Conference: 2024 International Congress for Neuroethology in Berlin

该项目主要支持来自美国的年轻研究人员，如研究生，博士后研究人员和助理教授，参加2024年7月在德国柏林举行的第15届国际神经行为学大会（ICN）。ICN是国际神经行为学学会的官方会议。神经行为学是神经科学的一个分支，主要研究自然行为背后的神经机制。这一多学科领域的研究旨在弥合进化过程中神经机制和行为之间的差距。这项任务的复杂性需要结合各种水平的分析，从分子和遗传到计算，跨无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种。通过强调跨物种的行为适应和神经机制之间的比较，神经行为学家可以利用生物学问题的自然解决方案来研究大脑与行为的关系。这种比较方法有助于识别常见的大脑组织原则以及增强行为表现的检测机制，这些机制随后可以通过计算或技术实现。神经行为学的包容性科学性质和ICN相对较小的规模为不同研究方法之间的交叉提供了独特的机会，这些方法通常被视为大型会议上的独立领域。此外，神经行为学是一个理想的学科，用于确定具有专业化的动物模型，这可能有助于未来的科学突破。这是自1989年一次非常成功的会议以来，ICN首次将在德国的柏林举行。为了确保国际竞争网络取得成功，当地组织委员会已经获得了柏林自由大学的亨利福特大楼，该大楼有一个大型演讲厅和充足的额外空间，适合举行这次会议。该计划委员会由多元化的研究人员组成，致力于促进独特的神经行为学方法以及国际神经行为学学会的高度互动和多样性。作为该协会的主要科学会议，ICN为不同专业级别的国际学生和科学家提供了一个重要的场所，以非正式地讨论神经行为学的研究，理论和技术。它的比较，跨学科和合作重点使ICN成为一个重要的科学平台，用于分享对整个动物王国的大脑功能和行为的新见解。以前的神经行为学研究一直是神经科学和革命性技术的基础发现不可或缺的。本次会议的主要目的是传播和讨论神经行为学领域的新科学思想和数据。会议计划通过全体会议、专题讨论会、海报会议和讲习班来宣传这一主题。该项目由生物科学理事会综合有机系统部的行为和神经系统集群共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project supports primarily young investigators from the USA, such as graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and assistant professors, to attend the 15th International Congress of Neuroethology (ICN) in Berlin, Germany, in July, 2024. The ICN is the official meeting of the International Society for Neuroethology. Neuroethology is a branch of neuroscience focused on the neural mechanisms underlying natural behavior. Research in this multidisciplinary field seeks to bridge the gap between neural mechanisms and behavior in the context of evolutionary processes. The complexity of this task necessitates combining various levels of analysis, from molecular and genetic to computational, across invertebrate and vertebrate species. By emphasizing comparisons between behavioral adaptations and neural mechanisms across species, neuroethologists can exploit natural solutions to biological problems to investigate the brain–behavior relationship. This comparative approach facilitates the identification of common brain organization principles as well as detection mechanisms that enhance behavioral performance, which can subsequently be implemented computationally or technologically. The inclusive scientific nature of neuroethology and the relatively small size of the ICN provide a unique opportunity for cross-fertilization among different research approaches that are often viewed as separate realms at large conferences. In addition, neuroethology is an ideal discipline for identifying animal models with specializations that may facilitate future scientific breakthroughs.This is the first time since a highly successful meeting in 1989 that the ICN will take place in Berlin, Germany. To ensure that the ICN is successful, the Local Organizing Committee has secured the Henry Ford Building, belonging to the Freie Universität Berlin, which has a large lecture hall and ample additional space that is suitable for this meeting. The Program Committee, which consists of a diverse team of researchers, is committed to promoting the unique neuroethological approach and the highly interactive and diverse nature of the International Society for Neuroethology. As the major scientific meeting of this Society, the ICN provides a critical venue for international students and scientists at different professional ranks to meet informally and discuss research, theory, and techniques in neuroethology. Its comparative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative focus makes the ICN an essential scientific platform for sharing novel insights into brain function and behavior across the animal kingdom. Previous neuroethological research has been integral for fundamental discoveries in neuroscience and revolutionary technologies. The main goal of this meeting is to disseminate and discuss new scientific ideas and data in the field of neuroethology. The conference program promotes this theme through plenary sessions, symposia, poster sessions, and workshops.This project is funded jointly by the Behavioral and the Neural Systems Clusters in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems of the Directorate for Biological Sciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.