Conference: 2024 International Congress for Neuroethology in Berlin

This project supports primarily young investigators from the USA, such as graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and assistant professors, to attend the 15th International Congress of Neuroethology (ICN) in Berlin, Germany, in July, 2024. The ICN is the official meeting of the International Society for Neuroethology. Neuroethology is a branch of neuroscience focused on the neural mechanisms underlying natural behavior. Research in this multidisciplinary field seeks to bridge the gap between neural mechanisms and behavior in the context of evolutionary processes. The complexity of this task necessitates combining various levels of analysis, from molecular and genetic to computational, across invertebrate and vertebrate species. By emphasizing comparisons between behavioral adaptations and neural mechanisms across species, neuroethologists can exploit natural solutions to biological problems to investigate the brain–behavior relationship. This comparative approach facilitates the identification of common brain organization principles as well as detection mechanisms that enhance behavioral performance, which can subsequently be implemented computationally or technologically. The inclusive scientific nature of neuroethology and the relatively small size of the ICN provide a unique opportunity for cross-fertilization among different research approaches that are often viewed as separate realms at large conferences. In addition, neuroethology is an ideal discipline for identifying animal models with specializations that may facilitate future scientific breakthroughs. This is the first time since a highly successful meeting in 1989 that the ICN will take place in Berlin, Germany. To ensure that the ICN is successful, the Local Organizing Committee has secured the Henry Ford Building, belonging to the Freie Universität Berlin, which has a large lecture hall and ample additional space that is suitable for this meeting. The Program Committee, which consists of a diverse team of researchers, is committed to promoting the unique neuroethological approach and the highly interactive and diverse nature of the International Society for Neuroethology. As the major scientific meeting of this Society, the ICN provides a critical venue for international students and scientists at different professional ranks to meet informally and discuss research, theory, and techniques in neuroethology. Its comparative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative focus makes the ICN an essential scientific platform for sharing novel insights into brain function and behavior across the animal kingdom. Previous neuroethological research has been integral for fundamental discoveries in neuroscience and revolutionary technologies. The main goal of this meeting is to disseminate and discuss new scientific ideas and data in the field of neuroethology. The conference program promotes this theme through plenary sessions, symposia, poster sessions, and workshops. This project is funded jointly by the Behavioral and the Neural Systems Clusters in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems of the Directorate for Biological Sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.