News and Events

This unique symposium is a highlight of the College’s award-winning Brain Awareness Week, Monday, October 28 through Friday, November 1. It honors the legacy of the late Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Robert Glassman, who played a leading role in developing Lake Forest’s popular neuroscience major.

The symposium consists of a series of talks given by Lake Forest College faculty and alumni on October 31 and a poster session where Lake Forest students and alumni will present their original research on November 1.

On Thursday October 31, the following five short talks will be presented in the Tarble Room, Brown Hall on Middle Campus, from 7 to 9 p.m. A public reception will precede the event starting at 6:30 p.m.

• “‘Tranq-Dope,’ a Deadly Combination: Assessing the Behavioral and Pharmacological Impact of Combined Fentanyl and Xylazine”—Hannah Carlson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Lake Forest College
• “Development and Structure of Motor Control in Spinal Cord”—Saul Bello Rojas ’16, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Oregon Health Sciences University
• “Infected Brains and Pestilent Congregations in Shakespeare”—Catherine Reedy, PhD, Assistant Professor of English, Lake Forest College
• “Room for Dessert?: Sex Differences in the Brainstem Control of the ‘Dessert Stomachs’”—Sarah Applebey ’18, PhD Candidate in Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania

• “Molecular Scissors and Alzheimer’s Disease” —D. Blaine Moore, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Lake Forest College

On Friday November 1, the symposium’s research poster session will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in Calvin Durand Hall. It will feature 45 research posters of original student and alumni research conducted that they conducted at Lake Forest, Rosalind Franklin University, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, Rush University, Duke University, Washington University at St.Louis, the University of Pennsylvania, and more. Most of the students that present at Glassman each year eventually head for graduate studies.

Undergraduate research is a cornerstone experience at the college for our science students to best prepare for STEM careers. “For many students, Glassman is their first major scientific meeting and professional communication experience beyond the classroom. It helps them to prepare to present at larger external venues, including national and even international meetings, and helps build their edge,” notes Disque D. and Carol Gram Deane Professor of Biological Sciences and Chair of Neuroscience Shubhik DebBurman.The collaborative research at the symposium truly showcases the close mentoring relationship between our faculty and student that shapes skillsets and mindset of our science students for their future success, he added.

Perla Arias, a senior neuroscience major and two-time presenter at the Glassman, shares, “It’s a great opportunity to share my senior thesis with my peers and professors at the college. Interacting with them will allow to prepare for later in the semester when I will be defending my work. As I prepare to apply for graduate school, presenting my research at the symposium will also help develop my skills for future projects I will encounter.”

Kate Feist, a sophomore presenting at the Glassman for the first time, notes, “I am excited to present our work from the Richter Scholar Program to the Lake Forest College community. Being involved in research is challenging and engaging. I learned molecular genetics and gained skills in ways that are different from how I have learned in the classroom. I am continuing to be involved in undergraduate research because it is rewarding and is preparing me well for a future career in research.”

The Glassman Symposium and all Brain Awareness Week events are free and open to the public.

Related Links:

• Brain Awareness Week
• Explore the neuroscience program at Lake Forest College