Past Conferences
See media from our past three conferences!
The Brain and Stress
Our third conference's theme on February 2nd, 2025 was centered around "The Brain and Stress." Students heard from speakers discussing the role of adversity, trauma, and stress in childhood and adolescent development and participated in hands-on neuroanatomy workshops.
Third Conference Speakers
Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience
Dr. Nagel is a clinically trained pediatric neuropsychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University, where she serves as the Senior Associate Vice President for Research, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry, and directs the Developmental Brain Imaging Laboratory. Dr. Nagel's lab has been conducting longitudinal neuroimaging studies for over 15 years, with aims toward identifying neurobiological markers of risk and resilience for psychopathology, including addiction and depression, and hopes of ultimately informing more targeted intervention and prevention efforts. She is a Principal Investigator on several federally-funded National multi-site projects toward that end, including the National Consortium on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD).
Dr. Seghete is a clinically trained psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health and substance use, with a translational approach aimed at developing preventive interventions. As the Director of the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, she integrates neurobiological methods to study cognitive and emotional brain processes that influence treatment outcomes. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of childhood adversity and trauma across the lifespan and refining interventions for at-risk populations in prenatal care settings. Dr. Seghete’s work spans from basic clinical science to applied interventions, with a goal of improving care for individuals facing perinatal mental health challenges and substance use.
Associate Professor of Society and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Neuroanatomy
Workshops
The Brain & Aging
Our second conference's theme on October 15th, 2022 was centered around "The Brain and Aging." Students heard from speakers surrounding the topics of adolescent development and neurodegenerative disorders in old age. Portland-based nonprofit, NW Noggin, brought human brains and neuroscience-themed art projects students could interact with!
Second Conference Speakers
Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience
Professor of Neurology
Dr. Nagel is a clinically trained pediatric neuropsychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University, where she serves as the Senior Associate Vice President for Research, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry, and directs the Developmental Brain Imaging Laboratory. Dr. Nagel's lab has been conducting longitudinal neuroimaging studies for over 15 years, with aims toward identifying neurobiological markers of risk and resilience for psychopathology, including addiction and depression, and hopes of ultimately informing more targeted intervention and prevention efforts. She is a Principal Investigator on several federally-funded National multi-site projects toward that end, including the National Consortium on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD).
Dr. Quinn is a neurologist at Oregon Health and Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center, specializing in cognitive disorders and movement disorders. He is a director of the OHSU Parkinson’s Center and director of the Northwest VA Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Care Center (PADRECC). He has also serves as Biomarker Core Director for the Oregon Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Dr. Quinn spends about 30% of his time on clinical practice and much of the remaining time on research activities. Dr. Quinn's overall research focus is on developing strategies for treating and preventing cognitive decline and dementia in individuals at risk, including patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Specific research projects range from animal studies testing experimental treatment strategies, to clinical studies evaluating “biomarkers” and experimental treatments.
2nd Conference
Media
Neurotechnology
Our first conference was on June 5th, 2022, located at Oregon Episcopal School. Students heard from speakers about how technology intersects with neuroscience research, including topics such as optogenetics and nanotechnology.
First Conference Speakers
Dr. James Murray joined the University of Oregon in 2020, where he is an assistant professor in the departments of Biology and Mathematics as well as a member of the Institute of Neuroscience. Before coming to Oregon, he was a postdoctoral research scientist in the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University. Following undergraduate study at Montana State University, he obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from Johns Hopkins University, where his research interests involved condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, and quantum phase transitions. His current research interests focus on the neural implementations of learning and motor control in cortical and subcortical brain circuits.
Dr. Cristopher Niell received his B.S. in physics at Stanford University, doing research in single-molecule biophysics with Dr. Steven Chu. He then remained at Stanford to obtain his PhD with Dr. Stephen Smith, studying the development and function of the zebrafish visual system. He then moved to UCSF to perform post-doctoral study with Dr. Michael Stryker, where he initiated studies of visual processing and behavioral state in the mouse cortex. He established his lab at University of Oregon in 2011, where he is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Institute of Neuroscience. His lab uses a combination of neural recording and imaging methods, operant and ethological behaviors, and computational analysis to study the neural circuits that underlie visually guided behavior and perception.
Dr. Tania Vu is an associate professor of bioengineering in OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute and Principal Investigator in the Vu Lab, which focuses on the research of imaging probe technology to measure cellular signaling activity with single molecule/single cell level sensitivity.
Sightings at our first conference!
