Neuroscience at the University of Warwick
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b a n e w s l e t t e r f o r m e m b e r s o f t h e B N A 9 5 e Thalamostriatal u s s projections I revisited: new 8 0 u 0 questions and 2 answers N M U T U A / l R E l M M e U S t i n I N S I D E Secretary’s Report 3 Opinion 4 Spotlight on FENS Schools 5-6 BNA News 7-11 BNA Events 12-14 Scientific Review 15-17 Focus on Neuroscience: Warwick University 18-21 Science and Communication 22-25 Science and Society 26-28 Meeting Reports 29-35 M A R G N I N Bulletin I L SECRETARY’S REPORT O C G The sixth FENS Forum in Geneva (12-16 July) proved again BNA has been co-hosts of two of the three awards. The first of to be a great success. This event continues to be Europe’s these on ‘The Future of the Restorative Neurosciences in Stroke largest neuroscience event – over 5000 registered, including Rehabilitation’ was coordinated by Richard Greenwood and nearly 500 from the UK alone, exceeding the numbers that John Rothwell (Institute of Neurology) and held last September. attended in Vienna in 2006. An exciting programme delivered The second, which was coordinated by Kevin Talbot (Oxford) nine plenary lectures, 11 special lectures, 56 symposia, about and Ammar Al-Chalabi (King’s College, London), addressed 3500 posters and 240 oral presentations – surely enough to ‘Controversies in Motor Neuron Disease Research and Practice’ have satisfied everyone’s scientific appetite. The BNA provided and took place on 21-23 May. This explored all aspects of the thirty bursaries that enabled PhD students and young post- pathology, therapeutics, clinical care and future research docs to present posters at the meeting, many for the first time. directions in understanding this disease. G If you were unable to travel to Geneva, we hope that you will G Can I encourage our PhD and post-doctoral members to certainly make a date to attend the 2009 BNA National Meeting think about contributing to the Young Neuroscientists Day (Liverpool, 19th-22nd April) – get this in your diaries now! The which will be held in Cardiff soon in October? These events call for symposia produced some excellent proposals that the have proved to be very valuable opportunities for researchers committee has wrestled to get down to the number that can be who are new to the field to have the chance to present their accommodated by the programme. The scientific programme is data and to network with others at a similar stage. If you would now available on the website (www.bna.org.uk/bna2009/) and like to get involved in this event or consider hosting a similar event in includes for the first time some workshops and satellite meetings. future years, please contact Vanessa Davies or Anne Cooke (see page 13 for further details). G During the spring, many BNA members were involved in events for Brain Awareness Week and you are encouraged to G The National Committee is always open to suggestions from start thinking ahead to events for next year (16-22 March 2009) the membership about events that they would like to see as these often take some considerable time to organise. If you organised or suggestions for ways that we can better serve the want any advice or help, please contact the EDAB office. Many neuroscience community. Please feel free to make those BAW events involved bridging the science-art divide and this suggestions, even if you do not feel you have the time to get theme continued on the 16th April with an evening event at the involved in implementing them. Remember the BNA is only as Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester entitled “The Art-Science good as its membership. Divide – where does brain science fit in?” At this event, BNA G Finally, can I draw your attention to important changes to the President Graham Collingridge hosted a public discussion on administration of our membership database. Since 1st April, the the ‘two cultures’ led by Nancy Rothwell (Manchester), Mark database, including collecting subscriptions, has been Lythgoe (London), Erinma Ochu (Manchester) and Lizzie Burns managed by Portland Customer Services (PCS), a wholly (Oxford) – (see page 34 for report). owned subsidiary of The Biochemical Society. This will enable G During 2007/8, The Wellcome Trust has piloted a series of the BNA Committee to concentrate on managing our other Masterclasses in Clinical Neuroscience, an initiative to bring activities, such as meetings, symposia and other events and together basic researchers and clinicians to tackle key clinical publications. Further information on this change can be found issues with the aim of promoting translational research. The on page 11). Front cover: 9 G G 0 : 22nd October, 2008: 17th December, 2008: 0 Electron micrograph of an axon Y 2 Young Neuroscientists’ Day, The