Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops

To attend any of these workshops, please first login to your EDRS account. If you are already registered for the meeting, select "Conference Registration" on the account home page. Next, select "Edit" next to your registration. Scroll down to select the workshop you wish to attend. Once you select your preferred workshop, scroll down to the bottom of the page for payment options. If you have not registered for the meeting, you can add the workshops when you are registering.


Computational Modeling for Use in Understanding Behavioral Data

Instructor: David Redish, PhD, University of Minnesota

Cost: $50.00
Participants: Maximum of 40 participants

Friday, September 6th - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Dr. Redish will lead a workshop on two computational neuroscience paradigms that are particularly useful for understanding behavioral data: reinforcement-learning models, in which an agent learns to maximize reward by identifying actions that are reinforcing, and race-to-threshold models, in which decisions are made by integrating information gathered from the world.  Both of these models have strong neurophysiological evidence supporting them - reinforcement learning models appear to be a good explanation for motivation-based actions/decisions while race-to-threshold models appear to be good explanations for sensory categorization. I will discuss the mathematics underlying these two theories and I will discuss how to apply fitting techniques so as to determine their parameters from behavioral data. (The workshop will be presented at a level that does not require a prior understanding of mathematics.)  The workshop will include concrete examples drawn from the literature.

*Please note that a laptop and a Google account is required for this workshop. The workshop room will not be wired for power, so please make sure your laptop is charged.


Early Career Workshop I: The Art of Grant Writing: Beyond the Science

Instructors: Andrea Kass Graham, PhD and Neil Jordan, PhD, Northwestern University,

Cost: $25.00
Participants: Maximum of 50 participants

Friday, September 6th - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

The purpose of this workshop is to provide early-career attendees with insights and strategies to improve their grant writing skills and the successful submission of grant applications. Though the primary goal of grant applications is to communicate plans to tackle a pressing scientific research question, there are many nuances, beyond the scientific content, that can enhance the success of an application and how the research proposal is “marketed” to reviewers. This early-career workshop will focus on the “art of grant writing,” with insights from two faculty on their experiences applying for, receiving, and reviewing grant applications. First, Dr. Andrea Graham will discuss strategies for grant writing. Topics will include ideal factors to highlight in the grant (e.g., strengths of the team and environment, relevance to funding agency priorities, closing summaries); creative ways to provide preliminary data; strategies for securing a top-notch investigative team (and aspects to “sell” in the application and letters of support); best practices for getting others to review your application; and how to leverage other successful grants as examples for your application. She also will discuss recommendations for formatting/layout and time-management strategies for compiling the full application. Then, Dr. Neil Jordan will share insights from a reviewer’s perspective on successful grant applications, including a focus on how to interpret what reviewers “really mean” in comments from summary statements.


Early Career Workshop II: The Art of Scientific Reviewing: How to Boost your Research Career from the Other Side of the Table

Instructors:
Ruth Striegel Weissman, Dipl Psych, PhD, Montana State University
Debra L. Franko, PhD, Northeastern University
Phillipa Hay, PhD, Western Sydney University

Cost: $25.00
Participants: Maximum of 50 participants

Friday, September 6th - 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM

This workshop will offer early-career attendees perspectives and strategies to improve their scientific reviewing skills. Complementing (but not overlapping with) the early-career workshop on the “art of grant writing,” this workshop takes as its point of departure that serving in a reviewer capacity affords important career benefits. Led by three faculty members with extensive experience on grant review panels, journal boards, and senior academic administration positions, we will discuss strategies for becoming an effective grant- or journal manuscript reviewer; securing an invitation to serve on grant review panels and editorial boards; and maximizing the career benefits from such service to the scientific community. Topics will include key elements of an effective review; best practices for handling disagreements (between authors and reviewers; among reviewers on a grant review panel); balancing the time commitments to reviewing with other obligations; and ethical principles in reviewing. The workshop will conclude with a discussion period with the audience to address specific questions about career development and scientific reviewing.