Witness the story of a synthetic human mind as polarizing as its creator.
This film is part of InScience Film festival On Tour in Eindhoven. It will be screened in Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos on TU/e campus. After the film prof dr. Regina Luttge and prof. dr. ir. Bert de Vries, both from Eindhoven University of Technology will share their perspectives on in-silico and in-vitro neural networks in a Q&A session.
Language: English, subtitles: Dutch
A young filmmaker sets out to document a brilliant neuroscientist who has become frustrated with his field’s status quo. With time elapsing and millions of dollars on the line, In Silico explores an audacious 10-year quest to simulate the entire human brain on supercomputers. Along the way, it reveals the profound beauty of tiny mistakes and bold predictions — a controversial space where scientific process meets ego, and where the lines between objectivity and ambition blur.
Reviews
“A fascinating window into the trouble grandiose research projects and grandiose personalities can generate.” Nature
“In Silico shows the scientific process in all its messy glory, with its revelations, missteps, labor, frustrations, self-promotion, fights for funding, and fractious egos. And it shares a filmmaker’s progress from an awestruck acolyte to a wiser and more objective observer.” Boston Globe.
Speakers
After the film screening dr. Regina Luttge and prof. dr. ir. Bert de Vries, both from the Technical University of Eindhoven will share their perspectives on in-silico and in-vitro neural networks. There will also be time for the audience to ask questions.
Regina Luttge is an Associate Professor in the Microsystems section and Chair of Neuro-Nanoscale Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Her research line investigates and develops microsystems for medicine and biology with integrated bio-inspired functionality mediated by shrinking structural dimensions and controlling material properties at the nanoscale applying emerging and established micro-nanofabrication methods. The specific goal is to combine microfluidics with tissue engineering to create a realistic in vitro model of the brain, which can provide insights into both normal and disease-state function. In her previous research (ERC-StG, 2011-2016), she mainly used a soft-lithography approach for the rational design of miniaturized 3D culture experiments and the generation of artificial micro-environments of physiological relevance working with primary neurons. With the results of her ERC-research, Luttge and her team aim to forward-engineer a living brain-on-chip from neuronal stem cells.
Bert de Vries is professor of Natural Artificial Intelligence at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and also (since 1999) a principal scientist at hearing aid manufacturer GN Hearing. At TU/e he directs the BIASlab research team with whom he conducts research on transferring a Bayesian brain theory (the "Free Energy Principle") to practical and scalable AI engineering tools and applications. This work includes the development of an open source toolbox that supports real-time, robust and scalable message passing-based Bayesian inference in factor graphs. An important application of this work is lifelong in-situ design of personalized and context-aware hearing algorithms. De Vries obtained a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Florida in 1991.
InScience – International Science Film Festival Nijmegen
This film program is a collaboration with Natlab Eindhoven and InScience Film Festival.
InScience is one of the biggest science film festivals in Europe. It showcases an overview of the best science films of the year. InScience offers a broad program, with talks, film debates, Q&A’s, meetings and expositions on the cutting edge of science and art.
At ‘InScience On Tour Eindhoven’, three movies + Q&A will be shown:
- ‘Birds of America’ on Monday 22 November at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos
- ‘In Silico’ on Tuesday 23 November at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos
- ‘Citizen Nobel’ on Wednesday 24 November at Natlab, Kastanjelaan 500.
Ticket information
‘In Silico’ will be shown at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos. Buying a ticket online in advance is mandatory if you want to attend this film. You can buy a ticket via the black “order” button on this page.
Please note: you can only buy a ticket online; tickets are not purchasable with cash or bank card at the ticket counter.
We kindly ask you to be at the ticket counter when it opens 15 minutes prior to the start of the film. This is to ensure the film starts and ends on time.
You can find more general info about tickets, refund policy etc. here.
SG & USE registration
Please register your participation by scanning your student card after the Q&A when attending the film.
More information about SG & USE regulation can be found here.
CoronaCheck
To attend this film, you will need to show:
- A valid admission ticket.
- A COVID certificate (proof of vaccination, a negative test result or proof of recovery in the CoronaCheck app).
- Your ID.
- If you are a student, you also need to bring your student ID card. The COVID certificate will be checked at the entrance of restaurant De Zwarte Doos; the admission ticket will be checked upstairs at the entrance of the film hall.
Further information about CoronaCheck can be found here.