News & Announcements
Past news and announcements are shown below. Current news is shown on our homepage.
Professor Jeffrey D. Blaustein a recipient of a 2013-2014 Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Award
Professor Jeffrey D. Blaustein a recipient of a 2013-2014 Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Award
Jeffrey Blaustein, NSB Director and Professor in NSB and Psychology, is a recipient of the 2013-2014 Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Award. The University of Massachusetts Amherst Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Awards consist of a cash award of $3,500 and a year's leave of absence to enable award recipients to concentrate on research, and scholarly or creative activity. Selection of the awardees was based on demonstrably outstanding accomplishments and potential for continued excellence in research and scholarly or creative activity. Congratulations to Jeff!
Jason Breves awarded a "Research Recognition Award" from the American Physiological Society
Jason Breves awarded a "Research Recognition Award" from the American Physiological Society
Jason Breves, postdoc and associate member of the NSB program, recently received word that he was awarded a "Research Recognition Award" from the American Physiological Society.
The Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology Section Research Recognition Award recognizes meritorious research by young investigators who participate in the Experimental Biology Meeting. Candidates must have completed their Ph.D. within the past 10 years, be a member of APS, and must present a talk or poster at the 2013 EB Meeting. The subject matter can be any topic that deals with comparative and evolutionary physiology. Jason will receive a $500 award plus reimbursement of the advanced registration fee for attending the 2013 Experimental Biology meeting in Boston. He will also be a guest of honor at the Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology Section Dinner on Monday, April 22 in Boston.
Congratulations to Jason!
Dan Vahaba and Mary Holder awarded travel awards
Dan Vahaba and Mary Holder awarded travel awards
We are happy to report that Dan Vahaba, a first year graduate student in the NSB Program and Mary Holder, a postdoc in Jeff Blaustein’s lab each were awarded a travel award for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology in Atlanta this June.
Duncan Irschick part of team that discovered "GeckskinTM"
Duncan Irschick part of team that discovered "GeckskinTM"
NSB faculty member Duncan Irschick was part of a team that discovered “GeckskinTM,” named by CNN Money as one of the five top science breakthroughs of 2012. GeckskinTM is a super-strong adhesive that was Inspired by the footpads of geckos and is able to fasten a 700 pound weight to a smooth wall.
Jesse McClure was a featured speaker at the annual conference of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Jesse McClure was a featured speaker at the annual conference of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Jesse McClure (current NSB graduate student) was a featured speaker at the annual conference of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants in Warwick, RI (April, 2012).
Diane Kelly was a speaker at TED Med in Washington, DC (April, 2012)
Diane Kelly was a speaker at TED Med in Washington, DC (April, 2012)
Senior Research Fellow Diane Kelly spoke at TED MED in Washington, DC in April, 2012. The video of her presentation (available here: http://bit.ly/Lw6hKR) has attracted more than half a million views to date. She also spoke at The Story Collider; a storytelling event focusing on how science affects people's lives.
NSB Graduate Students participate in Brain Awareness Week activities
NSB Graduate Students participate in Brain Awareness Week activities
The graduate students in the Neuroscience and Behavior Program have a busy week (starting March 11) engaging in a variety of Brain Awareness Week activities. Among other activities, they will bring brain games and an introduction to Neuroanatomy to Greenfield High School and Belchertown High School, and they will do brain-related arts and crafts and teach about brain health at the UMass Center for Early Education and Care. They will even explain to the kids why it’s so important for your brain that they wear bicycle helmets and have appropriate seating in cars. Additional activities are planned for May and June. Thanks to the following for a great job of outreach to: (NSB) Emily Manoogian, Mary Catanese, Ahren Fitzroy, Amanda Hamel, John Hernandez, Amanda Krentzel, Lauri Kurdziel, Akshata Sonni, Chelsea Tyrrell, and Daniel Vahaba; (MCB) Maaya Ikeda; (neuroscience undergraduates), Kate Collins and Nick Fulone; and (staff member) Phil Desrochers.
John Moore's book "A Neuroscientist's Guide to Classical Conditioning" chosen for ebook collection
John Moore's book "A Neuroscientist's Guide to Classical Conditioning" chosen for ebook collection
Springer Publishing has selected John Moore's book "A Neuroscientist's Guide to Classical Conditioning" for its new ebook collection. The book was originally published in 2002 and is just one of the 40 titles to be selected from Springer Publishing's archive of books dating from 1842 through 2005.
Jason Breves Awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award
Jason Breves Awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award
Jason Breves, Postdoc and Associate Member of the NSB Program, was awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Individual Postdoctoral Training Grant. Congratulations to Dr. Breves.
Remage-Healey wins Frank A. Beach Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
Remage-Healey wins Frank A. Beach Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
The Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology has announced that the recipient of the 2012 Frank A. Beach Award is Dr. Luke Remage-Healey, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The award is made to a new investigator, normally within eight years post-PhD (or MD) who shows exceptional promise for making significant contributions to the field of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. Dr. Remage-Healey was honored at the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Social at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in New Orleans, and he will present his lecture at SBN's annual meeting in Atlanta in June 2013.
Dr. Remage-Healey worked in the laboratory of Michael Romero at Tufts as an undergraduate, received his PhD working in the lab of Andy Bass at Cornell, and then did a postdoc with Barney Schlinger at UCLA. Dr. Remage-Healey's website describes his work as follows:
"Our lab is focused on the study of behavioral physiology, specifically the non-traditional regulation of brain function and behavior by steroid hormones. Steroids are produced within discrete neural circuits ('neurosteroids') and can therefore influence behavior via local and acute actions within those circuits. We study these phenomena in songbirds using a variety of technical approaches including in vivo microdialysis, electrophysiology, immunocytochemistry, and neuropharmacology. Songbirds offer a unique model system in which brain steroid production is widespread and especially pronounced, and in which the development and expression of a suite of social behaviors is accessible in the laboratory and natural environments."
Congratulations to Dr. Remage-Healey!