Pre-COSYNE
Brainhack
What is Pre-COSYNE Brainhack?
Pre-COSYNE Brainhack is a hackathon that brings together people who are passionate about open science, open-source tools, and collaboration around computational and systems neuroscience. The hackathon provides an opportunity for people from different institutions to work together on projects of shared interest and learn from each other.
Projects can be on any topic. They can range from integrating a data visualization tool with an analysis tool, to training an LLM to extract knowledge from neuroscience papers, to creating a website to host data analysis challenges and leaderboards. The suggested theme for this year is Benchmarks and Quality Control.
Anyone is welcome to participate. However, space is limited, so please register to attend soon.
Update 2024-01-09: All spots have been filled for Pre-COSYNE Brainhack 2024.
If you cannot attend but would like to be notified of future events, please join for our mailing list.
Sponsors
Logistics
Pre-COSYNE Brainhack runs from February 27-28, 2024 - the two days preceding the COSYNE conference. It consists of brief project pitches at the start, brief project presentations at the end, and an unconference session in the middle where participants can give brief talks on topics of shared interest. The rest of the time is dedicated to hacking and meals. The event runs from 8:30 AM to around 7 PM on both days.
The hackathon will be hosted at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal.
Since the hackathon is relatively short in duration, participants are strongly encouraged to arrive in Lisbon by 6 PM the day before the hackathon (Feb. 26) to join other participants for dinner and socializing. Participants are strongly encouraged to stay through the Simons Foundation social at the end of the second day.
Similar to hackathons in the tech sector, much of the schedule is left open for attendees to work together on projects of their choosing. We also include an unconference session that consists of talks that are chosen by the attendees based on their interests as they evolve throughout the meeting. See the Schedule page for more details.
Unlike a hackathon in the tech sector, there are no prizes. This hackathon is designed to encourage collaboration not competition.
This hackathon is heavily inspired by the OHBM Hackathon, Brainhack, and EBRAINS/HBP/NeuralEnsemble CodeJam events. For more information about the history and culture of Brainhack, please see this Neuron NeuroView article.
Pre-COSYNE Brainhack is not an official part of COSYNE.
FAQ
Will travel or accommodation be provided?
No. We are unable to provide travel or accommodation for participants. However, we will provide a list of recommended hotels in the area.
Will food be provided?
Breakfast, lunch, and coffee will be provided through a generous gift from the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain and the Center for Computational Neuroscience at the Flatiron Institute. The Simons Foundation will also be organizing a social with refreshments on the last day of the hackathon.
Who is eligible to participate?
Anyone is welcome to participate! However, you must register in advance and, due to space constraints, we may not be able to accommodate everyone.
When should I arrive to Lisbon?
Since the hackathon is relatively short in duration, participants are strongly encouraged to arrive in Lisbon by 18:00 the day before the hackathon (Feb. 26) to join other participants for dinner and socializing.
What is your COVID-19 vaccination and mask policy?
Pre-COSYNE Brainhack's COVID policy aligns with local guidelines. Currently, proof of vaccination is not required, and while masks are strongly encouraged, they are not mandatory. In addition to local guidelines, there are a couple additional policies. If you are sick, please notify the organizers and DO NOT attend the hackathon in-person. We will work out an alternate way for you to participate. Testing for COVID prior to attendance is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. If local guidelines change, Pre-COSYNE Brainhack will adapt its policy accordingly.