James M. Bower
Encyclopedia
James Mason Bower is an American
neuroscientist
and CEO and Chairman of the Board of Numedeon Inc., creator of the Whyville
.net educational virtual world. He graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School
in Rochester, New York
attending Antioch College
and Montana State University
as an undergraduate and then received his PhD
in neurophysiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, U.S.
in 1982. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Rodolfo Llinas
at NYU School of Medicine and the Marine Biological Laboratory
in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
and then took a faculty position at the California Institute of Technology where he was promoted to Professor of Computational Neuroscience
. Since 2002 he has held the position of Professor of Computational Biology
at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
and the University of Texas at San Antonio
Since 1999, Dr. Bower has been CEO and Chairman of the Board of Numedeon Inc, founders of Whyville.net Whyville
. Dr. Bower is also a member of Monitor Networks of Monitor Group
.
, and the cerebellum
. His laboratory uses a wide range of experimental and model based techniques and has pioneered the use of realistic modeling techniques in computational neuroscience
,.
simulation system, founding and directing for its first 5 years the Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory
in Woods Hole, MA., starting the European Union's Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course, and recently helping to organize the first Latin American Course for Computational Neuroscience (LASCON). He was also one of the founding editors of the Journal of Computational Neuroscience, and the Annual International Meeting in Computational Neuroscience which he directed from 1991 to 2001.
of the National Academy of Science, the National Science Foundation
and the Society for Neuroscience
.
s. The company's flagship effort, Whyville
.net is now one of the largest education sites for young adults on the World Wide Web, with a player base of 4.8 million. Whyville
has been particularly successful in attracting young teens
Coming Soon - A Book About Whyville 2008 or 2009
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
neuroscientist
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
and CEO and Chairman of the Board of Numedeon Inc., creator of the Whyville
Whyville
About Whyville=Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children from ages 8-15. Its goal is to engage its users in learning about a broad range of topics, from science and business to art and geography....
.net educational virtual world. He graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School
McQuaid Jesuit High School
McQuaid Jesuit High School is an all-male, Jesuit college preparatory high school located in Rochester, New York, USA. Named after Bernard J. McQuaid, the first bishop of the Rochester diocese, McQuaid is located at 1800 Clinton Avenue South, in the suburb of Brighton.McQuaid was founded in 1954 in...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
attending Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
and Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
as an undergraduate and then received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in neurophysiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1982. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Rodolfo Llinas
Rodolfo Llinás
Rodolfo R. Llinás PhD is a neuroscientist. He is presently the Thomas and Suzanne Murphy Professor of Neuroscience and Chairman of the department of Physiology & Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine...
at NYU School of Medicine and the Marine Biological Laboratory
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and then took a faculty position at the California Institute of Technology where he was promoted to Professor of Computational Neuroscience
Computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience is the study of brain function in terms of the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system...
. Since 2002 he has held the position of Professor of Computational Biology
Computational biology
Computational biology involves the development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems...
at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is an institute of health science education and research, located in the South Texas Medical Center....
and the University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
Since 1999, Dr. Bower has been CEO and Chairman of the Board of Numedeon Inc, founders of Whyville.net Whyville
Whyville
About Whyville=Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children from ages 8-15. Its goal is to engage its users in learning about a broad range of topics, from science and business to art and geography....
. Dr. Bower is also a member of Monitor Networks of Monitor Group
Monitor Group
Monitor Group is a global management consulting firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States and with 27 offices in 26 major cities around the world. It provides strategy consultation services to the senior management of organizations and governments...
.
Scientific Research
His core scientific research involves computational studies designed to uncover structure / function relations in cortical structures of the mammalian brain, including both those associated with the olfactory systemOlfactory system
The olfactory system is the sensory system used for olfaction, or the sense of smell. Most mammals and reptiles have two distinct parts to their olfactory system: a main olfactory system and an accessory olfactory system. The main olfactory system detects volatile, airborne substances, while the...
, and the cerebellum
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language, and in regulating fear and pleasure responses, but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established...
. His laboratory uses a wide range of experimental and model based techniques and has pioneered the use of realistic modeling techniques in computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience is the study of brain function in terms of the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system...
,.
Scientific Infrastructure
He has also been involved in numerous science infrastructure efforts, including establishing and maintaining the GENESIS (software)GENESIS (software)
GENESIS is a simulation environment for constructing realistic models of neurobiological systems at many levels of scale including subcellular processes, individual neurons, networks of neurons, and neuronal systems.GENESIS was developed in the Caltech laboratory of Dr. James M...
simulation system, founding and directing for its first 5 years the Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
in Woods Hole, MA., starting the European Union's Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course, and recently helping to organize the first Latin American Course for Computational Neuroscience (LASCON). He was also one of the founding editors of the Journal of Computational Neuroscience, and the Annual International Meeting in Computational Neuroscience which he directed from 1991 to 2001.
Efforts in Education
Dr. Bower has also been involved in educational reform efforts since he was President of the Teen League of Rochester (NY) as a high school student from 1970 - 1971. While at Caltech, he founded and directed the Caltech Precollege Science Initiative (CAPSI). He has been a member of numerous national advisory groups on education, including within the National Research CouncilUnited States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
of the National Academy of Science, the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the Society for Neuroscience
Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system.-History:...
.
Business efforts
Dr. Bower is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Numedeon Inc. a company he founded in 1998 to develop educationally related virtual worldVirtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
s. The company's flagship effort, Whyville
Whyville
About Whyville=Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children from ages 8-15. Its goal is to engage its users in learning about a broad range of topics, from science and business to art and geography....
.net is now one of the largest education sites for young adults on the World Wide Web, with a player base of 4.8 million. Whyville
Whyville
About Whyville=Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children from ages 8-15. Its goal is to engage its users in learning about a broad range of topics, from science and business to art and geography....
has been particularly successful in attracting young teens
Publications
- The Book of GENESIS: Exploring Realistic Neural Models with the GEneral NEural SImulation System, Springer Verlag, (1998), ISBN 978-0387949383
- Computational Modeling of Genetic and Biochemical Networks, MIT PressMIT PressThe MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
, (2004), ISBN 978-0262524230 - "Rethinking the Lesser Brain", Scientific AmericanScientific AmericanScientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, August 2003.
Coming Soon - A Book About Whyville 2008 or 2009