Fall 2021: Division of Neurobiology, Neuroethology, and Sensory Biology

Message from DNNSB Leadership

James Newcomb, Chair, chair.dnnsb@sicb.org; Jeff Riffell, Program Officer, dpo.dnnsb@sicb.org; Lisa Mangiamele, Secretary, secretary.dnnsb@sicb.org; Maryam Kamran, Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Representative, Kamran.mary@gmail.com, Twitter: @merreyum 

A view of Phoenix from the conference hotel. Photo credit: Brett Burk

Greetings from the DNNSB Leadership! We are looking forward to hopefully seeing you at the upcoming SICB meeting, regardless of whether you join us in-person or via the adjacent virtual platform. Our divisional priorities continue to include recruitment of colleagues into DNNSB, especially students and scientists in early stages of their careers. Please join us at the Members Meeting in Phoenix where, among other things, we will discuss possible ways to use DNNSB funds at future meetings to support travel of under-represented students to the annual meeting.

Election Results and Bylaws Amendments

This year division members elected Jessica Fox (Case Western Reserve University) as DNNSB Secretary for a 3-year term.  Jessica will take over after the end of the 2022 meeting in Phoenix, replacing long-time Secretary, Lisa Mangiamele. Thank you, Lisa, for your many years of service to SICB and DNNSB! 

We also voted overwhelmingly to amend our bylaws that clarified eligibility for the Best Student Presentation competition and updated procedures for nominations to elected positions. Updated bylaws are available on the DNNSB website.

Upcoming Elections

This spring, we will be electing a new DNNSB Program Officer, as Jeff Riffell will be entering the last year of his term. A committee will be soliciting nominations for this position. Please consider serving if you are contacted by the committee. Volunteering service to SICB is a great way to give back to the society.
Maryam Kamran is also wrapping up her role as the DNNSB Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Representative, at the meeting this year. If you are interested, or know someone who might be a good candidate, please contact the DNNSB Chair.

 

Call for Volunteer Judges for Best Student Presentation 

We have a slate of both oral and poster presentations that will be participating in our annual DNNSB Best Student Presentation competitions at the SICB conference. As always, we are looking for your support in judging these presentations. For those that have already proclaimed their willingness to participate in judging, when they submitted abstracts, thank you! You will hear from us as we approach the meeting. For others, you can declare your interest when you register for the conference or by contacting DNNSB leadership. We thank you in advance for your help!

2022 SICB Meeting FAQ’s

  1. The SICB Program Committee met over the weekend of September 25th and prepared the meeting schedule for Phoenix 2022. This year, we have an in-person conference, but also there is the possibility to participate virtually via SICB+.
  2. Best Student Presentations: DNNSB again had an excellent turn-out for BSP presentations (poster and presentation) at 29 applicants. The DNNSB BSP session will be on January 5th at 1:30 pm, in the West 212ABC room. These presentations are among the best of the conference, so we encourage you to attend.
  3.  Symposia for 2022: In addition to the BSP sessions, DNNSB will co-sponsor several symposia at the 2022 meeting, including “Phenological Plasticity: from Molecular Mechanisms to Ecological and Evolutionary Implications,” and “The deep and shallow history of aquatic life’s passages between marine and freshwater habitats.”  There are several other symposia that we are also co-sponsoring, including SICB-wide symposia “Open source solutions in experimental design.”
  4. Symposia for 2023 (and 2024): For SICB 2023, we am very excited about the lineup of DNNSB-related symposia! Although some things need to be finalized, we should have 3 DNNSB symposia for this next year, including one on neurogenetic engineering of non-model organisms, another symposium on proprioception and behavior, and another on auditory processing. There are several others related to animal behavior. More details to come!  Finally, if you have an idea for a symposium, we encourage you to reach out. Symposia related to neurobiology, sensory biology, and behavior are always well-received and nearly always make the cut. If you have an idea for a symposium, please submit a proposal. Moreover, please contact the Program Officer if you want feedback about your ideas.

For Students and Post-docs

SPDAC is hosting a few events/programs planned tentatively for the SICB 2022 in-person meeting:

1) Networking Booth. We are looking for 2-3 individuals who would be willing to share their insight with SICB students and postdocs as part of this networking event. This would occur during the coffee breaks. If you are interested please email Maryam at Kamran.mary@gmail.com.

2) Big science communication workshop! We are gearing this as if it will be online-only and adapt if it becomes more in-person.  If you would like to do a short 15 minute pre-recorded presentation on a particular skill (e.g., using a particular tool or software) please let me know. We will then have breakout rooms and discuss the presentation in detail.  

As mentioned above, this position (DNNSB Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Representative) will be available in January. If you have questions about the position and/are interested in learning more please do not hesitate to contact Maryam.