Two Decades of Discovery and Impact

On September 22, 2022 we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory with an Exhibition Symposium — a day-long hybrid event highlighting "Two Decades of Discovery & Impact" since the launch of the Institute by a transformational gift from Barbara and Jeffry Picower. The symposium will feature a range of lay-friendly brain science talks from Picower Institute faculty and their alumni with opportunities to informally interact at lunch and at the reception that will follow the talks.

Registration

This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC but registration is required. Please click here to register or enter https://picower20.eventbrite.com into your search bar. 

How to Attend

This will be a hybrid event, with options to join both in-person and/or virtually.

ATTENDING IN PERSON:

• This event will be held at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in Singleton Auditorium (46-3002), located on the third floor of MIT Building 46 (43 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139).
• If you have an MIT ID: Simply tap into Building 46 and take any elevator or staircase to the third floor.
• If you DO NOT have an MIT ID: Request a Tim Ticket to gain temporary visitor access to Building 46 by clicking here or entering https://visitors.mit.edu?event=fea13ea1-83f8-46be-914f-1a3be4290d3f into your browser. After the ticket has been generated, use the QR code, either on your phone or printout, to scan into the building. If you have difficulty accessing the building, a staff member will be in each lobby in the morning to assist.

ATTENDING VIRTUALLY:

• Watch and ask questions during talks via the livestream page.
• Click here to join the livestream or enter https://web.mit.edu/webcast/picower/f22/1/ into your browser.

Agenda

8:30 - 9:00am: Breakfast

9:00 - 9:30am OPENING REMARKS

Featuring Institute Director Li-Huei Tsai, MIT President L. Rafael Reif, and JPB Foundation President Barbara Picower

SESSION 1 - LEARNING & MEMORY (Moderated by Steve Ramirez, Assistant Professor at Boston University and Tonegawa lab alumnus)

• 9:30 -9:50am: Wilson lab alumnus David Foster, UC Berkeley, "Do animals have imagination?"
• 9:50-10:10am: Susumu Tonegawa, MIT, "Memory Engram for Knowledge"
• 10:10-10:30am: Earl K. Miller, MIT, "One Journey from 20th to 21st Century Neuroscience"

10:45-11:45 - SESSION 2 - DEVELOPMENT & PLASTICITY (Moderated by Morgan Sheng, Professor, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT)

• 10:45-11:05am: Nedivi Lab alumnus Jerry Chen, Boston University, "Investigating Learning and Plasticity Through Vertically Integrated Neuroscience"
• 11:05-11:25am: Littleton lab alumnus Zachary Piccioli, Moderna, "Current advantages and future prospects for mRNA vaccines"
• 11:25-11:45am: Mriganka Sur, MIT, "Cortical Plasticity"

11:45 - 12:45 LUNCH & VIRTUAL SOCIALS

Take a safe break for food and connect with fellow attendees online

12:45 - 2:05 - SESSION 3 - BRAIN HEALTH & DISEASE (Moderated by Pam Belluck, Health and Science Writer, The New York Times)

• 12:45-1:05pm: Bear lab alumnus Ben Auerbach, University of Illinois, "Bridging the Gap from Genes to Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders"
• 1:05-1:25pm: Tsai lab alumnus Joel Blanchard, Mount Sinai, "Investigating Mechanisms of Aging with Stem Cells"
• 1:25-1:45pm: Choi lab Postdoctoral Associate, Jeongtae Kwon, MIT, "Neuromodulatory Regulation of Social Behavior in Amygdala"
• 1:45-2:05pm: Myriam Heiman, MIT, "Single-cell Dissection of the Human Cerebrovasculature"

2:20 -3:30 - SESSION 4 - INNOVATION & INVENTION (Moderated by Eric Grimson, Chancellor for Academic Advancement, MIT)

• 2:20-2:40pm: Brown lab graduate student Indie Garwood, MIT, "The Dynamics of the Unconscious Brain Under Ketamine Anesthesia"
• 2:40-3:00pm: Chung lab alumnus, Sung-Yon Kim, Seoul National University,, "Warm and Full: The Neurobiology of Innate Behavior"
• 3:00-3:20pm:  Steven W. Flavell, MIT, "Recording and Understanding Neural Activity Across an Entire Brain"

3:20 - 3:30pm CLOSING REMARKS

Closing remarks given by Dean Nergis Mavalvala, School of Science, MIT

3:30 - 5:00pm RECEPTION, POSTER SESSION, ART REVEAL

Questions?