Chicago Chapter 2009 Annual Meeting

Our Chicago Chapter Annual Meeting was held on March 26, 2009 at DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus Student Center.

We thank our keynote speaker Dr. Huda Akil, University of Michigan for her presentation on the “Circuit Neuromics: The New Path to Understanding the Genetics and Neural Causes of Mood Disorders”.

The Presidential Symposium on Challenges for Neuroscientists in the 21st Century was chaired by our president Dr.George deVries, with presentations from Dr. John W. Kusiak, Director Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program IBIDB, Division of Extramural Research NIDCR, NIH on Funding Challenges, Dr. Raymond DeVries, University of Michigan on Ethical Challenges and Dr. Graham Lees, founding editor and publisher The Scientific World, on Publication Challenges. We greatly appreciate their participation.

Dr Graham Lees has sent the participants the following message:
“TheScientificWorld (TSW) would like to show its appreciation of your attending the SFN Chicago Chapter’s annual meeting and welcoming Graham Lees as a speaker.
If any participant finds a non-Open Access article he or she wants to read in TheScientificWorldJournal (TSWJ), then send an email to information@thescientificworld.com and TSW will send it to you for free. If any participant submits an article to TSWJ and it is accepted, then TSW will publish it on Open Access for free. Offers good from now to SfN in Chicago” ,

During the afternoon three concurrent symposia were organized by Dr. Marco Martina, Dept. of Physiology, Northwestern University on “Neuronal Aspects of Chronic Pain: from Periphery to Brain”, Dr. Joshua Singer, Northwestern University on “Visual Neuroscience: from Retina to Behavior” and Dr. Xiu-Ti Hu, Department of Pharmacology, Rush University Medical Center on “Drug Addiction”.
We thank all the excellent speakers of these three sessions:
Dr. Fletcher White, Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Loyola University
Dr. Marwan Baliki, Department of Physiology, Northwestern University
Dr. Steven DeVries, Departments of Ophthalmology and Physiology, Northwestern University
Dr. Naoum P. Issa, Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago
Dr. Dingcai Cao, Section of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago
Dr. Heinz Steiner , Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School
Dr. Xiaoxi Zhuang, Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago
Dr. T. Celeste Napier , Department of Pharmacology, Center for Compulsive Behaviors & Addiction, Rush University Medical Center

Congratulations to the winners of the Graduate Student Competition:
First Place: Sarah Pollema (University of Illinois at Chicago- Advisor Dr. Scott Brady)
Second Place : Shanti Frausto (Northwestern University- Advisor Dr. Geoffrey Swanson)
Third Place: Katherine Soderstrom (Rush University- Advisor Dr. Jeffrey Kordower)

Congratulations to the winners of the Postdoc Poster Competition:
First Place: Dr. Malin Joksimovic (Northwestern University)
Second Place: Dr. Bich Duong (Rush University)
Third Place: Dr. Natalie Tronson (Northwestern University)

At the Undergraduate level we congratulate:
First Place: Mike Fiske (Lake Forest- Advisor Dr. Shubhik DebBurman)
Second Place: Mary Petrosko (Dominican University- Advisor Dr. Robert Calin-Jageman)
Third Place: Michael Collela (DePaul University- Advirsor Dr. Sandra Virtue) and Ray Choi (Lake Forest- Advisor Dr. Shubhik DebBurman)

Many thanks to Dr. Evan Stubbs, Dr. Dorothy Kozlowski and Dr. Dean Hartley for organizing these competitions.

The organization committee is very grateful for the on-site help of many students and post-docs during this meeting. Without your help the resounding success of our 2009 Annual Meeting would not have been possible!