Scientific Short Courses

Submit Ideas for 2020 Short Courses

SfN Scientific Short Courses train scientists in emerging topics and research techniques in neuroscience. The day-long courses are held on the Friday before the annual meeting.

SfN is seeking ideas for upcoming Short Courses and Virtual Conferences that reflect the needs of the neuroscience community. Share your ideas for topics and speakers in this survey.

Organizers: Charles Liu, MD, PhD and Adrienne Fairhall, PhD

Faculty: Charles Liu, MD, PhD; Adrienne Fairhall, PhD; Maryam M Shanechi, PhD ; Amy Orsborn, PhD; Richard A Andersen, PhD; John P Donoghue, PhD; Sliman Bensmaia, PhD; Zoran Nenadic, PhD; Tim Denison, PhD; Winston Chiong, MD, PhD

Date & Time: October 18, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. CDT 

Location: McCormick Place, Room S100A

Brain-machine interfaces (BCIs) are devices that make direct contact with neural systems, to translate brain signals into external commands, to provide input to replace or augment functionality, or to alter activity to disrupt dysfunction or drive plasticity. These tools are both an opportunity to replace or restore function, and a tool to better understand neural circuits. This short course will review technologies and algorithms for BCIs and neural prosthetics and discuss the transition to market.

Download the agenda.

Organizers: Bob Datta, PhD and Mala Murthy, PhD

Faculty: Bob Datta, PhD; Mala Murthy, PhD; Anne Churchland, PhD; Megan Carey, PhD; Gordon Berman, PhD; Ben deBivort, PhD; Michael Orger, PhD; Jesse Goldberg, PhD; Kristin Branson, PhD; Andrew Leifer, PhD

Date & Time: October 18, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. CDT

Location: McCormick Place, Room S100BC

This course will cover new methods for collecting behavioral data, for characterizing behavioral dynamics, components and sequences, and for connecting neural activity with behavior across scales. The instructors have broad expertise in the development and application of these methods across a variety of model systems, and lectures and demos will focus both on technical details as well as conceptual issues. There will also be discussion of advances that are needed to resolve the neural mechanisms that give rise to the myriad ways in which animals interact with their environments.

2018:

• Sex Differences in the Brain: Balancing Sex in Preclinical Research
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the recording on Neuronline
• Functional, Structural, and Molecular Imaging, and Big Data Analysis
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the recording on Neuronline

2017:

• Intersection Between Brain and Immune System in Health and Disease
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the Recording on Neuronline
• Neuroinformatics in the Age of Big Data: Working With the Right Data and Tools
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the Recording on Neuronline

2016:

• Using Single Cell Genomics to Analyze Neurons, Glia, and Circuits
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the Recording on Neuronline
• Data Science and Data Skills for Neuroscientists
• Download the Course Book (PDF)
• View the Recording on Neuronline

2015:

• Using iPS Cells and Reprogramming to Model Neural Development and Disease
• The Impact of Human Genetics and Genomics in Neurobiology: From Disease Discovery to Fundamental Mechanisms (and Back)

2014:

• Advances in Multineuronal Monitoring of Brain Activity
• Advances in Brain-Scale, Automated Anatomical Techniques: Neuronal Reconstruction, Tract Tracing, and Atlasing

2013:

• Chemo and Optogenetics: Light and Chemical Control of Neurons
• The Science of Large Data Sets: Spikes and Voxels