Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott Lecturer

(+49) 234-32-27997 laurenz.wiskott@ini.rub.de NB 3/29

Course type

Lectures

Credits

5 CP

Term

Summer Term 2025

E-Learning

moodle course available

Exercise

Takes place every week on Tuesday from 10:30 to 12:00 in room NB 3/72 (self-study time without teacher).
First appointment is on 15.04.2025
Last appointment is on 15.07.2025

Tutorial

Takes place every week on Tuesday from 12:15 to 13:45 in room NB 3/72.
First appointment is on 15.04.2025
Last appointment is on 15.07.2025

Lecture

Takes place every week on Tuesday from 14:00 to 15:30 in room NB 3/72.
First appointment is on 08.04.2025
Last appointment is on 15.07.2025

Lecturer: Laurenz Wiskott.

Enrollment: To enroll in this course with me, you just have to enroll in the Moodle course and participate. You also might have to enroll with your examination office, but that is something you have to figure out yourself.

From our examination office I have the following information: "Students of RUB’s Mathematics and Physics faculties will register via FlexNow (with only a selection of exams available, as per our website). These students will appear on the regular participant lists that you generate in FlexNow prior to your exams."

Credits: 5 CP

Workload: 150 h

Semester: any semester Master

Cycle (Turnus): each SS

Duration (Dauer): 1 semester

Contact time (Kontaktzeit): 4 SWS (60 h)

Self studies (Selbststudium): 90 h

Group size (Gruppengröße): ca 20

Language: English.

Requirements: The mathematical level of the course is mixed but generally high. The tutorial is almost entirely mathematical. Mathematics required include calculus (functions, derivatives, integrals, differential equations, ...), linear algebra (vectors, matrices, inner product, orthogonal vectors, basis systems, ...), and a bit of probability theory (probabilities, probability densities, Bayes' theorem, ...).

Learning outcomes (Lernziele): After the successful completion of this course the students

Content (Inhalt): This lecture covers basic neurobiology and models of selforganization in neural systems, in particular addressing

• Learning and self-organization
• Hebbian Learning
• Neural learning dynamics and constrained optimization
• Dynamic field theory
• Vision 
• Receptive fields
• Neural maps
• Hippocampus
• Navigation
• Episodic memory
• Hopfield Network

See also the corresponding learnscape (click here to get to a clickable version):

Teaching format (Lehrformen): One unit consists of a lecture of 90 min, self-study time over the week, group work on exercises without teacher for 90 min the week after the lecture, discussion of exercises and general Q&A session with teacher for 90 min right after, followed by the lecture of the next unit.

Exam (Prüfungsformen): The course is concluded with an oral exam (possibly also a digital written exam, if there are many participants, as will be decided within the first two weeks).

Condition for granting the credit points (Voraussetzungen für die Vergabe von Kreditpunkten): Passed the exam.