This proposal helps support the annual South East Nerve Net Conference (SENN). The primary goals of this conference are to: 1. Provide a venue for students to present their work to neuroscientists throughout the region. 2. Promote comparative systems neurobiology research and research on the neural basis of behavior. 3. Expand the participation of women and historically under-represented groups of people. The meeting provides an attractive venue for students to give presentations. For most students, this is the first opportunity to speak at a scientific meeting.
Our aim i s to preserve the friendly format for students while making this a large enough meeting to give them exposure to scientists outside of their own institutions. The format of the meeting is generally to have a local keynote speaker on Friday evening with a welcome reception. On Saturday there is a full day of short talks by students and post-docs, followed by another keynote talk. The evening is filled with posters and dinner. The formula is varied depending upon the venue. Plans for enhancements to the meeting include: academic survival skills workshops, public outreach programs, and mini-interviews for undergraduates. Specific efforts will be made to increase participation by under-represented groups and to highlight their research successes. Travel fellowships will be provided to students to increase the accessibility of the meeting. The meeting venue rotates between Atlanta and two sites in Florida: the Whitney Laboratory and Florida State University. The meeting is co-sponsored by the International Society for Neuroethology and local host Institutions. The Atlanta location is central to most of the South East. The Florida sites represent the historical constituency of this meeting. The South East Nerve Net aids in training students for careers in neuroscience by introducing them to researchers from across the Southeastern United States. ? ?
