What mechanisms underlie the vast diversity of social behaviors we observe in nature? I will present how we leverage extreme variation in social behaviors between populations of a species and between closely-related species of vertebrates to discover the genetic, neuronal, and endocrine bases of this variation.

Come join CDB and NSP for a CDB Alum Seminar

Dr. Paul Donlin Asp, SIDB ESAT Fellow, University of Edinburgh

"Resolving the dynamics of RNA and protein synthesis at the synapse"

Click here for Dr. Paul Donlin Asp's CV

Meet and greet with old friends, alums, faculty, new students, former faculty, and colleagues at the 2024 Neuroscience Graduate Program Reception. Faculty and graduate students will be available to talk about the current status of the Program or just welcome back alum and previous faculty members. Come enjoy some good food, good company, and great conversation. 

RSVP

Prof. Matthew Singh , UIUC, will lecture on "Data-Driven Modeling for Individualized Neuroscience."

Abstract: A key goal of human brain mapping is to decipher how individual differences in brain signaling and dynamics (shaped by the underlying structure) relate to individual differences in cognition/behavior. Developing mechanistic models of individual human brains is one part of this endeavor. While long-term statistics, such as functional-connectivity, have been modeled extensively, individual-differences in transient, dynamical interactions are less understood. Current whole-brain modeling approaches have proven valuable for hypothesis-generation but are not typically specified at the single-subject level or directly constructed from timeseries data. I will present an algorithmic optimization framework that makes it possible to directly invert and parameterize brain-wide dynamical-systems models involving hundreds of interacting brain areas and thousands of unknown biological parameters, from single-subject time-series recordings forming a digital twin of individual human brains. This technique provides a powerful neurocomputational tool for interrogating mechanisms underlying individual brain dynamics, assimilating timeseries data with models, and making quantitative predictions.

Dr. Mark Chiew, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, will lecture on, "Self-supervised learning and friends – computational methods for MRI in incomplete and corrupted data regimes."

 Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss some recent research work in my group, which is focused on image acquisition and reconstruction methods for rapid and robust MRI. I will introduce our recent work on self-supervised learning for accelerated image reconstruction, and extensions of that work in joint denoising and reconstruction tasks and multi-contrast imaging. I will also highlight some recent work focusing on robust multi-shot EPI at 7T, in which structured low-rank methods are used to improve image quality and stability that arise due to inter-shot phase fluctuations and motion. Finally, I will provide a brief survey other recent research, which includes developing robust reconstruction for imaging awake, behaving non-human primates, ultra-high resolution fMRI at 7T using a radial-cartesian acquisition, accelerated parallel transmit mapping, and uncertainty quantification in low-rank denoising of MRSI  data. 

 Bio: Mark Chiew is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, and a Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. Mark obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto, working on methods for real-time fMRI applied to stroke recovery. Following his PhD, he spent 10 years in Oxford, first as a post-doc under the supervision of Prof. Karla Miller working on low-rank accelerated fMRI at 7T, and then subsequently as an early career faculty member with a UK Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship. In 2022, he moved back to Toronto to start a new research group focusing on the development of computational imaging methods for MRI, with an in emphasis towards clinical imaging applications. His research interests include data acquisition and image reconstruction methods for MRI, computational imaging and recently self-supervised learning methods, with applications ranging from fMRI, ASL, MRSI, and structural imaging.

Join us for our interactive, hands-on science experience "World of Genomics: Discover Everyday DNA" featuring multiple stations focused on specific aspects of science!

Visitors will learn about DNA, genetics, agriculture, robotics, microbes—all through family-friendly activities led by researchers from the IGB. See living biobots in action, interact with our ant and bee hives, explore the structure of DNA, score yourself on the Veggie Meter, and much more!

The workshop will outline some key principles for graduate student mentoring, then use in-depth discussion of case studies to explore what those principles look like in practice. We will touch on topics including establishing and maintaining boundaries, navigating the relationship between mentoring and your own research program, considering student wellbeing, and more. The workshop will be highly interactive and give you the opportunity to learn from other University of Illinois faculty. The workshop is open to all faculty but may be especially useful for those in the first few years in their role. 

Register at https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/724876310.

Please join us for a mentoring workshop with Dr. Emily Wuchner, Director, Graduate Student Academic Development.  

The ability to craft an effective funding proposal is a skill that can reap a lifetime of rewards. As a graduate student, now is the time to hone your grantwriting proficiency. In this workshop, designed for students in STEM fields, you will learn how to identify funding opportunities, strategize the components of an effective proposal, and think like a grantwriter. Come with questions about this mysterious genre, leave with a template that you can adapt to become a competitive applicant for prestigious university, national, and international funding competitions. 

Register in advance for the link to this online workshop. 

See more Graduate College Workshops.

This interactive session shares best practices for inclusive, responsive, reflective, and adaptive mentoring in a research context. Through individual reflection and collaborative analysis of case studies, participants will begin to define their own mentoring philosophy. This session fulfills part of the training requirement for the Graduate College Mentoring Certificate.

No registration required. You can join in person (Graduate College, 507 E. Green St., Champaign) or on Zoom (https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace)

See the full listing of Graduate College workshops at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops

*If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in this workshop more fully, please email gradsuccess@illinois.edu

Get energized, focused, and calm! Join our mindfulness instructor extraordinaire, Kristina Reese, in a six-week virtual Mindfulness and Movement series. These live video classes combine mindfulness-based meditation instruction with easy-to-do “desk yoga” type exercises. Contact us at wellbeing@illinois.edu to register for the class.

Our Dare to Dream program offers a unique approach to life planning; this six-week program meets virtually at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays starting September 24. Participants actively visualize and creatively strategize how to move toward realizing their dreams. Group support, honest introspection, and creative expression are encouraged.  To learn more or to register, reach out to us at wellbeing@illinois.edu.

Stop by and meet University of Illinois Police Department therapy dogs Huff and Rosie.

Join us at noon on Wednesdays for yoga with a view! All sessions are free and will be held in Beckman's fifth-floor tower room. All are welcome to bring their own mat!