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| Me! |
Hello, my name is Jon Dyhr and I am a third year graduate student majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Applied Mathematics at the University of Arizona. I work in the Neuromorphic Engineering Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Charles Higgins developing computational models of insect vision. More specifically, I am currently investigating the cellular basis of visual speed estimation in the honeybee. Work done primarly in the lab of Dr. Mandyam Srinivasan has demostrated that honeybees use the apparent image motion across their eyes to judge their flight speed and distance traveled. Foraging honeybees then communicate the locations of distant food sources to other bees using the "Waggle Dance". By combining information garnered from behavioral studies with anatomical and electrophysiological data from the labs of Dr. Nick Strausfeld and Dr. Wulfila Gronenberg, I am developing a neuronally-based model of visual speed estimation. The validity of the model can then be demostrated by simulating the visually-based behaviors of interest. The model can then be used to make further suppositions about the biology of the system, to design "intelligent" artificial sensory systems and to test the model in a real world environment.
The Higgins lab is a unique environment where engineers and biologist work together to pursue a more complete understanding of the nervous system and to directly apply our knowledge of the nervous system to the development of new innovative technologies. The lab is infused with a sense of true camaraderie. I am indebted to my collegues in the lab who are always there to help me finish a mathematical derivation, to offer constructive criticism, or to go out and forget about work for a while. Click here for a Jon's eye view of the Higgins Lab.
I have also benefitted greatly from my experiences with my fellow neuroscience(and associated) students, my participation in the Biomathematics program, and my interactions with the students in the Math department. I have also been privileged to be funded through the Biology, Mathematics and Physics Initiative, first via the NSF IGERT program and now through BIO5.
