Denis Schluppeck bio photo

Denis Schluppeck

Some neuroscience guy with a keen interest in coffee beans and artisan bread.

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Details about the course

Aim of the course

The aim is to get to hands-on material quickly, so students on the course can start on their on programming problems as soon as possible. We place emphasis on solving problems that people have to solve in their own research. We also try to tailor the program. Some examples of exercises:

  • dealing with numbers, lists of numbers (vectors), tables of numbers (matrices)
  • reading in data from files (mat, log, csv, text)
  • writing loops to automate tasks
  • writing small functions to select and plot data based on different criteria (simple example of an eye fixation / tracking data set)
  • visualizing time series data (fMRI timecourses)
  • producing vector-graphics plots that can be used in publications
  • learning the basic ideas of stimulus presentation (MGL, Psychtooolbox)…

Three days go by very quickly and the timetable is pretty intense, but students leave with a course booklet (>70 pages of explanations, worked problems, and pointers for further study) and whole bunch of matlab code illustrating different aspects of the course material and worked solutions to problems.

The perliminary 2023 timetable

With session led by Chris Madan (CM), Chris Scholes (CS) Denis Schluppeck (DS).

We often tailor the timetable based on feed-back of a pre-arrival questionnaire - this allows you to tell us which aspects of Matlab / Programming you are most keen to hear about more and practice.

Day 1 – Session 1 & 2

  • 0930 registration for 1000 start (DS, CS, CM)

AM session (DS)

  • The big picture / Getting started with Matlab
  • Basic commands, Syntax
  • Getting comfortable w/ finding help

quick break / social around lunch (CM, CS, DS)

PM session (CS)

  • Loading data into matlab
  • differences between handling text, CSV, tables, .. (good practice)
  • Intro to plotting data and graphics

Day 2 – Session 3 & 4

AM session (DS)

  • Logical indexing, controls, if/else
  • Putting it together - solving real problems, analysing data
  • scripts, functions

PM session (CM)

  • code sharing, working together
  • finding errors, debugging, re-useable code

Day 3 – Session 5 & 6

AM session (CS)

  • Fitting data: linear, non-linear LS
  • working with your own personal projects

AMA about Matlab, coding with DS, CS, CM

PM session (CM)

  • publication quality figures in code
  • data visualisation

5pm course end

Book a place

The next course is planned for around April 2023.

Register your interest for the next course

Location

The in-person course is held at the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham on University Park Campus

Psychology is Building 29 on this map

Registration, coffee breaks, and lunch in one of the ground floor seminar rooms.

Computer Labs are equipped with iMacs, but we encourage you to bring your own laptop if helpful to you.