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Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology

Gordon Research Conference

Neuro-ecology

August 14 - 19, 2011
Chairs and
Vice Chairs and
Stonehill College
320 Washington Street
Easton, Massachusetts, United States
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

This Gordon Conference focuses on the evolution of neural circuits underlying species-specific behavior. This year’s conference will have a unifying theme of “neuro-ecology.” The aim is to understand how animals process information under natural, evolution-relevant conditions. Our goal is to attract participants interested in integrating analysis of neural circuits with ecological and evolutionary perspectives.

In the spirit of the Gordon Conferences, the meeting is meant to foster intense discussion with the intent to push the frontiers of the field. Each speaker will be given 20 minutes to speak to be followed by 15-20 minutes of discussion. These are not expected to be conventional data-driven talks; rather, the speakers will address the central questions of the session using their own work and that of others to illustrate their ideas and to answer the questions: What progress have we made? What are the near-term and long-term goals for this field?

Graduate students and post-docs are encouraged to also apply for the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS): Compare or Perish! The GRS will take place just prior to this Gordon Conference, and will also be held at Stonehill College, MA, USA.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

SUNDAY
2:00 pm - 9:00 pmArrival and Check-in (Office Closed 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm)
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pmWelcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:40 pm - 9:30 pmBringing Epigenetics into Neuroethology
Discussion Leader: Zoe Donaldson (Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm David Crews (University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA)
"Epigenetic Modification of Brain and Behavior - Theory and Practice"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm Ryszard Maleszka (The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia)
"The Epigenetics of Social Engineering in Insects"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
MONDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmSensory Integration of Social Cues
Discussion Leaders: Yehuda Ben-Shahar (Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA) and Ana Silva (Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay)
9:00 am - 9:40 am Marcus C. Stensmyr (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany)
"From Single Molecule to Behavior"
9:40 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Group Photo / Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am Christina M. Grozinger (Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA)
"Genomic Analysis of Social Behavior in Honey Bees"
11:10 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm Lisa Stowers (The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, CA, USA)
"Specialized Odors that Generate Innate Behavior"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmThe Cost of Information Processing
Discussion Leader: John Hildebrand (University of Arizona, Tucson, USA)
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm Simon Laughlin (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK)
"Implications of Metabolic Energy Requirements in the Representation of Information in Neurons"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm Reuven Dukas (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
"The Evolution of Animal Cognition: Mechanisms, Costs, and Benefits"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
TUESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmImmediate Early Genes as Neuroethological Tools
Discussion Leaders: Elizabeth Adkins-Regan (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA) and David Clayton (University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA)
9:00 am - 9:40 am Sabrina Burmeister (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA)
"Functional Mapping of Auditory Responses to Mate-Choice Cues in the Túngara Frog"
9:40 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am Michael Meredith (Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA)
"Vomeronasal and Olfactory Influence on Fos Expression in the Brain during Pheromone Exposure or Mating in Male Hamsters"
11:10 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm Matthew McNeill (University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA)
"Toward Mapping Reward Responsive Regions in the Honey Bee Brain by Immediate Early Gene Induction"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmSmall and Large Brains
Discussion Leaders: Andrew Barron (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia) and Sarah Farris (West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA)
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm Sue Healy (University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK)
"Brain Space for Processing Spatial Information"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm Jeremy E. Niven (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK)
"How Miniaturization Constrains Neural Circuits"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
WEDNESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmEcology of Learning
Discussion Leader: Martin Giurfa (CNRS - Université de Toulouse, France)
9:00 am - 9:40 am Jan Hemmi (The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia)
"Information Processing in Fiddler Crabs"
9:40 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am Daniel Tomsic (University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
"Long-term Visual Memory in Crabs: Major Attributes and Neural Substrate"
11:10 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm Lars Chittka (University of London, London, UK)
"What is Comparable in Comparative Cognition?"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmContribution of Neuroethology to Bioengineering
Discussion Leader: Barry Trimmer (Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm Ellen Lumpkin (Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)
"Touch Sensation in Mammals"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm Hillel Chiel (Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH, USA)
"Neuroethology and Robotics"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm Lee E. Miller (Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA)
"Neuroethology and Biomedical Engineering"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
THURSDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 amBusiness Meeting
Nominations for the next Vice Chair; Fill out Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss future Site & Scheduling preferences; Election of the next Vice Chair
9:00 am - 12:30 pmNeural Processing and Natural Tasks
Discussion Leader: Bill Kristan (University of California, San Diego, CA, USA)
9:00 am - 9:40 am Cynthia Moss (University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA)
"Acoustic Orientation in Bats"
9:40 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am Karin Nordström (Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden)
"Hoverfly Target Detection"
11:10 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm Malcolm MacIver (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA)
"Natural and Robotic Echolocation"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmSensing in Extreme Environments
Discussion Leader: Karen Mesce (University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA / NSF, Arlington, VA, USA)
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm Helmut Schmitz (University of Bonn, Germany)
"Infrared Receptors in Pyrophilous ('Fire-Loving') Beetles and Bugs and the Design of Infrared Detectors"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm Erik Warrant (University of Lund, Lund, Sweden)
"Vision in Extreme Low Light Conditions"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
FRIDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDeparture

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology (GRS)
Additional Fee Info

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