Here are brief descriptions of my research projects in reverse chronological order.

• Spring 2008 - Present, Melody Familiarity and Recognition Network, Dissertation Proposal Pilot Study
  Advisor: Dr. Anthony Maida
  
  Designed and implemented a Tank and Hopfield-based musical sequence detection neural network in Java. Currently using the network to illustrate the effects of musical training on familiarity judgments of melodies, by representing long term memory for musicians and nonmusicians using separate melody detection networks and comparing performance. Initial results from this computational model were presented at the Neurosciences and Music-III conference in Montreal, June 26th-28th, 2008.Abstract. Poster.



• Spring 2007, RoboSim, Ph.D. II year Course Project
  
  Implemented a Monte Carlo Localization algorithm, as part of a 2-member team with Derek James, in Java, for updating a robot’s belief about its state. Painted test bed, obstacles, robot and sensors using Swing and Java 2D API.



• Fall 2006, Modeling Musical Scale Learning and Perception using Neural Networks, Ph.D. II year Course Project
  Advisor: Dr. Anthony Maida
  
  Implemented a musical scale-classification feed-forward neural network, in MatLab to illustrate aspects of music cognition pertaining to key invariance and musical training. An Elman feed-forward network with context units was used for the purpose of this project in order to capture a melody temporally.



• Spring 2006, Musician-influenced Bisociation in the Listener, Ph.D. I year Course Paper/Project
  
  Used specific examples in music, to extend Dasgupta's (2006) "doctrine of the creative encounter" by hypothesizing that one of the ways in which a musician brings about change in the listener's cognitive identity is by forcing unintentional bisociation in the listener through his or her act of creation, with or without the knowledge of the listener. Furthermore, the type of bisociation experienced by the listener is largely similar to that experienced by the musician prior to and during his or her act of creation.



• Spring 2006, Testing a Model of Perceptual Specialization for Faces, Ph.D. I year Project
  Supervisor: Dr. Mike Kalish
  
  Implemented a Mixture of Experts feed-forward classification network for understanding issues in cognitive science pertaining to face perception and object perception, in MatLab. The project involved: a) Reviewing existing computational models in face/object perception, b) Selecting an existing computational model, c) Implementing an interpretation of the existing model, followed by alterations/modifications.



• Fall & Summer 2005, A Computational Model of the Music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Master's thesis
  Advisor: Dr. Subrata Dasgupta
  
  Having spent several years of my professional life in non-music related activity, I finally felt the irresistible urge to integrate my interest in blues and blues-rock music with computer science. My master's thesis involved the design of a probabilistic computational model of Stevie Ray Vaughan's music. The model generated predictions of Stevie Ray Vaughan licks from user-based input. An abstract of my thesis is available here. I presented this work as a full paper at the 6th Creativity and Cognition conference in DC, June 13th-15th, 2007. You may download a copy of this paper here. I also presented my thesis on two occasions at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Contact me for a copy of this talk.