The insect mushroom body (MB) is involved in a variety of behaviors, including olfactory learning and memory, sleep and decision-making. As a follow up to our first meeting in 2014, we will once again gather leading investigators to address the anatomy, behavioral roles, physiology and evolution of the mushroom body. Presentations and discussions will address current approaches for studying MB anatomy, biochemistry, electrophysiology and functional imaging, in an effort to reveal how it functions in a circuit model of the insect brain. We will also include a handful of special talks from investigators working on mammalian circuits to offer a bigger picture view and open discussions about common anatomic and functional principles.

The computational problem posed by the use of moving sensors is that sensation and motor control are intertwined. The gathering of information requires that sensors scan the environment to obtain as comprehensive a map of sensory input as possible, while perception and decision making involves uncoupling incoming sensory information from sensation that is generated by self-motion. This conference will explore active sensing in natural and laboratory environments, with a goal of formulating experiments to reveal nature¹s algorithms and their realization in terms of neuronal circuits.

This meeting is a platform for the convergence of the frontiers of engineering and biological application.  It will bring leading developers of imaging technologies together with experts in the field of life sciences to discuss emerging technologies, current challenges and future directions.  Presentations and discussions will address the current state of the art and recent progress on the topics of super-resolution microscopy, light sheet microscopy, correlative light-EM microscopy, intravital imaging, probe and biosensor development, data analysis, specimen prep, and more.

This meeting will bring together leading experts in the development of chemistry-based tools that help to unravel signaling networks within cells and tissues. The major themes will be: 1) design of analytical tools for cells and tissue networks, including imaging agents, 2) methods to perturb biological networks in cells and tissues, and 3) strategies to build artificial/model cellular networks for study. Additionally, we hope to have a special session of biologists and/or microscope builders discussing their biological system and its unsolved problems.

Research suggests that the prevalence and importance of electrical transmission in the vertebrate brain have been greatly underestimated; while renewed interest in invertebrate electrical synapses has revealed novel functions and highlighted the universal importance of this mode of synaptic transmission.  This meeting will address recent progress in the molecular, cellular, and circuit functions of gap junction transmission among neurons, with the goal of revealing differences and commonalities in the structure, function, and regulation of vertebrate and invertebrate electrical synapses. We look forward to gathering colleagues from traditionally non-overlapping fields in hopes of generating a sense of community that will stimulate new collaborations and attract new investigators.

This meeting will cover the molecular bases of neuronal identity and the mechanisms that underlie neuronal diversification. We are particularly interested in how new technologies, such as next-generation sequencing of single cells or identifiable cell types, advance our understandings on neuronal types and cell fate specification.

Organized by Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz and Nelson Spruston, this workshop is intended as a "by the students, for the students" meeting. Participants will include only students and postdocs with a general interest in understanding cell biological principles underlying nervous system. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: cell types, membrane and RNA trafficking routes, cytoskeleton, metabolism, cellular and subcellular forces, synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity.

Over the course of the meeting, attendees will present their own work and hear from more senior researchers at Janelia about their research in this field. The goal is to encourage uninhibited and detailed discussion among young researchers. The focus will be on obtaining a deeper understanding of the open questions and technologies for doing modern neuronal cell biology research. Attendees will gain a strong sense of community within the field. We see this as a unique learning opportunity for everyone involved and we expect that it will be an enjoyable, fun experience.

We are interested in those who will be able to follow the intense schedule and contribute to discussions. We plan to assemble a diverse group of male and female students from a broad spectrum of countries and universities.

In order to maintain a small group atmosphere, allowing for extensive interactions and presentations by everyone, space at the workshop is limited. All participants are expected to stay for the duration.

Janelia will cover the cost of accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 22, 2017 (11:59 p.m.).

May 21-24, 2017 AND May 24-27, 2017

Due to high demand, Janelia will host two MicroED workshops in the spring.  They will have the same content, and accepted participants will be assigned to one or the other.

MicroED is a technique that uses electron diffraction to facilitate structure determination from sub-micron sized crystals, eliminating the need to grow large crystals. MicroED uses equipment and procedures that are standard on many cryoTEM’s, and because of this the technique can be easily adopted in labs and facilities around the world. To facilitate the widespread use of MicroED, Janelia group leader Tamir Gonen is offering this workshop to teach microscopists how to perform the technique and adopt it at their own institutions.

There is no registration fee for participation, and Janelia will provide on-site housing and meals. Attendees are expected to cover their own travel expenses and must be able to stay for the duration.

Recent years have seen rapid developments in deep tissue imaging technologies. In addition to the usual suspects in optical microscopy (longer wavelength excitation, wavefront control), methods using sound waves (photoacoustic and ultrasonic) have shown increasing potential for monitoring physiological events deep inside biological tissue. We expect that bringing the pioneers of these distinct fields together in this meeting will foster the exchange of ideas and concepts. Exposing the technology developers to Janelia (and our research goals) may help them to identify research opportunities in developing their methods for the neuroscience applications. In addition to the experts noted below, we also hope to invite some developers of contrast agents/probes (for both ultrasound and light microscopy), as availability of suitable probes is often the limiting factor for imaging technology.

