of data analysis obtained by collecting various biosignals detected in patients, as well as their interpretation, in finding new solutions in diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and prognoses of neurological and psychiatric diseases and response to therapy. In the field of neuropharmacology, the acquisition of knowledge at this study is only the first, important step in the further training of such personnel who in the future could significantly contribute to the development of personalized and thus perhaps more effective therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases", explains prof. Melita Šalković-Petrišić.
"FER has a long history of research and teaching in the interdisciplinary field of biomedical engineering. The laboratory for biomedical electronics was founded in 1972 by professor emeritus Ante Šantić, who at that time was one of the leading experts in the field of biomedical engineering in the world. Since then, the laboratory has been operating continuously and a large number of scientific and professional projects have been realized. The long-standing successful cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine has continued through the joint organization of this Summer School", emphasizes prof. Mario Cifrek.
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree (EMJM) - mark of excellence
EMJM study programs represent the most demanding form of application for Erasmus+ projects. This is supported by the fact that only six EMJM programs are implemented at the University of Zagreb, of which NeuroData is one of the few that jointly implements several components, and also the first of its kind at the Faculty of Medicine.
Due to their superior quality, these programs bear the mark of excellence and motivate students around the world to study in partner countries, with the best students receiving scholarships from the project's funds. After completing their studies, students are issued a double international diploma from two universities (double degree), the one where they spent their first year and the one where they wrote and defended their thesis during the second year of study.
"Modern medicine has been based on an interdisciplinary approach for a long time and includes experts of various profiles, especially from the field of computer science and artificial intelligence. Therefore, FER is a natural partner for us, with whom we have cooperated for several decades. The international NeuroData study is only one of the mirrors of this long-term cooperation. NeuroData, however, also includes the aspect of internationalization and development of international training programs in the European framework (Erasmus+ programs). The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb is known for its international graduate and postgraduate studies as well as excellence in the field of neuroscience. The activities of the Scientific Center of Excellence (ZCI) for basic, clinical and translational neuroscience, which significantly contributed to the scientific productivity and international visibility of the MEF, should be highlighted. We look forward to further cooperation with the universities that make up the Neurodata consortium, as well as the new generations of students of this valuable graduate program", said Prof. Davor Ježek, vice dean for the Study programmes in English from the Faculty of Medicine.
"We are looking forward to working with the first generation of students and cooperating with partners on the NeuroData project. I would say that with this project and study, FER contributes to the fulfillment of the strategic goals of education and contribution to the community through two key dimensions: internationalization and multidisciplinarity," concludes the dean of FER, prof. Vedran Bilas.
The European Union has provided funding for four generations of students. Enrollment for the academic year 2024/2025. have been completed, but applications for the following years are still open. More information is available on the official website of the NeuroData project.