Commemorating 25 years of excellence in neuroscience
In the fall of 1991, seven students entered the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s newly established graduate program in neuroscience — one of the first of its kind in Canada.
Twenty-five years later, the graduate program has blossomed into a truly one-of-a-kind, interdisciplinary education source, offering only the best training for students looking to obtain their master’s and doctoral degrees.
The program celebrated the success it has had over the past quarter of a century by bringing together students, trainees, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members and alumni at its Neuroscience 25th Anniversary Research Day on May 27.
During the first half of the Research Day, attendees welcomed Liisa Galea, PhD, Hans Dringenberg, PhD, and Tara Perrot, PhD — three alumni who graduated from the program’s first few cohorts of graduate trainees. Galea, Dringenberg and Perrot presented scientific talks and discussed the role that their background in neuroscience has played throughout their career.
Faculty members, trainees, students and postdoctoral fellows presented their research through captivating oral and poster presentations. A reception followed, giving everyone in attendance the opportunity to network with each other.
Susanne Schmid, PhD, Director, Graduate Program, said this event was not only a way to celebrate the program’s anniversary, but also a way to bring the neuroscience community together as it is made up by people from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and the Faculties of Social Science, Science and Health Sciences.
“This celebration brought together the Neuroscience community, which can often be a challenge because we are not always physically located in the same buildings,” Schmid said. “It’s crucial to bring our faculty, alumni, students and trainees together in this way as it is what causes relationships to form and new research ideas to develop.”
Aside from leaving with a stronger sense of community, Schmid feels that students and trainees benefitted from being able to network with alumni beyond the Western University campus, and saw what it truly meant to complete a master’s or doctoral degree in Neuroscience.
A photo gallery capturing special moments from the event is available below. Click here if you can’t see the photo gallery.
