News
2023 SBN Annual Meeting Recap
July 20, 2023
Thank you everyone for attending this year’s meeting in Tours, France! We had a great turnout with 225 registrations. Overall, we had 79 students, 29 postdocs, and 125 regular members. Registrants were from over 17 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Macau, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, South Korea, UK, and the USA.
The program was highly diverse, featuring talks that embraced a comparative perspective and cutting-edge methodologies to address fundamental questions within the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology.
Professional Development Workshop & Sessions
The Professional Development Workshop was the first event of SBN 2023 (following the city tour), and it was a success! We welcomed ~65 attendees across career stages. We featured the keynote duo of Drs. Natalie Tronson and Luke Remage-Healey. The Workshop continued with sessions dedicated to specific topics in science, service, and career advancement. We are looking forward to the 2024 Professional Development Workshop, organized by Drs. Niko Rigney and Jill Becker! The meeting also featured several professional development activities, including the meet the professors mentoring lunch, and three breakfast events: "Meet the Scientist" with Dr. Colin Saldanha, "Meet the Editors" of Hormones and Behavior, and a networking event specifically designed for early career scientists. A highlight of this year's meeting was the packed “Lunch and Learn” led by Dr. Daphna Joel on new ways of studying the relations between sex and the brain.
DEI Keynote Speaker & Social
The 2023 SBN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee hosted a DEI Keynote speaker, Dr. Subhadra Das from University College London, and a DEI Social. Dr. Das's keynote explored eugenics and the academy. The DEI Social event was well attended and held at a La Guinguette on the Loire River. Attendees were enthusiastic to meet other members interested in DEI efforts and it was announced that the committee will soon provide a link on the SBN website where members can share what topics, events, and workshops they would like to see the DEI pursue in the future.
Keynote Speakers
In addition to a broad range of terrific talks in the symposia, we had keynote speakers share their insights into sexual differentiation in the brain (Dr. Julie Bakker), hormonal contraceptives and behavior (Dr. Adriene Beltz) and the epigenetic effects of ovarian hormones (Dr. Marija Kundacovic). These keynotes highlighted the critical societal implications of research in behavioral neuroendocrinology - a theme that was discussed further during the Science and Society Roundtable.
Congrats to our Awardees
The SBN meeting in Tours provided 10 travel awards and featured a New Investigator Symposium to celebrate trainees poised to make an impact in the field. The final talk of the meeting was the Lehrman Award Keynote by SBN’s Lifetime Achievement awardee, Dr. Gregory Ball. Greg’s talk was an inspiration, with an Oscar-worthy bird imitation and tremendous insight into the history of behavioral neuroendocrinology.
Celebrating at the Château de Villandry
The SBN Banquet was held at the beautiful Château de Villandry, one of the most visited châteaux in France. The picturesque gardens were the perfect setting for this social event, with delicious food and terrific music — an elegant celebration of our time in Tours.
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2024 SBN — See You in Columbus, Ohio
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the 28th Annual Meeting of the SBN from June 23 - 26, 2024 at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Also start thinking about symposia and speaker ideas!