Christmas Symposium, R terminal (highlighted in blue) of / A I at the University of Cardiff at The Royal Society, London, SW1: 8 an identified parafascicular D 0 G ‘The meaning of sleep: 21st Century R thalamic neurone forming 0 25th November, 2008: thinking’ 2 synapses with two dendritic U ‘Out of body experiences’ O S G shafts and a dendritic spine in Y T A public cafe-bar discussion 19th – 22nd April, 2009: R the striatum. Overlaid is a digital N at the Dana Centre, London, SW7 BNA 20th National Meeting, O reconstruction of the soma and E F V G The Adelphi, Liverpool E 17th December, 2008: dendrites of a juxtacellularly- S E labelled parafascicular neurone. A BNA Annual General Meeting, T N See Scientific Review, pp15-17. A at The Royal Society, London SW1 D B The British Neuroscience Association Bulletin is published regularly and distributed to over 2,000 members of the BNA. The views expressed in the Bulletin are the authors’ own and are not necessarily the opinion of the BNA committee. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ITEMS FOR THE NEXT BULLETIN: 15th December, 2008. The BNA Bulletin is produced by Yvonne Allen in the BNA Conference Office. Please send any items for inclusion in the next Bulletin to: Dr Yvonne Allen, BNA Conference Office, The Sherrington Buildings, Ashton Street, Liverpool L69 3GE Tel: 0151 794 5449 / 4943 ! Fax: 0151 794 5516 / 5517 ! email: [email protected] The British Neuroscience Association is registered as a charity (1103852) and as a charitable company (4307833) ISSN 1475-8679 3 OPINION A skills shortage in the biosciences – what can we do about it? Richard Dyer Chief Executive, Biosciences Federation There are frequent reports and studentships for this Programme for each charges that Open Access brings. The comments about the shortage of skills in of the next three years. This is an result, of course, is that there is real the biosciences: shortages that are important area and yet the solution pressure on systematics and taxonomy important and potentially damaging to involves really small numbers: in vivo (and many other minority skills) as a the prosperity of our country. However skills are definitely not required in all life profession. However, the country needs “skills” do not exist in some semi- science graduates. Of course, practical these skills. independent context. It is always skills are very definitely required because Clearly the skills landscape is complex necessary to define what the “skills” are most science and most biology are and varied. The question to face is needed for, and this can produce intensely practical subjects. whether or not the delivery of highly conflicts for those responsible for the There are many other areas of the specialised skills can continue to be left delivery of our bioscience skill base. biosciences where skills are being lost to the vagaries of the market place. This The first skill that we all need is the skill and yet the solution needs relatively small essay is not leading to a conclusion that, to be a good and productive citizen. In a numbers of practitioners. Take for for example, all universities with a life knowledge driven economy, scientific example the field of systematics and science degree have Masters skills should be part of the skills portfolio taxonomy. There is no doubt that we are Programmes for in vivo skills, or that all of as many citizens as possible, even losing the capacity to identify precisely plant science departments have top level though they do not themselves pursue a some of our native species – for example, taxonomic skills. That would be absurd! career in science. For me, it is highly lichens. Yet we need really expert But the question to answer is how we desirable that we have more citizens who individuals in this area today perhaps even produce those experts that the country understand the scientific method, who more than in the past: we cannot monitor requires – and in sufficient numbers. appreciate the difference between the effects of climate change on our flora Not everyone will like the last sentence. probabilities and absolutes and who make Some will have a wider view, especially in decisions on the basis of evidence and ‘The knowledge driven economy the context of their own expertise. But not Luddite prejudice. With this training, demands a scientifically literate that can be left to the market place. What public discussion about climate change, population. Delivery of this we need is confidence that the UK will biodiversity or disease will be better informed and there will be greater essential skill is an important have the full portfolio of bioscience skills understanding of the contribution that responsibility of our schools that will be essential if we are to maintain practicing scientists are making to the and universities’.