Molecular Neuroscience Department: Description and generation of dendritic morphology, hippocampus, human memory, neuron classification, semantic maps
Dr Ascoli is founding director of the Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, and Plasticity (http://krasnow1.gmu.edu/cn3) at the Krasnow Institute for advanced study. His lab uses experimental data, computational modeling, and modern informatics infrastructures to address fundamental open questions in neuroscience.
Dr Ascoli is specifically interested in the description and generation of neuronal morphology and connectivity, and the structure, activity, and function of neural circuits. In the long term, he seeks to create large-scale, anatomically plausible neural networks to model entire portions of a mammalian brain (such as a mammalian hippocampal slice).
Dr Ascoli's interests also involve autobiographic memories, semantic maps, and philosophy of mind. He has published in Journal of Neuroscience, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Neuron, and Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Parekh R, Ascoli GA (2013) Neuronal morphology goes digital: a research hub for cellular and system neuroscience. Neuron. 77(6):1017-38.
Ferrante M, Migliore M, Ascoli GA (2013) Functional impact of dendritic branch-point morphology. J Neurosci. 33(5):2156-65.
Ropireddy D, Bachus SE, Ascoli GA (2012) Non-homogeneous stereological properties of the rat hippocampus from high-resolution 3D serial reconstruction of thin histological sections. Neuroscience. 205:91-111.
http://www.schev.edu/schev/newsReleases/nr-jan2012/nr1252012.asp
SCHEV and Dominion Resources Announce
2012 Outstanding Faculty Award Recipients
RICHMOND — The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Dominion Resources are pleased to announce the 12 faculty members from Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities who have been selected as recipients of the 2012 Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA).
“The Council is pleased to once again partner with Dominion Resources to honor these extraordinary educators,” said SCHEV Director Peter Blake. “Each year we are impressed by the diverse accomplishments of these talented professors. The scholarship and dedication of these honorees is a testament to the strength of Virginia’s unique system of higher education.”
“Dominion is proud to have sponsored the Outstanding Faculty Awards since 2005,” said Virginia M. Board, president of the Dominion Foundation and managing director of community affairs for Dominion Resources. “The commitment of these twelve individuals to discovering and sharing knowledge should inspire not only the students in their classrooms, but all Virginians.”
This year marks the 26th anniversary of the statewide awards program, which honors faculty members for excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration, and public service. The 12 recipients were selected from a pool of 125 applications based on accomplishments that strongly reflect the missions of their respective institutions.
2012 Outstanding Faculty Award recipients:
Dr. Giorgio Ascoli
Professor of Neuroscience
George Mason University
Robert Gardner, A Multi-species Investigation of Memory: from Human Recollection to Rodent Navigation (2014)