Newton Howard

Last updated

Newton Howard is a brain and cognitive scientist, the former founder and director of the MIT Mind Machine Project [1] [2] at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is a professor of computational neurology and functional neurosurgery at Georgetown University. [3] He was a professor of at the University of Oxford, where he directed the Oxford Computational Neuroscience Laboratory. [4] [5] He is also the director of MIT's Synthetic Intelligence Lab, [6] the founder of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies [7] and the chairman of the Brain Sciences Foundation. [8] Professor Howard is also a senior fellow at the John Radcliffe Hospital at Oxford, a senior scientist at INSERM in Paris and a P.A.H. at the CHU Hospital in Martinique.

Contents

His research areas include Cognition, Memory, Trauma, Machine Learning, Comprehensive Brain Modeling, Natural Language Processing, Nanotech, Medical Devices and Artificial Intelligence.

Education and career

Howard earned his B.A. from Concordia University Ann Arbor and an M.A. in Technology from Eastern Michigan University. He went on to study at MIT and at the University of Oxford where, as a graduate member of the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, he proposed the Theory of Intention Awareness (IA). [9] He also received a Doctorate in Cognitive Informatics and Mathematics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, where he was also awarded a Habilitation a Diriger des Recherches for his work on the Physics of Cognition (PoC). [10]

Howard is an author and national security advisor [11] [12] to several U.S. Government organizations [13] and his work has contributed to more than 30 U.S. patents and over 90 publications. In 2009, he founded the Brain Sciences Foundation (BSF), [8] a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with the goal of improving the quality of life for those suffering from neurological disorders.

Research

Howard is known for his Theory of Intention Awareness (IA), [14] which provides a possible model for explaining volition in human intelligence, recursively throughout all layers of biological organization. He next developed the Mood State Indicator (MSI) [15] a machine learning system capable of predicting emotional states by modeling the mental processes involved in human speech and writing. The Language Axiological Input/Output system (LXIO) [15] was built upon this MSI framework and found to be capable of detecting both sentiment and cognitive states by parsing sentences into words, then processing each through time orientation, contextual-prediction and subsequent modules, before computing each word's contextual and grammatical function with a Mind Default Axiology. The key significance of LXIO was its ability to incorporate conscious thought and bodily expression (linguistic or otherwise) into a uniform code schema. [15]

In 2012, Howard published the Fundamental Code Unit (FCU) [16] theory, which uses unitary mathematics (ON/OFF +/-) to correlate networks of neurophysiological processes to higher order function. In 2013, he proposed the Brain Code (BC) [17] theory, a methodology for using the FCU to map entire circuits of neurological activity to behavior and response, effectively decoding the language of the brain. [18]

In 2014, he hypothesized a functional endogenous optical network within the brain[ citation needed ], mediated by neuropsin (OPN5). This self-regulating cycle of photon-mediated events in the neocortex involves sequential interactions among 3 mitochondrial sources of endogenously-generated photons during periods of increased neural spiking activity: (a) near-UV photons (~380 nm), a free radical reaction byproduct; (b) blue photons (~470 nm) emitted by NAD(P)H upon absorption of near-UV photons; and (c) green photons (~530 nm) generated by NAD(P)H oxidases, upon NAD(P)H-generated blue photon absorption. The bistable nature of this nanoscale quantum process provides evidence that an on/off (UNARY +/-) coding system exists at the most fundamental level of brain operation.

Transformers sculptures

In 2021 Howard installed two-ton (1,814 kg) sculptures depicting Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, characters from the Transformers media franchise, outside of his home in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His inspiration for the sculptures came from his work with artificial intelligence and "because the Transformers represent human and machine living in harmony, if you will." [3] [19] The reaction from locals was mixed and he ran into legal issues with local government officials. He was eventually granted permission to keep the statues installed for a period of six months, but they remained after that time. [3] [19] [20]

Selected works

Books

Most-cited journal articles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cognitive science</span> Interdisciplinary scientific study of cognitive processes

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes with input from linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science/artificial intelligence, and anthropology. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition. Cognitive scientists study intelligence and behavior, with a focus on how nervous systems represent, process, and transform information. Mental faculties of concern to cognitive scientists include language, perception, memory, attention, reasoning, and emotion; to understand these faculties, cognitive scientists borrow from fields such as linguistics, psychology, artificial intelligence, philosophy, neuroscience, and anthropology. The typical analysis of cognitive science spans many levels of organization, from learning and decision to logic and planning; from neural circuitry to modular brain organization. One of the fundamental concepts of cognitive science is that "thinking can best be understood in terms of representational structures in the mind and computational procedures that operate on those structures."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cognitive neuroscience</span> Scientific field

Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental processes. It addresses the questions of how cognitive activities are affected or controlled by neural circuits in the brain. Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both neuroscience and psychology, overlapping with disciplines such as behavioral neuroscience, cognitive psychology, physiological psychology and affective neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience relies upon theories in cognitive science coupled with evidence from neurobiology, and computational modeling.

