NeuRA Students Visit the USA
Students from NeuRA’s Schizophrenia Research Lab recently attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in the United States of America. The conference, held in Washington D.C., saw 30,300 attendees convene for the world’s largest marketplace of ideas and tools for global neuroscience. For the NeuRA students, the opportunity to attend and present at one of the world’s largest schizophrenia conferences was a milestone in their early research careers.
“The knowledge, experience, laughter, and connections we made could not have been made over a lab bench,” says PhD Student Cynthia Lee.
“We hope that one day, we will be able to make a difference in the field of schizophrenia research and make our mentors proud.”
The international conference allowed the students to, not only showcase the latest research from NeuRA but also, discuss and learn from the other leading schizophrenia labs around the world.
“For me, the greatest opportunity was to get a sense of what is happening globally regarding research into schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases,” said PhD student David Lloyd.
Another PhD Student, Caitlin Murphy, said “I think being exposed to opinions and insights from foreign peers gives you the rare opportunity to consider alternative approaches to research questions and alternative interpretations of your findings.
“Being able to put your work in the context of the field as a whole is very important, and I think attending international conferences allows you to have your ideas challenged (and perhaps changed or amended).”
Hopefully, this trip has inspired the next generation of neuroscientists in their scientific research, and they can put their new skills and knowledge to work back at NeuRA.
