The Volen National Center for Complex Systems Scientific Retreat 2019
The Volen National Center for Complex Systems held its 2019 scientific retreat on September 26th and 27th at the Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis on beautiful Cape Cod. This retreat was an intensely interactive and exciting event, since it involved two days of activities. The success of the event was due to the work of a dedicated group of Neuroscience graduate students who organized and planned the entire thing. The students chose and invited all the speakers, designed the activities and organized the schedule. It was a chance for our trainees to take ownership and shape our yearly gathering. They did an amazing job and are justifiably proud!
Scientists from across Brandeis departments attended to hear presentations from senior postdoctoral fellows, a graduate student “data blitz”, and a keynote talk on the genetics and molecular biology of memory, reward and addiction from Karla Kaun, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Brown University. We shared meals and team-building activities in perfect New England fall weather and still had enough down-time for those important small group discussions that happen when you are out of your normal environment. The retreat served as a welcome break from routine and was a great opportunity to recharge and engage for Volen Center faculty, staff, postdocs and students.
The success of this trainee-planned event was so phenomenal we had hoped to do another overnight retreat in 2020. Sadly, those plans have been delayed until fall of 2021 due to the pandemic, but we look forward to it!
September 26, 2019
4 p.m.: Arrival and Snacks
5 p.m.: Post Doc Talks
- Erin Clark, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Nelson Lab
“Poised genes in the adult mouse brain” - Srinivas Gorur Shandilya, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Marder Lab
“Compensation of size change coexists with sensitivity to perturbations in a model of neuronal homeostasis"
6 p.m.: Dinner
7 p.m.: Poster Sessions A and B
9 p.m.: Social Hour
September 27, 2019
8 a.m.: Breakfast
9:30 a.m.: The Volen National Center for Complex Systems Data Blitz Presentations
- Linnea Herzog (Katz and Jadhav Labs)
“Reorganization and reactivation of a preexisting taste-responsive hippocampal network” - Brian Cary (Turrigiano Lab)
“Brain state modulation of synaptic plasticity: role for sleep in homeostasis and the segregation of plasticity” - Roshan Nanu (Katz and Jadhav Labs)
“Contribution of the BLA and Stk11 to the learning of taste aversion” -
Chloe Greppi (Garrity Lab)
“Ionotropic receptor function in Anopheles gambiae” -
Alejandro Torrado Pacheco (Turrigiano Lab)
“Sleep drives downward firing rate homeostasis in V1 neurons” -
Johanna G. Flyer-Adams (Griffith Lab)
“Pigment dispersing factor (PDF) signaling: A novel pathway for memory regulation by the circadian clock” -
Raul Ramos (Turrigiano Lab)
“The role of homeostatic plasticity in associative learning and memory” -
Daniel Powell (Marder Lab)
“Interactions between two rhythmic circuits with distinct periods are maintained over a range of temperatures”
10:30 a.m.: Break
10:45 a.m.: Color War
12:30 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m.: Post Doc Talks
- Michael O'Donnell, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Sengupta Lab)
Brandeis University
“Modulation of sensory behavior and food choice by an enteric bacteria-produced neurotransmitter” - Willem Laursen, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Garrity Lab
Brandeis University
“A molecular driver for mosquito heat-seeking”
2:30 PM: Break
3 p.m.: Keynote Talk
- Karla Kaun, PhD
Robert and Nancy Carney Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Department of Neuroscience, Brown University
“How alcohol influences memory circuits to induce cravings”