Society for Neuroscience Blogger, Calvin Pohl – December 15, 2014

A Grad Student’s Perspective of SfN

Society for Neuroscience 2014 was an amazing display of 21st century biomedical research, and I thank Kerafast for the amazing opportunity.
I found that the most exciting aspect of SFN was their dedication to innovative techniques. I was most impressed by the cutting-edge approaches
adopted by neurobiologists to solve questions regarding neuronal circuits, signaling, and function. These cutting edge approaches included new molecular
genetics approaches combined with advanced imaging. Through this experience at SFN, it became clear to me that the newest breakthroughs in 21st century biology
will come from collaborative multi-discipline approaches.

While SFN had multiple themes at the conference, demonstrating the breadth and depth of the field, I found it most interesting that they dedicated a theme to novel techniques and applications.
Within these talks were amazing collaborative efforts across molecular biology, engineering, and medicine. Specific examples were the new techniques and approaches in optogenetics. I was amazed
at the new approaches and applications for this technology, and I was excited to think of future possibilities. Additionally, I was impressed to find highly sensitive devices to capture in vivo
neurotransmitter release in order to evaluate efficacy of clinical trials. It was exciting to see engineers and physicist collaborating to answer complicated questions in biology.

Exposure to all these new techniques and approaches was extremely exciting for a graduate student. I am looking forward to learning more about revolutionary techniques in neurobiology,
and potentially implementing them into my future career.