Complex brains evolved to find patterns in complex chemical landscapes. Reframing the hippocampus as an olfactory navigation system solves unanswered questions about its structure and physiology.

An evening of fun and fellowship where you can learn more about our neuroscience research.

Provide feedback and support for those presenting at the upcoming Society for Neuroscience Meeting in San Diego, CA, November 15th - November 19th, 2025.

The October Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar will be held on Monday, October 27 , 2025 at 11 AM-12 PM CST, 12-1 PM ET. Iowa Neuroscience Institute will host, with presenters: Matthew Weber, Associate Research Scientist - Mesocortical circuits and cognitive variability Yaneri A. Ayala, Postdoctoral Research – Cognition and action in the human brain; from single neuron to population activity The seminar will be hosted on Zoom through this link: https://unmc.zoom.us/BIG10seminar

Dr. Roger Cone, University of  Michigan, Life Sciences Institute
Mary Sue Coleman Director & Research, Professor, Univ. Michigan Life Sciences Institute
Tadataka Yamada Distinguished University Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, U-M Medical School
Professor, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, LSA

Our Research
Our group works on understanding the central control of energy homeostasis. The laboratory concentrates on the central melanocortin system, a complex set of neural circuits they have demonstrated to regulate a variety of physiological processes important to energy storage.

The melanocortin system plays a critical role in the long-term regulation of body weight, and has profound implications for human health and disease — including in obesity and the wasting that occurs in cancer patients.
Read More: https://www.lsi.umich.edu/science/our-labs/cone-lab 

Dr. Tanveer Singh joined the Chung lab in April 2024.

The Chung laboratory is interested in understanding how ion channels and their dynamic regulation modulate neuronal excitability, communications, and plasticity in the brain.

Ion channels are pore-forming proteins that generate electric current by mediating the flow of ions across the plasma membrane in morphologically and functionally distinct neuronal compartments called axons and dendrites. Axons generate and propagate action potentials whereas dendrites receive them at inter-cellular junctions called synapses where synaptic transmissions (communications) occur between neurons.

Ion channel dysregulation is involved in a wide variety of neurologic and neuropsychiatric diseases. In Chung lab, we focus on epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Epilepsy is a common chronic brain disorder caused by excessive brain activity clinically characterized as seizures, which are abnormal and uncontrolled discharges of electrical signals in the brain cells called neurons. Drug-resistant seizures have severe consequences including cognitive decline, high mortality rate, psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental delay, and brain damage. Hence, better understanding of the pathogenesis of epilepsy is critical to develop novel therapeutic interventions and early diagnostics for epilepsy. A fundamental question is “how do neurons change themselves to produce excessive electrical signals in an epileptic brain compared to a normal brain?”

Join us for the First Friday Psychology-Beckman Colloquium Series, monthly events bringing together members of the campus community for faculty-led lectures, panel discussions, and research spotlights that showcase the breadth and depth of work happening in psychological science at UIUC. On Friday, Nov. 7, we are hosting a panel discussion about Lifespan Development, featuring Associate Professors Joe Cohen, Nu-Chu Liang, and Jessica Montag, moderated by Professor Karen Rudolph.

This presentation will provide tips for writing concise and professional resumes and cover letters. You’ll review common structure, purpose, audience expectations, and strategies for creating a set of application materials that complement each other. We encourage you to bring a current job ad and questions about your current in-progress materials!

This presentation will be held via Zoom and is open to all current U of I affiliates (students, faculty, and staff). You will need to be logged into your Illinois Zoom account to join. 

Please register with your Illinois email by November 5 to receive the Zoom details on the morning of the event. If you register on the day of, please email wow@illinois.edu immediately to request the Zoom details - we will do our best to get them to you prior to the event.

All registrants will receive access to the presentation materials via email the following business day. All Zoom presentations are recorded and recordings will be included in the presentation materials.

The retreat will bring together researchers and clinicians from Carle and the University of Illinois to exchange ideas and foster collaborations around conditions such as neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, connective tissue disorders, stroke, metabolic disease and orthopedics. 

Our goals are to create opportunities for new collaborations, align research with clinical needs and position our community for new funding opportunities. The event will include a working lunch, breakout sessions, and conclude with a poster session and reception.

Organizers include:

Jack Senefeld, assistant professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois

Bruce Damon, Director of Clinical Imaging Research, Stephens Family Clinical Research Institute, Carle Foundation Hospital

Bethany Flynn, Acute Care Occupational Therapist, Clinical Researcher, Carle Foundation Hospital

Mariana Kersh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and Health Innovation Professor in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Join us at noon on Wednesdays this fall 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! 

Join Mindfulness & Movement to experience an expertly led program, intentionally created to guide participants through mindfulness meditations and easy stretching exercises in a relaxing, virtual atmosphere! This six-week series takes place every Wednesday from 12:15pm-12:45pm, starting on October 22, 2025.  Registration closes on Wednesday, October 15 or when the class is full.

Join the IGB Graduate Student Association at our mid-semester coffee hour to meet other graduate students and start your day with coffee, bagels, and de-stressing activities. We'll have some information about available resources and upcoming opportunities for graduate students. ALL graduate students are welcome! RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/IGBGrads-coffeehour

Join us to celebrate Rest Lab 8: Greenspace. You'e invited to enter a playful, restorative greenspace inside the museum. Soft artificial turf covers the gallery floor, inviting visitors to slow down and stretch out. By creating a visual and tactile interruption in typical museum spaces, Rest Lab 8: Greenspace, provides a calm, grounding atmosphere for people to gather. :: Rest Lab is co-curated by Kamila Glowacki and Ishita Dharap. :: On view through Jan 31. :: Open Tue–Fri 10–5 · Sat 10–4 · Thu until 8 pm. :: Free!

 Image credit: Nancy Hild, Ball II, 1986–1988. © Nancy Hild.

Krannert Art Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.