WELCOME
 

It is my pleasure and privilege to invite you, on behalf of the codirectors and the Organizing Committee, to the International Course and Conference MIND AND BRAIN V: Physics and the Brain that we proudly devote to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the famous Croatian-born Nikola Tesla. The vision and creativity of the great inventor and genius remain inspiring. 

The UNESCO and the Croatian Government has proclaimed the year 2006 The Nikola Tesla Year. The MIND AND BRAIN V is within the official Program of the Nikola Tesla Year in Croatia, under the auspices of the Croatian Parliament.

The international courses MIND AND BRAIN are focused on the functional brain-imaging methods and their noninvasive insight into the human brain functions in health and disease. In connection with this year's topic, inspired by the World Year of Physics - WYP2005, we will place additional emphasis on reviewing the current progress and discussions about the hottest topics and possible future directions of research toward understanding the physics of the brain, consciousness, neural computing and interfacing,?nbsp;

The meeting should be equally stimulating for both prominent senior researchers and advanced graduate students, as well as young researchers of different backgrounds. We would like to promote and increase the links between physicists interested in studying the brain as a complex dynamic system and non-physicists using physical methods and concepts in understanding the brain structure and functions from molecular to the system level. To that end, we structured the scientific program to include invited morning tutorial lectures, a special one-day Nikola Tesla Symposium to pay tribute to the great inventor, three additional symposia,  poster and plenary sessions, and evening discussion clubs with lecturers. 

The Old City of Dubrovnik, a jewel of the Adriatic and currently one of the world's hottest destinations, its InterUniversity Centre celebrating the 35th anniversary, and Dubrovnik President Hotel with its excellent meeting facilities and a beautiful gravel beach should be a superb setting for our scientific and social activities. 

I look forward to welcoming you in Dubrovnik in the Nikola Tesla Year! 

Selma Supek 
Course and Conference Director