The vision of the NSF-CATE center at FIU is to foster a cross-disciplinary research and educational program as a catalyst for our undergraduates and graduates alike to train and develop their creative thinking by bringing in synergy the fields of applied information processing, human/brain-computer interfaces, and neuroscience. In the merging of these technologies, we see a productive ground for the development of new methodologies and scientific discovery that (1) will meet the impending needs in neuroscience as we elicit both the functional mapping of the brain, and the causality of key brain disorders; and (2) perform Human-Computer Interface (HCI) research that address effectively the issue of Universal Accessibility, focusing on visual impairment and motor disability. Applied information processing (in relation to analysis and interpretation of signals and images), neuroscience (in terms of brain functional mapping and neurorehabilitation and cognitive issues),
and human/brain-computer interface research (as assistive or augmentative real-time systems) are inextricably linked. New developments in the field of applied information processing may yield new insight into key physiological aspects of neuroscience, which in turn, can elicit new research directions and new theoretical developments in support of system design with augmented viability in human/brain-computer interfaces. The interplay between science and engineering is hence at its best by bringing together new theoretical findings into the practical realms of medical science. Experimental results, as observed through clinical means or through system design evaluations and feasibility studies serve as means to redefine or re-evaluate our theoretical premises; just as learning more about the workings of the human brain will serve to spawn theories that can expand our potential for new scientific/engineering discovery.
