The Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH holds its XXI Christmas Meeting

20 de December de 2024

Once again, the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche, served as a meeting point for young researchers from around the world during the twenty-first edition of its Christmas Meeting. The event took place on December 19 and 20 at the Santiago Ramón y Cajal building on the Sant Joan d’Alacant campus, offering neuroscientists working abroad an opportunity to connect with IN staff and explore its facilities.

Photo: Speakers and organizers of the 21st Christmas Meeting at the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH.

The purpose of the meeting is to inspire promising young scientists working in various fields of neuroscience who may be interested in joining the IN in the future by providing direct interaction with its research staff. In this regard, Juana Gallar, IN director, highlights that this tradition "is an excellent calling card that has allowed us to attract talent over the years. Several of our current researchers attended the Christmas Meeting at the start of their careers", she adds: "In recent editions of the meeting, we decided to include a space for IN PhD students to share their work through poster presentations. It’s a fresh and engaging way to showcase the research we are developing and foster new synergies".

Throughout the two-day event, participants presented their current research through a series of talks and poster sessions. This allowed IN researchers to share the latest discoveries in the field and exchange experiences and ideas.

Additionally, Julien Bouvier, a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France (CNRS) and head of the Neural Circuits and Motor Control research group at the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neurosciences, delivered the keynote lecture. His presentation focused on how brainstem neurons are modularly organized to coordinate different motor actions.

Photo: Researcher Julien Bouvier delivering the keynote lecture at the IN CSIC-UMH

Awards were presented at the conclusion of the meeting. The prize for the best talk went to nombre, centro y tema de la charla. Meanwhile, the award for the best poster was given to nombre y título del póster. Coinciding with this event, the winners of the fourth edition of the #SciencePhoto_IN scientific photography contest were also awarded.

The meeting ended with a festive toast to celebrate the holidays and wish attendees a happy new year, closing an eventful gathering for those visiting Alicante to learn more about the research conducted at the Institute of Neurosciences.

Awards were presented at the conclusion of the meeting. The award for the best talk went to Violeta Durán Laforet, a researcher at the University of Massachusetts (USA), who spoke about cellular aging and neurodegeneration. Meanwhile, the award for the best poster was given to Enrico Negri, a predoctoral researcher from the Neurogenesis and Cortical Expansion laboratory. Coinciding with this event, the winners of the fourth edition of the #SciencePhoto_IN scientific photography contest were also awarded.

The organization of this year’s Christmas Meeting was led by IN researchers Teresa Femenía, Andreas Kardamakis, and Félix Leroy. The event was made possible thanks to the support of the IN’s Severo Ochoa Excellence Program, the State Research Agency of Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the PROMETEO Program of the Valencian Government, and companies Leica Microsystems, QUIMA S.L., and ZEISS.

For more information, consult the complete program in the attached document.

Source: Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH (in.comunicacion@umh.es)