This meeting will bring together leading scientists working on emerging new concepts in cell biology that are important for neuron and neural circuit function. Presentations and discussions will cover topics such as emerging areas of cell biology, new imaging tools for examining the function of proteins at the subcellular level as well as cutting edge work by investigators working at the interface of cell and neuronal biology.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 17, 2017 (11:59 p.m.).

Registration for this meeting is now closed. 

Organized by Alla Karpova, Josh Dudman and Vivek Jayaraman, this workshop provides an exciting opportunity for graduate students and recent graduates interested in neural circuits and behavior to present their research and discuss bold ideas for the future, while also discovering potential independent early-career options at Janelia.

The meeting is open to a broad array of ideas and approaches in diverse animal models. The agenda will be thematically tuned to explore some of the issues raised by participants with a general emphasis on studies of cognition broadly construed (e.g. navigation, learning, decision making, etc.).

Over the course of five days, attendees will present their work, partake in lively discussions on key problems and obstacles in the field, and indulge in informed speculation about conceptual and technical approaches that might be useful for future progress.

The focus of the meeting will be on junior scientists, but we will also host a few plenary talks from established investigators. As with last year, we anticipate that the workshop will be interactive and intense. We want participants who are comfortable not only presenting their own ideas and results, but also actively contributing to discussion and critically evaluating their own methods and approaches. We will aim to ensure that discussions are freewheeling, but also respectful and inclusive, and that the atmosphere is both fun and productive. Attendees should feel free to come with half-baked ideas and expect an audience keen on talking through those ideas!

In order to maintain the small group atmosphere that we believe is necessary for extensive interactions and discussion, space in the workshop is limited. Participants are expected to stay for the duration.

Janelia will cover the cost of accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses.

We especially encourage applicants who identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in science. 

Organized by Shaul Druckmann, James Fitzgerald, Ann Hermundstad, Sandro Romani and Herve Rouault, this workshop is intended as a "by the students, for the students" meeting.  Participants will include only students and postdocs doing theoretical neuroscience research.

Over the course of the week, attendees will present their own work, as well as a more in depth tutorial on the techniques used in their research. The goal is to encourage uninhibited and detailed technical discussion among young theoreticians, a deeper understanding of the diverse techniques used in modern theoretical neuroscience, and hopefully a stronger sense of community. We see this as a unique learning opportunity for everyone involved and intend for it to be an enjoyable experience.

We are interested in those who will be able to follow the intense schedule and contribute to discussions, and we especially encourage applications from female scientists.

In order to maintain a small group atmosphere, allowing for extensive interactions and presentations by everyone, space at the workshop is limited.  All participants are expected to stay for the duration.

Janelia will cover the cost of accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 29, 2017 (11:59 pm).

Advances in light sources and other instrumentation over the last 20 years have pushed the limits of what can be studied by various structural biology methods. Larger, much more challenging molecular ensembles have been studied at unprecedented resolutions, and with ever-smaller and challenging specimens. Hardware and computational developments, particularly in data reduction and modeling, contribute critically to this work. The main goal of this meeting is to highlight the current challenges in structural biology and to stimulate cooperation between theory and experiment. Talks will focus on challenges in structural biology including sample preparation, crystal growth, data collection, processing, and structural dynamics and will span the full gamut of nanocrystallography including XFELs and MicroED, as well as single particle electron cryomicroscopy and complementary methods.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2017 (11:59 pm).

Among visual organisms, the ability to detect motion is nearly universal. Motion detection is a fundamental neural computation that is critical for navigation within the environment. This meeting will bring together researchers who study the question of how neurons generate directionally selective responses to local visual motion, as well as the global problem of how local motion signals are integrated to guide behavior. Traditionally, the synaptic and cellular basis of directional selectivity has been studied in the mammalian retina while the links between these computations and behavior have been studied in flies and primates. Most recently, serial EM reconstructions and optogenetic approaches have deepened our understanding of circuits in flies and provide insights of mammalian directional selectivity in vision-guided behaviors in rodents. Primate researchers have, in parallel, discovered detailed computational mechanisms that underlie behaviors driven by visual motion. This is an exciting time to bring together the leading scientists working in these areas to provide an open forum for vigorous discussion of novel approaches providing insights into visual motion processing. Specific topics include, but are not limited to, computational mechanisms of motion perception, the circuits and mechanisms of directional selectivity, and how behavioral state modulates motion processing. Within each topic, we will investigate the function of the insect, rodent, and primate visual systems at a neural and behavioral level, with a focus on the relationship between structure and function.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 14, 2017 (11:59 p.m.).

A follow-up to the first conference held at Janelia in 2015, this meeting focuses on emerging optical techniques enabling near-simultaneous acquisition of neuronal activity at the whole-brain level with single-cell resolution in a variety of model organisms. These techniques will advance our understanding of how the information underlying behavior is dynamically represented and processed by neuronal networks at the whole-brain level. Analysis of the big data sets generated from microscopic imaging requires a combination of machine learning, statistics, mathematical modeling and a robust IT infrastructure. This meeting gathers experts and pioneers in these fields to identify synergies and new opportunities and to discuss challenges in moving forward.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 28, 2017 (11:59 p.m.).