By: Elizabeth Turner
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center paid homage to its 50th anniversary during its 2015 VKC Science Day festivities, held Sept. 29 at Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center.
Kicking off the annual event, renowned neuroscience researcher Pasko Rakic, M.D., Ph.D., presented a keynote lecture titled "Neuronal Migration/Relevance to Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities," and past and present VKC directors conducted a panel on “Looking Back and Looking Forward: The Evolution of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research.” Past directors Pat Levitt, Ph.D., (2002-2008) and Carl Haywood, Ph.D., (1971-1983) participated in the panel discussion alongside current VKC director Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D. and associate director Karoly Mirnics, M.D., Ph.D., who served as moderator. After the panel, Science Day attendees filed into the Commodore Ballroom to participate in the annual Science Day poster competition.
Winners have been selected for this year’s Science Day poster competition. Of the 110 posters submitted for presentation, more than 90 presenters opted to have their research assessed by Vanderbilt faculty judges. Scores were tallied among the three themes of presentation by level of education, and those who received top scores in each category will receive $250 cash prizes for their exceptional work.
The 2015 VKC Science Day poster competition winners are:
- Undergraduate Presenters:
- Scott Blain, “Music memory in youth with autism spectrum disorder”
- Clinical, Behavioral, and Intervention Research:
- Graduate Level: Carly Blustein, “Pathways to Integration: Improving Vocational Autonomy and Social Skills in the Workplace”
- Postdoctoral Level: Sarah Baum, “Connecting individual differences sensory and cognitive function in healthy aging”
- Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience:
- Graduate Level: Amy Palubinsky, “Treatment with a Novel Molecule that Promotes Protein Refolding Increases Neuronal Survival Following Stroke”
- Postdoctoral Level: Jason Stephenson, “Physiological effects of an ASD-associated mutation in CaMKIIa”
- Systems Neuroscience:
- Graduate Level: Justin Siemann, “Changes in Serotonin Signaling Alter Multisensory Function in the Mouse: Implications for Autism”
- Postdoctoral Level: Antonia Thelen, “Electrophysiological correlates of performance variability in multisensory detection”
Abstracts for all of the Science Day posters presented are available for viewing on the Science Day webpage.
Last Updated: 9/30/2015 9:44:20 AM
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