
Registration is open!
About the Symposium
The 2025 Big 10 Neuroscience Symposium will be the fourth annual meeting to be held by the neuroscience community in the Big 10 Academic Alliance. The Big 10 neuroscience community aims to showcase the diverse, cutting edge neuroscience research being conducted by researchers at Big 10 institutes and to facilitate an ongoing, supportive, diverse and intimate environment to promote neuroscience research for researchers within this community and at all career stages. The overarching theme for next year’s meeting will be “WE ARE Building Flourishing Brains” and the meeting will include presentations across five core topics (i.e., Psychopathology, Neurodevelopment & Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neurological Disorders & Diseases, Neuroscience Methods, Neuromodulation & Other Neuro-Informed Interventions) and that align with the notion of promoting a healthy nervous system, across the lifespan. The meeting will adopt a translational neuroscience perspective (bench-to-bedside) to understanding the normative and non-normative development of the nervous system and the application of this knowledge to the reduction of the burden of neurological disease and the promotion of healthy brain development at all stages of life.
Registration is open! Register for the Big10 Neuroscience Annual Meeting here.
please register by June 1 for the following rates:
Student (undergraduate, graduate, medical, or post-doctoral fellow): $50
Faculty: $150
Industry: $400
Abstract submission is open!
Abstract submission opened January 15th, 2025. Proposals will be accepted until April 15th, 2025
Abstracts can be submitted here
You may select to be considered for an oral presentation.

Co-Chairs:
Patrick Randall, PhD Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, and Pharmacology
Emma Rose, PhD Assistant Teaching Professor, Psychology; Co-Director, Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center
Committee:
Janine Kwapis, PhD Director, Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders, Assistant Professor of Biology
Nina Lauharatanahirun, PhD Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biobehavioral Health
Anirban Paul, PhD Assistant Professor of Neural & Behavioral Sciences
Grayson Sipe, PhD Assistant Professor of Biology
Yang Yang, PhD Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Daniela Zarnescu, PhD Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Student and postdoctoral representatives:
G. Vinodh Kumar, PhD Postdoctoral Scholar, Neurology; Sathian Lab
Laurel Seemiller, PhD Postdoctoral Scholar, Biology; Crowley Lab
Rachel Kang Graduate Student, Biomedical Sciences; Proctor Lab
Day 1
- Registration & Breakfast (provided)
- Poster Session #1
- Opening Remarks
- Session 1
- Lunch (provided)
- Session 2
- Session 3
- Reception
Day 2
- Breakfast (provided)
- Poster Session #2
- Session 4
- Lunch (provided)
- Session 5
- Awards and closing remarks

Travel Tips
The Symposium's main events will be on the Penn State University - University Park Campus at the Nittany Lion Inn. Attendees should plan on arriving Sunday, July 20th in order to attend two full days of events.
Rooms have been blocked at The Nittany Lion Inn
Reservation code: BTNR25A
$129+tax per night
200 W Park Ave, State College, PA 16803
814-863-5000
Booking Link: http://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=4485911&hotelID=9877652
Deadline: Reservations must be made by June 19, 2025.
Commonly, travelers opt to fly into University Park Airport (SCE) in State College. This airport directly connects to Chicago O'hare (ORD), Philadelphia International (PHL), and Newark Liberty (EWR).
Airports such as Harrisburg International (MDT), Pittsburgh International (PIT), and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) are located 1-4 hours from State College by car.
In addition to staying at the Nittany Lion Inn, the following hotel options are within a short walk or drive. Parking is available near the conference site:
- Explore the natural beauty of Central Pennsylvania through many nearby hiking trails.
- Visit one of Penn State's museums, such as the Frost Entomological Museum, the Matson Museum of Anthropology, and the Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery.
- Catch a local concert or movie screening at The State Theatre.
- Visit the Berkey Creamery.
- Drive to visit big cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Thank you to our Symposium Sponsors



Penn State sponsors
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Penn State College of Medicine
- Social Sciences Research Institute
- Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center
Interested in sponsoring the symposium? Contact Nikki Crowley and Corinna Fisher to learn about opportunities