Category Archives: Conference

Pascal’s Pensees, 5 years on

Before October 25th, 2010, I had no social media presence whatsoever – I wasn’t on Twitter, didn’t have a blog and G+ wasn’t around yet. Frankly, it hadn’t occurred to me before, but it was one of the requirements to … Continue reading

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How to successfully attend a major scientific conference

Most professional societies hold an annual meeting. They are an important venue for the exchange of ideas as well as for professional development. However, given their scope and scale, these can be overwhelming, particularly – but not exclusively – to the … Continue reading

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A video says much more than a thousand words – rapid communication of scientific concepts via the “Podster”, a historic waystation towards a truly dynamic presentation surface

Background The efficient communication of complex scientific concepts at an academic conference poses a challenge that is as old as it is formidable. The use of dynamic visual stimuli and intricate experimental designs have exacerbated the problems associated with this … Continue reading

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Reviewing Neurotechniques

I initially planned to write a post reviewing the “Neurotechniques: New Approaches to Understanding Mind, Brain and Behavior” workshop at the Italian Academy at Columbia University over the weekend.  However, while we arranged for video recording, it turns out that it will … Continue reading

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The big one – Quo vadis Neuroscience?

Alright everybody, this is it. This is what we have all been waiting for. This is the big one. If you are a Neuroscientist, have a pulse and are within 100 miles of New York City, this is where you … Continue reading

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What is the true cost of attending SfN?

This post marks a transition from the thematically focused and daily “official” SfN reporting to a thematically broader and more relaxed posting schedule. As a matter of fact, it has been more than a few days since the last one. … Continue reading

Posted in Conference, Data driven lifestyle, Optimization | 3 Comments

How physically taxing is SfN? Quite a bit!

Oh the daze of the post-SfN haze. If you did what I did, and feel like I feel, you can probably relate to this. The intensity of this particular pilgrimage is legendary. Having just come back from it, I can … Continue reading

Posted in Conference, Data driven lifestyle, Optimization, Technology | 4 Comments

SfN 2010: It’s a wrap

And that’s it for this year. Stay tuned for an upcoming review post where I will be commenting on some macro-trends and how they manifested themselves at the meeting. Hope to see you all next year.

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Subjective preference and its effect on the reliability of cortical activity during movie viewing @LLL67

Is being presented now (1-5 pm). Join the live blogging/poster presenting experiment. Come to the poster and comment below.

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SfN 2010: Wednesday, Day 5. Judgment day

First a brief preview of how my last day will unfold, if everything goes to plan. I will spend most of the morning at the minisymposium on Synesthesia. Synesthesia has already been a hot topic at this meeting, but this … Continue reading

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SfN 2010: Tuesday, Day 4. What is going on?

You probably won’t agree with me on this one, but I feel strongly about it: The meeting feels much emptier and somewhat “lighter” this year. I know that the reported attendance of close to 32,000 is in line with expectations (good for … Continue reading

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SfN 2010: Monday, Day 3. Manic Monday – Mental illness and the Neuroscience of moon landings

[poll id=”4″] Summary: Manic Monday is already upon us. A lot of painful choices have to be made, particularly in regards to the social calendar in the late PM. Here is what I said before the day went by: >I … Continue reading

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SfN 2010: Sunday, Day 2. Another day in (Neuroscience) paradise.

[poll id=”6″] Summary: Another beautiful day in paradise, another busy day at SfN. I spent most of my morning at the posters of two Theme D sessions: Visual Cognition, Attention & Decision Making I and Vision: Spatial Attention. Most notable: The … Continue reading

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SfN 2010: Saturday, Day 1. Starting with a bang.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but the reasons will soon become apparent. Also, note that this post was written somewhat in haste. I will update it later. Generally speaking, these “live” or near-live dispatches will have to be just … Continue reading

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The fall and rise of neural variability reveals the stimulus driven engagement and disengagement of neural networks

Is being presented now (1-5 pm). By yours truly. This is a live blogging/poster presenting experiment. The first of this kind, to my knowledge. Comment below.

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Showtime!

This is it. The meeting officially starts tomorrow. How will my day look like? Busy. Due to the fact that my flight was unilaterally pushed back (thanks, Continental), I will be missing the “Dialogues on Society and Science” (sigh). Instead, … Continue reading

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SfN by the numbers

The 40th annual Society for Neuroscience meeting is about to begin. This fact merits some reflection. 40 large meetings – held consecutively year after year – suggest a wildly successful, long and unbroken chain of vigorous scientific exchange. As such, it is … Continue reading

Posted in Conference, Journal club | 4 Comments

Clear skies ahead

Good news: Up to this point, San Diego county experienced an unusually calm fire season this year. Many people don’t seem to remember this, but last time the SfN meeting was held in San Diego – in 2007 – the … Continue reading

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Crunch time

At this point, the conference is as far away in time, as the meeting itself is long. This begs the question: [poll id=”2″]

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SfN 2010: The 100-hour dash

Most races are defined by the distance that the runner is required to go. The varying parameter is time: How fast can you do it? Not so with the SfN meeting. The duration of the meeting is fixed at precisely … Continue reading

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