Research Experience Course: Memory in Minds and Machines

Catalog description

Memory is the foundation of intelligence: without it, there is no learning, no planning, no perception of a structured world. To understand how memory systems support adaptive behavior, this project-driven research seminar integrates perspectives from neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence. We examine the functional architecture of human memory, focusing on the neural circuits supporting one-shot learning in natural behaviors. In parallel, we examine the design space of memory systems in machine learning, centering on the challenges language and vision models face when scaling to long contexts. Through weekly presentations and discussions, students will develop their own research directions—theoretical, experimental, or computational—culminating in an independent project.