UNE students, faculty and professional staff attend world’s largest neuroscience meeting

UNE students, faculty and professional staff recently attended the world's largest neuroscience meeting
UNE students, faculty and professional staff recently attended the world's largest neuroscience meeting

Sixteen faculty, professional staff and students from the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN) recently participated in the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego, California.

Approximately 30,000 scientists, from more than 80 countries, attend the annual event, making it the world’s largest gathering for neuroscientists.

For several UNE undergraduate students attending the international conference for the first time, the gathering provided them the opportunity to explore possible careers in the neuroscience field.

Two undergraduate students, Emma McCormac (Medical Biology, ’20) and Samantha Dinsdale (Medical Biology, ’19), both in the laboratory of Benjamin Harrison, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences, presented their research at the conference.

Eliza Grlickova-Duzevik, M.D., Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow, and lab manager Merilla Michael, also members of the Harrison lab, presented posters at the conference.

The conference had a special poster session devoted to undergraduate neuroscience lab research, giving all attendees the opportunity to learn about work being performed in other labs.

As part of that session, Michael Burman, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, and his undergraduate student Taylor Paquin (Animal Behavior, ’20) presented a poster on the effects of neonatal pain on maternal behavior.

Burman lab members Makaela Rice (Neuroscience ’19), Seth Davis, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow, and lab manager Jared Zuke presented posters about the research they are doing on neonatal pain.

Ian Meng, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Science and CEN director, presented a poster about the annual UNE Brain Fair during a special session devoted to Brain Awareness Week, a global campaign to promote the general public’s interest in neuroscience.

Meng hopes other neuroscience outreach organizations will be able to utilize some of the programing developed for the brain fair. The session also sparked new ideas that CEN could incorporate into future UNE Brain Fairs.

Most of the research presented at the conference by UNE faculty, students and professional staff received financial support from the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function.

CEN and the Department of Biology supported the travel and attendance of graduate and undergraduate students at the conference.

 

Samantha Dinsdale is one of several UNE students who attended the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego
Samantha Dinsdale is one of several UNE students who attended the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego
Emma McCormac presented research at the gathering
Emma McCormac presented research at the gathering

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.