By: Elizabeth Turner
Photo at left: The 2023 VKC Science Day theme committee. From left: Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., Clinical, Behavioral, Education, and Intervention Research theme chair; Rachael Muscatello, Ph.D., Systems Neuroscience theme chair; Blythe Corbett, Ph.D., Science Day Committee chair and Undergraduate chair; Audrey Thurm, Ph.D., 2023 VKC Science Day keynote speaker; and Brad Grueter, Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience theme chair.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center held its 14th annual VKC Science Day on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center. Undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff, and faculty members showcased their work among fellow colleagues across Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Kicking off the annual event, Audrey Thurm, Ph.D., director of the Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Phenotyping Service, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, presented the 2023 VKC Science Day Keynote Address, "Updates on Behavioral Phenotyping of Rare Genetic Conditions Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (GCAND)."
Following the keynote Q&A, participants took part in two consecutive hour-long poster sessions. During that time, presenters who opted into the Poster Competition met with faculty judges and general attendees and shared their research. Judges then assessed the presenters on their research and presentation skills. All 2023 Science Day presenters are eligible to request up to $250 in travel funding to present at an academic conference in the coming year. Click here to learn more on requesting travel funding.
Afterward, while final scores were being tallied, six Science Day presenters with exemplary abstract submittals participated in the annual VKC Science Day Data Blitz, where they had 5-8 minutes to discuss their research findings with the audience. Below are this year's selected Data Blitz participants and their poster titles:
- Zachary Williams (Clinical/Behavioral/Education/Intervention): “An overlooked mental health condition: First estimates of prevalence and clinical correlates of misophonia in cognitively able autistic adults” (PI: Tiffany Woynaroski)
- Anne Byrd Mahoney (Clinical/Behavioral/Education/Intervention): “Child and Caregiver Perspectives on COVID-19 Experiences During Pediatric Cancer Treatment: A Mixed Methods Approach” (PI: Maryjo Gilmer)
- Hyeon-Seung Lee (Systems Neuroscience): “Novel Measures of Social Cognition Captures Improvement Following Virtual Reality Social Skills Training in Schizophrenia” (PI: Sohee Park)
- Jason Russell (Systems Neuroscience): “Assessing the Relationship between Central Cholinergic Integrity and Amyloid Accumulation in Individuals with Down Syndrome Using [18F]-FEOBV and [11C]-PiB PET: Preliminary Data” (PI: Paul Newhouse)
- Adriana Tienda (Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience): “Chronic developmental manganese exposure alters response to amphetamine and methylphenidate” (PI: Colleen Niswender)
- Xia Lei (Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience): “Activation Mechanisms for Context-Dependent Allosteric Modulation of the mGlu7 receptor” (PI: Fiona Harrison)
Closing out this year's Science Day was the announcement of 2023's Warren Lambert Memorial Award winners of the Science Day Poster Competition. These winners have the option of receiving their $250 award as a cash prize or in the form of supplemental travel funds. Congratulations to this year's winners:
- Undergraduate Overall:
- Swarat Kulkarni, "Glycosphingolipids linked to elevated neurotransmission and neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Niemann Pick Type C" (PI: Kendal Broadie)
- Clinical, Behavioral, Education, and Intervention Research:
- Graduate: Lauren Weitenhiller, "Deciding to be Left Alone After Being Left Out: Responses to Social Exclusion in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder" (PI: Julia Sheffield)
- Postdoc: Christina Burroughs, "Associations Between Executive Functioning Impairments and Anxiety Symptoms among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder" (PI: Blythe Corbett)
- Systems Neuroscience:
- Graduate: Andrea Burgess, "Functional connectivity during passage listening predicts later reading ability in middle childhood" (PI: Laurie Cutting)
- Postdoc: Jason Russell, "Assessing the Relationship between Central Cholinergic Integrity and Amyloid Accumulation in Individuals with Down Syndrome Using [18F]-FEOBV and [11C]-PiB PET: Preliminary Data" (PI: Paul Newhouse)
- Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience:
- Graduate: Adriana Tienda, "Chronic developmental manganese exposure alters response to amphetamine and methylphenidate" (PI: Colleen Niswender)
- Postdoc: Xia Lei, "Activation Mechanisms for Context-Dependent Allosteric Modulation of the mGlu7 receptor" (PI: Fiona Harrison)
Abstracts for all of the Science Day posters presented and additional materials are available for viewing on the Science Day webpage.
Last Updated: 12/4/2023 10:53:42 AM
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