Cognitive science is the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence . Practically every formal introduction to cognitive science stresses that it is a highly interdisciplinary research area in which psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, anthropology, and biology are its principal specialized or applied branches. Therefore, we may distinguish cognitive studies of either human or animal brains, the mind and the brain.

Artificial consciousness (AC), also known as machine consciousness (MC), synthetic consciousness or digital consciousness, is the consciousness hypothesized to be possible in artificial intelligence. It is also the corresponding field of study, which draws insights from philosophy of mind, philosophy of artificial intelligence, cognitive science and neuroscience. The same terminology can be used with the term "sentience" instead of "consciousness" when specifically designating phenomenal consciousness.

Computational neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience which employs mathematical models, computer simulations, theoretical analysis and abstractions of the brain to understand the principles that govern the development, structure, physiology and cognitive abilities of the nervous system.

Bio-inspired computing, short for biologically inspired computing, is a field of study which seeks to solve computer science problems using models of biology. It relates to connectionism, social behavior, and emergence. Within computer science, bio-inspired computing relates to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Bio-inspired computing is a major subset of natural computation.

David Courtenay Marr was a British neuroscientist and physiologist. Marr integrated results from psychology, artificial intelligence, and neurophysiology into new models of visual processing. His work was very influential in computational neuroscience and led to a resurgence of interest in the discipline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christof Koch</span> American neurophysiologist

Christof Koch is a German-American neurophysiologist and computational neuroscientist best known for his work on the neural basis of consciousness. He is the president and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. From 1986 until 2013, he was a professor at the California Institute of Technology.

Computational cognition is the study of the computational basis of learning and inference by mathematical modeling, computer simulation, and behavioral experiments. In psychology, it is an approach which develops computational models based on experimental results. It seeks to understand the basis behind the human method of processing of information. Early on computational cognitive scientists sought to bring back and create a scientific form of Brentano's psychology.

Neurophilosophy or philosophy of neuroscience is the interdisciplinary study of neuroscience and philosophy that explores the relevance of neuroscientific studies to the arguments traditionally categorized as philosophy of mind. The philosophy of neuroscience attempts to clarify neuroscientific methods and results using the conceptual rigor and methods of philosophy of science.

The cognitive revolution was an intellectual movement that began in the 1950s as an interdisciplinary study of the mind and its processes. It later became known collectively as cognitive science. The relevant areas of interchange were between the fields of psychology, linguistics, computer science, anthropology, neuroscience, and philosophy. The approaches used were developed within the then-nascent fields of artificial intelligence, computer science, and neuroscience. In the 1960s, the Harvard Center for Cognitive Studies and the Center for Human Information Processing at the University of California, San Diego were influential in developing the academic study of cognitive science. By the early 1970s, the cognitive movement had surpassed behaviorism as a psychological paradigm. Furthermore, by the early 1980s the cognitive approach had become the dominant line of research inquiry across most branches in the field of psychology.

In philosophy of mind, the computational theory of mind (CTM), also known as computationalism, is a family of views that hold that the human mind is an information processing system and that cognition and consciousness together are a form of computation. Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts (1943) were the first to suggest that neural activity is computational. They argued that neural computations explain cognition. The theory was proposed in its modern form by Hilary Putnam in 1967, and developed by his PhD student, philosopher, and cognitive scientist Jerry Fodor in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was vigorously disputed in analytic philosophy in the 1990s due to work by Putnam himself, John Searle, and others.

Embodied cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field of research, the aim of which is to explain the mechanisms underlying intelligent behavior. It comprises three main methodologies: the modeling of psychological and biological systems in a holistic manner that considers the mind and body as a single entity; the formation of a common set of general principles of intelligent behavior; and the experimental use of robotic agents in controlled environments.

Some of the research that is conducted in the field of psychology is more "fundamental" than the research conducted in the applied psychological disciplines, and does not necessarily have a direct application. The subdisciplines within psychology that can be thought to reflect a basic-science orientation include biological psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and so on. Research in these subdisciplines is characterized by methodological rigor. The concern of psychology as a basic science is in understanding the laws and processes that underlie behavior, cognition, and emotion. Psychology as a basic science provides a foundation for applied psychology. Applied psychology, by contrast, involves the application of psychological principles and theories yielded up by the basic psychological sciences; these applications are aimed at overcoming problems or promoting well-being in areas such as mental and physical health and education.

