Some of the latest developments in neuroscience from WA and abroad were shared at the 2021 Symposium of Western Australian Neuroscience (SWAN).
The Perron Institute was among the sponsors of this virtual three-day event which attracted a total registration of 132 people across 5 states and 6 continents.
The Raine Plenary Lecture, presented by Professor Cliff Abraham (Raine Visiting Professor, University of Otago), was titled ‘Metaplasty: Neural tools regulating synaptic plasticity vs synaptic stability’. The session was chaired by Dr Alex Tang (postdoctoral researcher at UWA and Perron Institute).
Professor Michal Schwartz (Weizmann Institute of Science) presented the closing plenary lecture on ‘A novel approach to defeat Alzheimer’s disease: Empowering the systemic immune system to help the brain’. Dr Ryu Takechi (Curtin University) was the chair.
Several prizes were awarded for oral and DataBlitz presentations in a competition for early career researchers, PhD students and Honours/Masters/Undergraduate students.
Honours students Lucy Anderson (winner) and Rebecca Ong (runner-up), received oral presentation prizes. Both are part of Associate Professor Jenny Rodger’s Brain Plasticity Research group at UWA and the Perron Institute.
This year, the first Consumer and Community Involvement Award (open to all career levels) was given in partnership with the Western Australian Health Translation Network. PhD student Lauren Hennessy, also in the Brain Plasticity Research group, received a high commendation.
WA scientists and students attending the symposium were able to share speaker highlights and talk neuroscience at a sundowner sponsored by Perron Institute at the UWA watersports complex.
The large organising committee was co-chaired by Dr Sarah Hellewell, Dr Chidozie Anyaegbu and Dr Li Shan Chiu, and A/Professor Rodger was Treasurer.
Congratulations to the winners, participants, organisers and all involved.
For more information, visit: https://symposiumwaneuro.wordpress.com/.