2017 Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution & Neurobiology : Neural, Behavioral and Evolutionary Strategies for Survival

了解大脑中的神经元如何控制复杂的功能是神经科学的主要目标。遗传学的进步提高了我们了解这些细胞及其相互作用方式的精确度，但大部分研究都是在少数实验室生物体中进行的。这使得很难评估从这些研究中得出的关于大脑功能的发现有多大的代表性，以及类似的过程是否在包括人类在内的其他动物身上起作用。由该奖项支持的会议将年轻的研究人员聚集在一起，他们研究大脑机制，使更多样化的生物群体能够在自然环境中解决复杂的问题。有针对性的谈话和讨论使他们能够分享想法，从而确定共同的大脑特性，使不同的动物有可能解决与生存有关的问题。会议还包括了在实验室生物中使用遗传方法的专家，以鼓励他们的同事考虑如何在他们自己未来的研究中对更多样化的物种群体采用这种方法。演讲者和与会者中有很大一部分是女性，会议包括一个关于女性在科学领域面临的独特挑战以及如何克服这些挑战的研讨会。最终，这次会议鼓励我们国家未来的科学家，特别是一些最有前途的年轻女性，朝着最终帮助我们确定大脑的基本特性的方向前进，这些特性使复杂的功能成为可能。这是一个大约130人参加的小型会议，其中大多数是研究生，博士后助理和刚开始的研究人员。会议在半偏远的环境中进行，为期5天，旨在促进对大脑机制的深入和广泛讨论，这些机制使不同的生物群体能够在复杂的自然环境中生存。会议包括9个会议，每个会议集中在神经行为学领域的一个特定主题，每个会议有1-2个演讲，每次演讲后有大量的讨论时间。几位受邀的参与者使用了在其他物种的模式生物中开发的一些遗传和分子工具，他们被包括在这个项目中，以推动年轻科学家思考他们如何也可以利用这些工具来提高他们在自然环境中研究非实验室动物神经系统的精度。超过三分之二的参与者和演讲者是女性，还有一个特别的研讨会，讨论与女性科学进步相关的独特挑战。最后，会议鼓励年轻科学家比较不同生物群体的进化机制，以解决它们在进化环境中面临的生存挑战，并以此确定对复杂过程的调节至关重要的大脑功能的基本原则。

Understanding how neurons in the brain control complex functions is a primary goal of neuroscience. Advances in genetics have increased the precision with which we can understand those cells and how they interact, but most of that work has been developed in a small number of laboratory organisms. This makes it difficult to assess how representative the findings about brain functions that have emerged from such studies are, and whether or not similar processes are operative in other animals, including humans. The conference supported by this award brings young researchers together who study the brain mechanisms that allow a more diverse group of organisms to solve complex problems in their natural environments. Focused talks and discussions allow them to share ideas about and thus identify the common brain properties that make it possible for different animals to solve problems related to survival. The conference also includes participants with expertise using the genetic approaches that have been developed in laboratory organisms to encourage their colleagues to consider how to adapt such approaches in their own future studies in a more diverse group of species. A high proportion of the speakers and participants are women, and the conference includes a workshop about the unique challenges faced by women in science and how to overcome them. Ultimately, this meeting thus encourages our nation's future scientists, particularly some of the most promising young women in science, to move in directions that will ultimately help us identify the fundamental properties of the brain that make complex functions possible. This is a small meeting of approximately 130 participants, most of whom are graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and beginning investigators. It takes place over 5 days in a semi-remote setting to foster intensive and extensive discussions about the brain mechanisms that have allowed a diverse group of organisms to survive in complex natural environments. The meeting includes 9 sessions, each of which focuses on a particular topic in the field of neuroethology, with 1-2 talks per session and extensive time for discussion after each talk. Several invited participants who have used some of the genetic and molecular tools that have been developed in model organisms in other species are included in the program to push young scientists to think about how they might also take advantage of those tools to increase the precision with which they can study the nervous systems in non-laboratory animals in naturalistic environments. Over 2/3 of the participants and speakers are women, and there is a special workshop that addresses the unique challenges associated with advancement in science for women. Ultimately, the conference encourages young scientists to compare the mechanisms that have evolved in different groups of organisms to solve the challenges to survival present in the environments in which they evolved, and in so doing to identify the fundamental principles of brain function that are critical for the regulation of complex processes.