Contact Information
524 Burrill Hall
407 S. Goodwin Ave
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Areas
Research Interests
Research Topics
Computational Biology, Neurobiology, Sensory Processing
Research Description
Computational Neuroscience; Neuroethology; Adaptive Behaviour
The goal of our research is to understand the neural mechanisms and computational principles that allow animals to function effectively in complex, dynamically changing environments. Our focus is on understanding general principles of "smart sensing" in animals. We're interested in how the nervous system extracts and enhances behaviorally relevant information and suppresses irrelevant background noise. We investigate these issues by studying how weakly electric fish detect, localize, and discriminate prey in the dark using their electric sense. Our research involves a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, computer modeling, and biorobotic approaches.
Education
B.S. 1976 Wichita State University
PhD. 1983 University of California, Berkley
Postdoc. 1983-91 California Institute of Technology
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor Emeritus, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
External Links
Recent Publications
Li, J., Robare, J. A., Gao, L., Ghane, M. A., Flaws, J. A., Nelson, M. E., & Christian, C. A. (2018). Dynamic and Sex-Specific Changes in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuron Activity and Excitability in a Mouse Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. eNeuro, 5(5), Article e0273-18.2018. https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0273-18.2018
Yoon, H., Shiftehfar, R., Cho, S., Spencer, B. F., Nelson, M. E., & Agha, G. (2016). Victim Localization and Assessment System for Emergency Responders. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 30(2), Article 04015011. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000483
Jo, H., Sim, S. H., Tatkowski, A., Spencer, B. F., & Nelson, M. E. (2013). Feasibility of displacement monitoring using low-cost GPS receivers. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 20(9), 1240-1254. https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.1532
Nelson, M. E. (2011). Biological smart sensing strategies in weakly electric fish. Smart Structures and Systems, 8(1), 107-117. https://doi.org/10.12989/sss.2011.8.1.107
Nelson, M. E. (2011). Electric fish. Current Biology, 21(14), R528-R529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.045
