Events
Genes, Circuits and Behavior Symposium
On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory will host a day-long symposium focused on the topic of genes, circuits and behavior. Recent advances in genetic and optical circuit intervention technologies are revolutionizing neuroscience by bridging the gap between molecular and cellular neurobiology, and systems and behavioral science. The symposium will bring together internationally renowned neuroscientists who are actively involved in the research on these topics.
The conference will begin on the morning of Tuesday, May 6th at ~8:00 a.m. and finish in the mid-afternoon (~3:30 p.m.).
The schedule of events:
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Registration
8:45 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. Welcome, President Susan Hockfield
8:55 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Introduction, Mark Bear (The Picower Institute/MIT)
9:00 a.m. – 9: 30 a.m. Prof. Richard Axel (Columbia University)
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Prof. David J. Anderson (California Institute of Technology)
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Prof. Cornelia I. Bargmann (Rockefeller University)
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Prof. Karl Deisseroth (Stanford University)
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Prof. Rusty Gage (Salk Institute)
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Prof. Susumu Tonegawa (The Picower Institute/MIT)
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Prof. Huda Y. Zoghbi (Baylor College of Medicine)
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Prof. Li-Huei Tsai (The Picower Institute/MIT)
The Symposium is open to the academic community and interested public of the Greater Boston area, however, registration is required. Presently, we have reached our audience capacity of 250. You may consider yourself registered only if you have received a confirmation email.
Registration on the day of the event begins at 8:00 a.m. and the program begins at 8:45 a.m. Please arrive early to guarantee seating and to redeem your name tag.
Please contact Matt Cooney at cooney@mit.edu with any questions.
Plastic Lunch
In the language of neuroscience, "plasticity" refers
to the minute but crucial physical changes that take place
in our synapses every time we learn, experience or remember
anything new. At the Picower Institute, "Plastic Lunch"
is the whimsical name for an exciting series of informal talks
that allow post-docs and graduate students from across the
Picower Institute to share their research, build new collaborations
between labs and enjoy a lively give-and-take with other rising
scientists relentlessly curious about the workings of the
brain.
Open to both members and affiliates of the Picower Institute,
Plastic Lunch is held every other Thursday during the academic
year at noon.
Current schedule >>
Seminar Series
Through its Learning and Memory Seminar Series, the Picower
Institute welcomes renowned neuroscientists from universities
around the world, who come to MIT to share their latest findings
and build working relationships with Picower Institute research
teams.
Open to all members of the neuroscience community at MIT,
the Picower Institute Seminar Series is held every other Thursday
at 4pm during the academic year.
Current schedule >>
Picower Lecture
The Picower Lecture is aptly named to honor and recognize the
generous support of the Picower Foundations to the neurosciences
at MIT. This annual event features the work of a leader in
the area of brain research.
The lecture has been given by such notable names as Dr. Bruce
McNaughton of the University of Arizona, Dr. Alison Doupe
of the University of California San Francisco, Dr. David Anderson
of the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Josh Sanes of Harvard University, and most recently
Dr. Roger Nicoll of UCSF. The 2007 Picower Lecture
featured Dr. Alcino Silva of UCLA and was held on Thursday,
December 13th.
Annual Dana and Betty Fisher Retreat
Each June, after the close of the academic year, the Picower Institute has traditionally hosted a retreat for community members where faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and staff present their research findings from the past year and build connections across the Institute’s labs. The newly renamed annual Dana and Betty Fisher Retreat of the Picower Institute was recently endowed by a $1.2 million gift by their children in accordance with their parents’ wish to further knowledge of memory and learning.
Dana Fisher was a lifelong aviator who helped build TWA into an international airline. Betty Fisher was a correspondent for Time-Life in the 1940s when she met her future husband in Cairo. They raised their children on a farm in the Palo Verde Valley, where Dana Fisher worked to support water and land-use rights for the region’s growers and Betty Fisher served the community through the local hospital and schools.
This year’s retreat was held in Falmouth, Mass., May 27-28, 2008. Prof. Robert Malenka, of Stanford University, gave the keynote address.
Picower-RIKEN Symposium
Sponsored jointly by the Picower Institute and the RIKEN
Brain Science Institute of Japan, the Picower-RIKEN Symposium
brings together many of the most distinguished and creative
neuroscientists from around the world to present their perspective
on "New Frontiers in Brain Science—from Molecules
to Mind." Reinforcing the importance of the intellectual
connection between RIKEN and MIT, this periodic symposium
draws hundreds of participants interested in exploring the
brain at every level of its complexity—from its molecules,
to its cells, to its circuits, to the cognitive system as
a whole.
More information >>
Open Mind Series -
ON DEPRESSION + ON ADDICTION
On Depression
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT presented On Depression, a major symposium that examined new ways of thinking about depression and its underlying causes. Moderated by Peter Kramer, author of Listening to Prozac and Against Depression, the symposium brought together neuroscientists, clinicians, patients, artists, and representatives from the health care industry in an exchange of ideas that might lead to better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of depression. On Depression kicks off the Picower Institute's Open Mind Series, which will explore the possibility that insights gained by neuroscientists who are studying learning and memory mechanisms in the brain may be usefully applied to problems of great societal importance. The final symposium will focus on the aging brain. The Open Mind Series is
sponsored by CIGNA.
More information >>
On Addiction
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory presented On
Addiction, a major symposium that examined new ways
of thinking about addiction and its underlying causes. Moderated
by Ira Flatow, of National Public Radio's Science Friday, the symposium brought together neuroscientists,
clinicians, patients, and representatives from the health
care industry in an exchange of ideas that may lead to better
prevention and treatment of addiction. On Addiction
is the second installment of the Picower Institute's Open
Mind Series, which will explore the possibility that
insights gained by neuroscientists who are studying learning
and memory mechanisms in the brain might be usefully applied
to problems of great societal importance. The final symposium
will focus on the aging brain. The Open Mind Series is
sponsored by CIGNA.
More information >>
Inaugural Symposium
On Thursday, December 1st, 2005, The Picower Institute
for Learning and Memory, named in honor of Barbara and Jeffry
Picower, celebrated its formal opening with a major scientific
symposium entitled "The Future of the Brain." Moderated
by Ira Flatow of National Public Radio's "Talk of the
Nation," the symposium focused on the future of neuroscience
research. MIT President Susan Hockfield opened the day's discussion.
The morning session featured talks by five Nobel Laureates
including Susumu Tonegawa, Director of the Picower Institute,
and James D. Watson, Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
The first afternoon session, entitled "Change Your Mind,"
focused on the impact of the neuroscience of learning and
memory on human health. The session speakers included Thomas
Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health,
Li-Huei Tsai, of Harvard Medical School and a molecular neuroscientist
studying the mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, and
Kerry Ressler of Emory University, an expert on memory extinction
and its use for curing PTSD.
The second afternoon session entitled "Expand Your Mind"
looked at the relationship between the human brain and the
mind. Christof Koch of CalTech spoke on the biological
basis of consciousness. Alexander Shulgin, a synthetic chemist
who has done research in the area of psychedelic drugs, addressed
the resident complexity and creativity in the brain. Philosopher
Patricia Churchland of UCSD spoke to the relationship between
philosophic inquiry and brain research. More
Information >>
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