“Careers in Neuroscience” Panel Discussion
On December 14th, 2011, the Neuroscience GSA sponsored and hosted a panel discussion focusing on the transition from graduate school to a post-graduate position. The panel consisted of six faculty members from UB or Canisius College and one post-doctoral fellow from UB. Topics included starting up a lab, differences between academia and industry, aspects of funding and support, and other issues facing students as they move beyond graduate school. Click here for more.
Brain Bee
This February (2012), the members of the nGSA participated in the Brain Bee for the 3rd year in a row. The Brain Bee is a competition that tests high school students’ knowledge about the brain and is sponsored by the Buffalo Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Elizabeth Hogan, a faculty member at Canisius College, and Neuroscience graduate student Sarah Hayes organized the event. Several UB Neuroscience graduate students provided a review session for the high school students in the competition. Another group of Neuroscience graduate students served as judges. Click here for more.
Invited Speaker
For the second year, the Neuroscience GSA sponsored an invited speaker. This year the speaker was Dr. John DeLuca, a world-renowned researcher in the area of cognitive impairments in Multiple Sclerosis. In addition to his talk, Dr. DeLuca met and had dinner with nGSA members during his visit. To see the talk abstract, click here.
Brain Awareness Week
On Monday, April 2nd (2012), the Neuroscience GSA once again took part in Brain Awareness Week, a community outreach program initiated by the Society for Neuroscience to increase awareness about the brain and behavior. Members of the Neuroscience GSA brought fun and interactive demonstrations to two different schools. The elementary/middle school students were shown human, sheep, and rat brain specimens, viewed slides of the brain through a microscope, learned about attention and perception, and took part in interactive demonstrations that illustrated how their senses integrate information. These demonstrations provided a fun introduction to brain anatomy and physiology, sensory perception, and behavior. Sixteen graduate students participated in the event and several UB Neuroscience faculty provided materials for the demonstrations. For a more complete overview of the event, click here.
Neuroscience GSA Travel Award
Pete Vento was the recipient of the first ever nGSA Travel Award. Pete is a PhD student in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychology. He is part of Dr. Derek Daniels laboratory, which focuses on the neurobiology of ingestive behaviors. He has also been an very active member of the nGSA for the past several years. Pete will be presenting a poster at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, in Zurich, Switzerland in July. For the poster abstract, click here.