2017 Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution & Neurobiology : Neural, Behavioral and Evolutionary Strategies for Survival

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding how neurons in the brain control complex functions is a primary goal of neuroscience. Advances in genetics have increased the precision with which we can understand those cells and how they interact, but most of that work has been developed in a small number of laboratory organisms. This makes it difficult to assess how representative the findings about brain functions that have emerged from such studies are, and whether or not similar processes are operative in other animals, including humans. The conference supported by this award brings young researchers together who study the brain mechanisms that allow a more diverse group of organisms to solve complex problems in their natural environments. Focused talks and discussions allow them to share ideas about and thus identify the common brain properties that make it possible for different animals to solve problems related to survival. The conference also includes participants with expertise using the genetic approaches that have been developed in laboratory organisms to encourage their colleagues to consider how to adapt such approaches in their own future studies in a more diverse group of species. A high proportion of the speakers and participants are women, and the conference includes a workshop about the unique challenges faced by women in science and how to overcome them. Ultimately, this meeting thus encourages our nation's future scientists, particularly some of the most promising young women in science, to move in directions that will ultimately help us identify the fundamental properties of the brain that make complex functions possible. This is a small meeting of approximately 130 participants, most of whom are graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and beginning investigators. It takes place over 5 days in a semi-remote setting to foster intensive and extensive discussions about the brain mechanisms that have allowed a diverse group of organisms to survive in complex natural environments. The meeting includes 9 sessions, each of which focuses on a particular topic in the field of neuroethology, with 1-2 talks per session and extensive time for discussion after each talk. Several invited participants who have used some of the genetic and molecular tools that have been developed in model organisms in other species are included in the program to push young scientists to think about how they might also take advantage of those tools to increase the precision with which they can study the nervous systems in non-laboratory animals in naturalistic environments. Over 2/3 of the participants and speakers are women, and there is a special workshop that addresses the unique challenges associated with advancement in science for women. Ultimately, the conference encourages young scientists to compare the mechanisms that have evolved in different groups of organisms to solve the challenges to survival present in the environments in which they evolved, and in so doing to identify the fundamental principles of brain function that are critical for the regulation of complex processes.