Closed session for Neuroscience Program Graduate Students Only

Program coordinator, Michelle Tomaszycki, will summarize the results of the LAS climate survey. Then DEI committee student members will facilitate a discussion on possible next steps.

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.

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

Ehda Gharavi, UIUC, will lecture on "Personality and Pain Intensity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: The Mediating Role of Pain Catastrophizing and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies."

Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory and progressive disease, the most important symptom of which is chronic pain. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between personality facets and pain intensity through the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies and pain catastrophizing in 204 patients with RA. The revised NEO personality inventory, short form of cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ-short), the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS), and the short form of the revised McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2) were used to measure the variables. The results showed that the model examination presented a good fitness of the proposed theoretical model. According to paths analysis, among personality facets, neuroticism was significantly associated with pain intensity directly, and it also had significant indirect effects on pain through negative emotion regulation strategies and pain catastrophizing. Meanwhile, the indirect effect of agreeableness on pain intensity through pain catastrophizing was in an opposite direction. There were no meaningful indirect associations between other personality facets and pain. Consequently, recent research reaffirming that change can occur on these mediating cognitive factors gives great promise that such a modification in this context by considering patients' personalities could help reduce suffering from pain in these patients.

The Imaging Technology Group and the IGB Core will be co-hosting a half-day X-ray CT workshop. Talks covering theory, the instrumentation available on campus, and current research projects will be presented along with tours of both the ITG and IGB facilities. Workshop agenda: https://www.igb.illinois.edu/corefacilities/news/core-xrayct-workshop-2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Beckman Institute is hosting a professional photographer all day for free headshots for the Beckman community. The photos will use Beckman's tower room windows and incredible view as a backdrop.

No appointment necessary; you may need to wait in a short line to be photographed. The Beckman Institute will use these portraits for our online directory and may also use them in news stories or for other official communications purposes. We may also share your headshot with your home unit.

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! 

Welcome to the Beckman Institute! In this onboarding session, new Beckman faculty and affiliates will learn from Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote what Beckman Institute services are available, who to contact with questions, and how to be a collaborative and fully engaged member of the Beckman community.

Come find out more about the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology by joining a new-to-Beckman tour! Learn about the barrier-busting interdisciplinary research facility and community of innovation. Tours will be offered the first Thursday of the month from 10-10:30 a.m.  Register here.

Join us for an Academic Women in STEAM (A-WIS) Coffee Hour and learn more about A-WIS programming!

IGB 612 Lower Level Gatehouse
Institute for Genomic Biology
1206 W Gregory Dr. Urbana, IL 61801

All are welcome to attend! Feel free to share this event with others.