The Rice Neuroengineering Initiative’s InterfaceRice 2024 convened experts in neuroscience, neuroengineering, neurotechnology and neurosurgery for a two-day event designed to connect Rice University and the Texas Medical Center with global researchers and clinicians.
Held April 30-May 1 at the Biosciences Research Collaborative and the Ion, the event featured five sessions of talks, a poster session showcasing international research, panel discussions and networking events. Amy Dittmar, Rice’s Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, delivered opening remarks as over 170 guests attended this year’s conference.
Topics covered during the first day of the event included recent innovations in peripheral nerve stimulation, neurotech commercialization, understanding decision in naturalistic behavior, altruistic outcomes and creativity in venture capitalism and cutting-edge collaborative research bridging science and art through a fusion of music, dance, brain-computer interfacing and immersive projection design.
Day 2 of the event featured talks on new technologies and translational opportunities in neurotech, recent approaches to brain stem and spinal cord research, neuroscience and behavior tracking as well as poster presentations and a keynote address delivered by Helen Mayberg, director of the Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Behnaam Aazhang, the J.S. Abercrombie Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, said the event serves as a site of connection and exchange of knowledge that sets the groundwork for collaboration and innovation in the field.
“We had an amazing lineup of speakers and a fantastic group of attendees this year, and I hope that the conversations and interactions that have taken place have planted the seed for future research projects and collaborations to help advance the field,” Aazhang said. “This is an exciting time for neuroscience and neurotech, where we’re seeing new applications entering the market and new technologies enabling research that just a few years back would have been impossible. The sense of momentum and excitement was palpable.”
In addition to Aazhang, the InterfaceRice team includes Jacob Robinson, professor of electrical and computer engineering and bioengineering at Rice; Hunter Capoccioni, academic administrator for the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; and neurotech strategist JoJo Platt.