The LIDA cognitive architecture is an integrated artificial cognitive system that attempts to model a broad spectrum of cognition in biological systems, from low-level perception/action to high-level reasoning. Developed primarily by Stan Franklin and colleagues at the University of Memphis, the LIDA architecture is empirically grounded in cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience. In addition to providing hypotheses to guide further research, the architecture can support control structures for software agents and robots. Providing plausible explanations for many cognitive processes, the LIDA conceptual model is also intended as a tool with which to think about how minds work.

Cognitive musicology is a branch of cognitive science concerned with computationally modeling musical knowledge with the goal of understanding both music and cognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gualtiero Piccinini</span> Italian–American philosopher (born 1970)

Gualtiero Piccinini is an Italian–American philosopher known for his work on the nature of mind and computation as well as on how to integrate psychology and neuroscience. He is Curators' Distinguished Professor in the Philosophy Department and Associate Director of the Center for Neurodynamics at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Joshua Brett Tenenbaum is Professor of Computational Cognitive Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is known for contributions to mathematical psychology and Bayesian cognitive science. According to the MacArthur Foundation, which named him a MacArthur Fellow in 2019, "Tenenbaum is one of the first to develop and apply probabilistic and statistical modeling to the study of human learning, reasoning, and perception, and to show how these models can explain a fundamental challenge of cognition: how our minds understand so much from so little, so quickly."

Dana Harry Ballard (1946-2022) was a professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin and formerly with the University of Rochester.

References

  1. ↑ "MIT Mind Machine Project". Mind Machine Project. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  2. ↑ Chandler, David (December 7, 2009). "Rethinking artificial intelligence". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  3. 1 2 3 Austermuhle, Martin (March 3, 2021). "Optimus Prime Faces A New And Unexpected Foe: Georgetown's Historic District". NPR. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences". Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. University of Oxford.
  5. ↑ "Oxford Computational Neuroscience Laboratory". Oxford Computational Neuroscience Laboratory. University of Oxford.
  6. ↑ "Synthetic Intelligence Lab". Synthetic Intelligence Lab. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  7. ↑ "Center for Advanced Defense Studies". Center for Advanced Defense Studies.
  8. 1 2 "Brain Sciences Foundation". Brain Sciences Foundation.
  9. ↑ Newton Howard, “Theory of Intention Awareness in Tactical Military Intelligence: Reducing Uncertainty by Understanding the Cognitive Architecture of Intentions", Author House First Books Library, Bloomington, Indiana. 2002.
  10. ↑ Howard, Newton (1999). "The Logic of Uncertainty and Situational Understanding". Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS)/Institute for the Mathematical Complexity & Cognition (MC) Centre de Recherche en Informatique, Université Paris Sorbonne.
  11. ↑ JMO, CWID (2007). "CWID - Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration" (PDF). CWID JMO.
  12. ↑ NATO, MIP (2007). "Joint C3 Information Exchange Data Model Overview" (PDF). MIP-NATO Management Board.
  13. ↑ Howard, Newton (2013). "Development of a Diplomatic, Information, Military, Health, and Economic Effects Modeling System" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  14. ↑ Howard, Newton (2002). Theory of Intention Awareness in Tactical Military Intelligence: Reducing Uncertainty by Understanding the Cognitive Architecture of Intentions. Bloomington, IN: Author House First Books Library.
  15. 1 2 3 Howard, Newton; Guidere, Mathieu (January 2012). "LXIO: The Mood Detection Robopsych" (PDF). The Brain Sciences Journal. 1: 98–109. doi:10.7214/brainsciences/2012.01.01.05.
  16. ↑ Howard, Newton (2012). "Brain Language: The Fundamental Code Unit" (PDF). The Brain Sciences Journal. Brain Sciences Foundation.
  17. ↑ Howard, Newton (2013). "The Twin Hypotheses". Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Its Applications. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 8265. Springer. pp. 430–463. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-45114-0_35. ISBN   978-3-642-45113-3.
  18. ↑ Howard, Newton (2015). The Brain Language. London, UK: Cambridge Scientific Publishing. ISBN   978-1-908106-50-6.
  19. 1 2 Kois, Dan (March 4, 2021). "You Gotta Love These Two Enormous Transformers Statues This Guy Erected on His Fancy Georgetown Block". Slate. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  20. ↑ Mathews, Topher (January 3, 2022). "Transformers Carry On". The Georgetown Metropolitan. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.