NeuroSymposium is an inter-university initiative whose aim is to build an active community of young neuroscientists across Québec.
The purpose of NeuroSymposium is to allow young researchers in neuroscience from across Quebec to meet, discuss, exchange, and socialize in order to catalyze collaborations for more creative approaches to the biggest challenges in the field. Every year, this event gathers hundreds graduate students from all neuroscience research centers in the province to present their research to their peers and colleagues. The goal is to promote positive interactions between young neuroscientists that will lead to lasting collaborations and impactful research.
The committee, initially composed of five members, has increased in size to ensure the representativeness of each of the province’s universities. Together, we have developed an event that differs from the more conventional research days organized in our respective institutions. Our project is characterized by its inclusive nature and its willingness to stimulate discussion and reflection. It brings together people from different academic backgrounds who would not otherwise meet and creates a warm and friendly atmosphere for all to express themselves.
Our mandates are therefore to give the floor to as many students as possible and to create a space for discussion between the presenters and the audience. The symposium also hosts reflections that go beyond the four walls of a laboratory, to foster horizontal links between seemingly distant techniques, approaches or themes, but that have a lot to contribute to each other when you imagine everything that could unite them. We are now seeing inter-university collaborations emerging at all levels, preludes of projects that also go beyond the academic.
Every year, the event touches on a unique perspective to further our understanding of the field. We deeply believe that neuroscience can have many impacts on society. The fact that this discipline seeks to unravel the mysteries of the nervous system can certainly provide us with knowledge and a better understanding of our own actions that will have a beneficial impact on humanity.
