It’s conference season at the University of Florida, and the HPNP Auditorium was bustling last Friday with rapid-fire research talks and rows of posters filling the atrium.
At a glance, it looked like any other scientific meeting. But for the 16th year, the North Central Florida chapter of the Society for Neuroscience hosted something rare: an entirely student-run conference, one of the only meetings of its kind within the SfN network.
“What truly sets this conference apart is the depth of student leadership at every level,” said Jessica Shubin, chair of the conference and a graduate assistant in UF’s department of neuroscience. “From inviting and hosting external keynote speakers to coordinating abstract review, managing catering, securing funding and handling day-of logistics, students are responsible for the full scope of planning.”
With more than 220 attendees, the day began with a data blitz featuring a wide array of research topics, from dystonia to traumatic brain injury. It was followed by a panel discussion featuring professionals who offered advice to young scientists on carving their own paths in the field. Panelists included:
- Bayli DiVita Dean, Ph.D., founder and CEO of BDD Communications
- Kalene Jasso Johnson, Ph.D., senior research development strategist, UF Research
- Hera Lichtenbeld, Ph.D., assistant director and licensing officer, UF Innovate
- Talline Martins, Ph.D., director, Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence, UF College of Medicine
- Erin Monari, Ph.D., administrative director, Clinical Research Office, UF Health Cancer Institute
Keynote speaker Geoffrey Schoenbaum, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator and chief of the Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, presented research on neural circuits associated with learning and decision-making and later hosted a Q&A with attendees.
“Dr. Schoenbaum was an exceptional fit for this year’s conference because his work bridges fundamental neuroscience and translational impact,” said Courtney Sercander, conference vice chair and a graduate assistant in neuroscience. “We make an effort to host keynote speakers from a wide array of subfields of neuroscience research, and Dr. Schoenbaum is an excellent representative of current research in behavioral neurophysiology.”
The conference concluded with an award ceremony recognizing outstanding poster presentations, celebrating the breadth and quality of research shared throughout the day. This year’s winners, selected from submissions representing over 20 departments and 25 research areas, were:
- Addiction: Kayleigh Linder
- Pharmacology: Kalynn Turner
- Neurodegenerative: Hannah Ciupe
- Cognitive Aging and Memory: Joshua Juhasz
- Breathing: Alysha Bogard, Ph.D.
- Brain Injury, Rehabilitation and Neuroresilience: Zain Khalid
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience: Anamaria Cotelo
- Neurogenetics: Denise Romero
- Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Neurological Disease: Melanie Gonzalez
- Top Undergraduate Student Poster: James Caprio
- Top Graduate Student Poster: Zachary Strickland
- Top Postdoctoral Poster: Ushna Khan, M.D.
The conference was sponsored by: the MBI; the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Department of Psychology; UF’s BRAIN Center, BREATHE Center, CARE, CAM Center, CTRND and CNG; the UF Florida Chemical Sciences Institute; and the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health.
