Miami University Chapter. Fall 2008 On the web at unixgen.muohio.edu/~sigmaxi/ Newsletter

2008 Researcher of the Year Congratulations to Professor Jan Yarrison-Rice, Department of Physics, who is our 2008 Researcher of the Year. Details regarding her Researcher-of-the-Year lecture are forthcoming.

Grants-in-Aid of Research deadline The fall deadline for the GIAR program is October 15, 2008. Undergraduate and graduate students may apply for grants of up to $1000 for research in all areas of the science and engineering. Funds may be used to pay for travel expenses to and from a research site, or for purchase of non-standard laboratory equipment necessary to complete a specific research project. Additional information can be found at www.sigmaxi.org/programs/giar/.

Sigma Xi Annual Meeting & Student Research Conference November 20-23, 2008, Marriott Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C. The deadline for abstract submission to the Student Research Conference is October 15, 2008. Meeting and registration information is found at www.sigmaxi.org/meetings/annual/.

New Chapter Officers Please welcome new chapter officers for 2008-2009. Paul Harding (ZOO) is the 2008-2009 new chapter president, Chun Liang (BOT) is the new chapter treasurer, and Paul Sigma Xi Urayama (PHY) is the new chapter secretary. Rose Marie Ward (KNH) is this Miami University Chapter Officers year’s vice president and president-elect. Immediate past president: L. James (Jay) Smart, PhD (PSY) [email protected]

President: Paul A. Harding, PhD (ZOO) [email protected]

Vice President and President-Elect: Rose Marie Ward, PhD (KNH) From l to r, Paul Harding (ZOO), Rose Marie Ward (KNH), Chun Liang (BOT), [email protected] and Paul Urayama (PHY).

Treasurer: Chun Liang, PhD (BOT) Future Announcements [email protected] Any announcements, changes, and/or corrections for our next newsletter can be forwarded to the chapter secretary, Paul Urayama ([email protected]). Secretary: Paul Urayama, PhD (PHY) [email protected] 1 Colloquium Series in honor of Dr. Phillip J. Best

A series of three colloquia are scheduled to honor the retirement of Dr. Phillip J. Best, a long time member of the Department of and the Center for Neuroscience here at Miami University. Dr. Best has been one of the leading researchers in the study of the cellular bases of spatial and episodic . Dr. Best was also the 2002 - 2003 Sigma Xi Miami Chapter Researcher of the Year.

September 26, 2008 - Paul Gold Dr. Paul E. Gold, Department of Psychology, the University of Illinois, will be giving a colloquium entitled “Old ” on Friday, September 26, 2008 at 3:00pm in the Psychology Building, room 125. Dr. Gold’s research seeks to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of memory formation. Much of the work examines mechanisms that regulate – turn on and off, amplify and attenuate – the processes that initiate and maintain neural changes representing memory.

October 10, 2008 - Dr. Larry R. Squire, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, and Research Career Scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, will be giving a colloquium entitled “Conscious and unconscious memory systems of the mammalian brain” on Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:00pm in the Psychology Building, room 125. Dr. Squire is considered to be one of the founders of the field of modern cognitive neuroscience. His research concerns the organization and neurological foundations of memory. His work has involved the study of neurological patients, neuroimaging, nonhuman primates and rodents, and combines the best traditions of cognitive science and neuroscience. His publications include more than 400 scientific research articles, a widely-read book Memory and Brain (Oxford Press, 1987), and Memory: From Mind to Molecules, with (W.H. Freeman, 1999).

March 27, 2009 - Lynn Nadel Dr. Lynn Nadel, Professor and Department Head of Psychology, Co-Director of the Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratories, and Regent’s Professor of psychology and cognitive science, the University of Arizona, will be giving a colloquium on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 3:00pm in the Psychology Building, room 125. Dr. Nadel, together with his colleague, Dr. John O’Keefe, defined an entire research program surrounding the role of the in the cognitive representation of space and navigation. Besides co-writing "The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map" with John O'Keefe, he has edited or co- authored books about Down syndrome, emotion, and language and space, and edited "The Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science," published in 2003.

34th Annual Hefner Lecture Sigma Xi, Miami University Chapter, is proud to be a sponsor of the 34th Annual Hefner Lecture. Scientist and author Dr. Bernd Heinrich (Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Vermont) will present the Hefner Lecture on Thursday, October 23, 8pm, at 102 Benton Hall. His talk is entitled “Ravens at the Feast,” discussing communication and cooperation for competition in ravens. Dr. Heinrich is the author of numerous books, including The Snoring Bird, Mind of the Raven, and Winter World. An ultramarathoner, he also has written Why We Run: A Natural History. More information on this event is found at www.environmentaleducationohio.org/events.html. 2