Theme Newsletter May 2012

Don’t get  Stranded! 

We are calling the subgroupings of the theme  –STRANDS-  and these are now set up, so the web pages will be coming active over the next few weeks.  If you have not already been contacted, please email a Strand Leader (listed below) to be incorporated into a particular strand. You can join as many as you like (just send the Strand Leader and Emma a few sentences about your research within that Strand theme and attach an image or diagram) but we will be encouraging everyone to have one primary strand. Strand web pages

Channel & Receptor Signalling (Richard Evans)

Psychology & Behaviour (Gordon Harold)

Neurodegeneration & Disease (Ruth Luthi-Carter)

Sensory Processing (Auditory Group: Ian Forsythe; Vision Group: Irene Gottlob)

Neurons & Networks (Tom Matheson)

And of course you can always contact Emma Gisborn if you have any questions.

Grant Development

Our main objective is to help theme members obtain funding for their research.  To this end there are three helpful sources of information:

1. Funding agency links

Global & Strand-specific funding agencies: going live soon!

2. Internal small Grant Funds

3. Grant development Meetings

The idea is to provide peer assistance, advice and discussion to help each of us get the best chance of obtaining funding when we submit a grant. Please ask Emma or your Strand Lead to arrange one.

Neuroscience & Behaviour Day

Individual Differences in Behaviour (3rd May)

We had some entertaining guest speakers (Geraint Rees UCL & Kevin Fone, Nottingham) and it was really great to hear from our colleagues: Terry Brugha, Gordon Harold, Ruth Luthi-Carter, Iain Barber, Will Norton and John Maltby.

Thanks to everyone that brought their posters  and made this such an interesting and day. The poster highlights session was a real success with 5 postgraduate students being selected to give an overview of their research topics in just 5 minutes! Poster prizes were awarded to Asha Akram (Psychology & CPP) and Ralista Kantcheva (Genetics). Well done to both of you.

If you are inspired to help organise the next one in spring 2013 - please contact Ian or Emma.

Journal Club

Organiser -  Volko Straub

All postdocs and postgrads are invited to come along to the Journal Club on Thursdays – see the web page for the next one.  And send Emma your email address to be added to the JC email list.

New Grants

Robert Fern - 'Ion homeostasis in optic nerve astrocytes’ funded by BBSRC 2011 Responsive Mode Grant Round 3 (RM3), value in the region of £450,000

Ruth Luthi-Carter: 'NEUROACT— NEUROACT: A collaborative training program to develop multi-electrode array (MEA) platforms to understand synaptic function and treat diseases of the nervous system' Marie Curie Actions— Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP). 948,000 Euro share for Leicester

We are very keen to receive feedback and suggestions from theme members about how we might Improve and Develop the Theme. Please do contact Ian Forsythe, Gordon Harold or Emma Gisborn if you have any suggestions or concerns.

Best wishes

Ian Forsythe & Emma Gisborn