BRI activities and events enhance communication within the diverse neuroscience community through activities that are essential support elements for UCLA’s research and educational programs.
These activities and events include the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience, Annual Neuroscience Poster Day, various Conferences and Symposia during the year, and meetings of the BRI Affinity Groups.
Joint Seminars in Neuroscience
The Joint Seminars in Neuroscience series is subsidized by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and cosponsored by the BRI and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. The Joint Seminars in Neuroscience Committee chooses the invited lecturers, and one faculty member hosts each visitor. Each year, the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience program brings more than 25 leading neuroscientists to UCLA, and more than 300 scholars have spoken in this series since its inception in 1995. Each Tuesday at noon, an audience of neuroscientists gather to hear these speakers, who also meet with small groups for more focused discussions. These seminars and their accompanying receptions provide a weekly opportunity for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students to convene.
In addition to this flagship program, the BRI also sponsors or cosponsors an additional 10 to 20 special lectures. Among these, the Magoun Lecture (delivered by a distinguished UCLA faculty member), the Eiduson Lecture (delivered by an outstanding graduate student) and the Arnold Scheibel Postdoc Lecture (delivered by an outstanding postdoctoral scholar) attract particularly broad attention. To view special lectures from previous years, please visit us on Youtube.
The Annual Neuroscience Poster Day
The Annual Neuroscience Poster Day usually draws over 300 people to Ackerman Union’s Grand Ballroom—the only annual event on campus in which the entire neuroscience community participates. The Poster Day features over 150 posters and numerous commercial exhibits, capped by a Distinguished Lecture. Since its inception, the Poster Day has provided an important opportunity for UCLA neuroscientists—especially graduate students and postdoctoral fellows—to learn what is going on in the community.
Conferences and Symposia
The BRI sponsors or cosponsors conferences and symposia during the academic year. More information on upcoming conferences and symposia here. Among some of the events scheduled during the academic year are the Annual Neural Microcircuits Training Program Symposium, the Annual Center for Neurobiology of Stress Basis and Translational Science Symposium, and the Annual UCLA Learning and Memory Symposium.
Affinity Groups
BRI-sponsored affinity groups provide opportunities for faculty and trainees to discuss current research in their field of interest. Affinity group activities vary: some hold a weekly journal club, while others have monthly meetings or meet only informally. Currently, the BRI provides administrative or financial support for over twenty affinity groups.