SYNAPSE, Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast: A One-day, Regional Neuroscience Meeting Focusing on Undergraduate Research

Abstract

The Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE; synapse.cofc.edu) was designed to encourage contacts among faculty and students interested in neuroscience. Since its inception in 2003, the SYNAPSE conference has consistently drawn faculty and undergraduate interest from the region. This unique meeting provides undergraduates with a valuable opportunity for neuroscience education; students interact with noted neuroscience faculty, present research results, obtain feedback from neuroscientists at other institutions, and form connections with other neuroscientists in the region. Additionally, SYNAPSE allows undergraduate students and faculty to attend workshops and panel discussions about issues related to professional skills and career options. The SYNAPSE conference currently travels among host institutions in the southeastern United States in two-year cycles. This article briefly describes the genesis of SYNAPSE and reviews SYNAPSE conferences from 2006 through 2010. The goal of this paper is to highlight key issues organizers have experienced launching, sustaining, and hosting this regional undergraduate neuroscience conference as well as assist faculty to develop similar conferences.

Keywords: conferences; neuroscience; undergraduate education.

Figure 1

The number of attendees at SYNAPSE (blue bars) from 2003 and 2006–2010.

Figure 2

The 2010 SYNAPSE website serves as a consistent location for information on upcoming SYNAPSE meetings (regardless of host institution) as well as an archive of past SYNAPSE meetings. It is located at: synapse.cofc.edu.

Figure 3

SYNAPSE host institutions (red placard icon) and participating institutions (blue P symbol and yellow stars) are plotted on a map of the southeastern United States. The blue P was removed in cases where it significantly occluded the red placard icons. The six SYNAPSE meetings thus far (2003, 2006–2010) at four different institutions (James Madison University, Davidson College, College of Charleston, and Wake Forest University) have attracted participants from 34 total institutions located in 12 states. As all six SYNAPSE meetings have been held in the Carolinas and Virginia, it is not surprising that most attendees hail from colleges and universities in these states, though undergraduates and faculty have also traveled from more distant locations such as Arkansas, Indiana, and Florida to attend SYNAPSE. © 2010 Google – Map data ©2010 – Europa Technologies, Google, INEGI.

Figure 4

Davidson’s 2007 SYNAPSE team of undergraduates, staff, and faculty members named themselves the Synaptic Contacts. Here they share a synaptic handshake at the conclusion of the meeting in front of a chalk neuron diagram that delineated the pathway from parking to the building where the meeting was held.

Figure 5

College of Charleston’s 2008 Synaptic Contacts sporting SYNAPSE t-shirts. The host team served as ambassadors to guests visiting campus, positioning themselves throughout campus to guide guests to parking and event sites.

Figure 6

Examples of SYNAPSE logos from Davidson College (2007), College of Charleston (2008), and Wake Forest University (2010). Each logo was designed by a member of the host institution’s team and reproduced on conference materials to provide a consistent and identifiable look.

Figure 7

Faculty and students at the SYNAPSE 2010 poster session hosted by Wake Forest University. Poster presentations by undergraduates are the central feature of SYNAPSE meetings, providing students with opportunities to practice communicating their research to an audience of neuroscientists who can provide useful feedback.

Figure 8

HHMI Professor Dr. Ron Hoy (Cornell University) gives the keynote address at the 2006 SYNAPSE conference at Davidson College.

Figure 9

Panel discussion at SYNAPSE 2007, hosted by Davidson College. The panel included medical and graduate students in a variety of programs.

Figure 10

Lunch workshop at the 2009 SYNAPSE conference hosted by the College of Charleston. These small group discussions emphasize current topics, professional skills, and career options.