FROM THE DIRECTOR

I amoften struck by the central and often outsized role that simple geography can play in the scientific enterprise, and here at the University of Rochester, we are blessed with excellent geography. What’s he talking about, I hear you ask? Well, I am referring to the fact that absent a full-scale blizzard, we are all within easy walking distance of each other. That our Neuroscience community on the River Campus is just across the road from the Neuroscience community at the Medical Center.

It matters, and it matters a lot. Having been at institutions in New York City in my early career, where undergraduate, graduate, and medical school campuses were often flung across the five boroughs, collaboration between folks was next to impossible. So much of what we do depends on personal contact, the quick chat after a seminar, a cup of coffee, and a culture of friendship and collaboration. Thankfully, in the wake of COVID, we are back to interacting personally, and the remarkable collaborative spirit that marks the University apart is back in full swing. At the heart of this great institution is its people and their willingness to lift each other up. This collaborative environment has a major impact on our research. In these pages, we feature one such group. The Hearing and Balance Collective is a superb example of how a concerted effort, helped in no small part by our University Medical Center geography, has afforded investigators across our campuses the opportunity to transform science (pg 2).

I’d also like to call out another successful series of NEUROYES speakers. This Neuroscience Diversity Commission series is in its third season. It brings postdoctoral fellows from across the country to Rochester to present their research, give chalk talks, and meet with faculty and students. This program, designed with inclusivity in mind, elevates early career investigators and allows them to practice and receive feedback on skills they will likely use to interview for a future faculty position. NEUROYES is also supported by Neuroscience and the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Departments.

It has been a month, and I am still energized by our Batten Disease Research Day, hosted by the University of Rochester Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (UR-IDDRC) and the University of Rochester Batten Center (URBC). Being able to spend the day sharing science, asking each other questions, and getting real-time feedback and input from families on the frontlines of this wicked disease is how I believe we will truly make the biggest impact on a rare disease that could also shed light on many other neurodevelopmental disorders.

With a dozen new Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience pilot program grants on their way to investigators, a new group of Neuroscience Graduate Program trainees in the wings, and discoveries forthcoming, we have much to be grateful for and much to look forward to.

In Science,

John J. Foxe, PhD