BRI activities and events enhance communication within the diverse neuroscience community through activities that are essential support elements for UCLA’s research and educational programs.

These activities and events include the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience, Annual Neuroscience Poster Day, various Conferences and Symposia during the year, meetings of the BRI Affinity Groups, and a UCLA Neuroscience Reception at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

The Joint Seminars in Neuroscience series is subsidized by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and cosponsored by the BRI and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. The Joint Seminars in Neuroscience Committee, currently chaired by Professor Dean Buonomano, chooses the invited lecturers, and one faculty member hosts each visitor. Each year, the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience program brings more than 30 leading neuroscientists to UCLA, and more than 300 scholars have spoken in this series since its inception in 1995. Between 150 and 250 neuroscientists gather each Tuesday afternoon to hear these speakers, who also meet with small groups for more focused discussions. These seminars and their accompanying receptions provide a weekly opportunity for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students to convene.

In addition to this flagship program, the BRI also sponsors or cosponsors an additional 10 to 20 special lectures. Among these, the Magoun Lecture (delivered by a distinguished UCLA faculty member) and the Eiduson lecture (delivered by an outstanding graduate student) attract particularly broad attention.

Annual Neuroscience Poster Day

This event usually draws more than 400 people to Ackerman Union’s Grand Ballroom—the only annual event on campus in which the entire neuroscience community participates. The Poster Day features over 200 posters and numerous commercial exhibits, capped by a Distinguished Lecture. Since its inception, the Poster Day has provided an important opportunity for UCLA neuroscientists—especially graduate students and postdoctoral fellows—to learn what is going on in the community.

Conferences and Symposia

The BRI sponsors or cosponsors conferences and symposia during the academic year. For upcoming conferences and symposia click here. Among some of the events scheduled during the academic are the Neural Control of Behavior Symposium, a two day bi-annual conference, a full day GABA Symposium, and an Annual UCLA Learning and Memory Symposium.

Affinity Groups

BRI-sponsored affinity groups provide opportunities for faculty and trainees to discuss current research in their field of interest. Affinity group activities vary: some hold a weekly journal club, while others have monthly meetings or meet only informally. Currently, the BRI provides administrative or financial support for fifteen affinity groups.

UCLA Neuroscience Reception at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

Besides the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience, the BRI’s most visible contribution to increasing contacts with neuroscientists outside UCLA may well be the reception it sponsors at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience when the meeting is in California. The Semel Institute has joined with the BRI to co-sponsor this event making it a campus-wide neuroscience event and several hundred neuroscientists attend.