Achievement

IGERT trainee Risa Lin uses morphologically realistic computer models of neurons to study the efficacy of different algorithms to overcome the hardware and software limitations of the dynamic clamp, an electrophysiology tool that uses computer simulation to introduce artificial conductances into biological neurons and to create hybrid circuits of real and model neurons. Risa is one of the major developers of the Real Time eXperimental Interface (RTXI), a collaborative open-source software effort aimed at hard real-time data acquisition and closed-loop control applications in biological research. The availability of this tool allows researchers to rapidly design more sophisticated experiments that may include algorithms for optimizing data collection, online parameter estimation, or triggering image acquisition during experiments. In the past year, RTXI has been deployed in over five labs around the country that were otherwise not equipped for these advanced techniques.