mGluRs (Midwest Great Lakes Undergraduate Research Symposium in Neuroscience) is a conference that specifically aims to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to present summer research projects and, for some, to prepare for the Annual SfN meeting. The conference usually also typically entails a keynote speaker, an undergraduate research poster session, a career panel, other professional development opportunities, and a chance to meet and talk to graduate school representatives.

We are excited to announce that registration and abstract submission are now open for the 16th Annual mGluRs, which will be held on November 2nd at Oberlin College!

Our keynote speaker this year is Dr. Anna Radke of Miami University whose research investigates motivational brain circuits in rodent models of addiction. Her talk is entitled “Identifying subpopulations of striatal neurons that influence consumption of alcohol despite negative consequences“. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to present their novel research either as an oral talk or during the poster session and network with representatives from regional graduate programs. There will also be workshops geared towards students and faculty at the end of the day.  

Please follow this link to register! Registration is $40 and will include all meals. Online registration will be open until October 28th, after which registration will be available onsite the day of the conference. All attendees should register using this link or the QR code on the left side of the flyer below.

Poster and oral presentations can present finished research, research in progress, or a plan for upcoming research. If your student is interested in presenting their research at mGluRs, please encourage them to submit an abstract! Abstract submission will be open until October 21st. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and include (1) Description of the background of the project, (2) the research question, (3) the experimental methods/methodology used, and (4) preliminary results and conclusions. Abstracts should be submitted here or through the QR code on the flyer below. Remember, that all presenters must also register for the conference.

Lastly, if your institution has a graduate or other special program, please consider requesting that they sponsor mGluRs and send representatives to talk to students. We request sponsors contribute $350 which goes towards compensating our guest panels and speakers and keeping cost low for all participants. Sponsors can contribute to the conference using the registration link. Questions/sponsorship requests can be sent to majohnso@oberlin.edu. Please also send this message to any of your colleagues who you think would like to attend and/or have students who would benefit from attending and/or presenting. 

If there are any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the members of the planning committee, Dr. Michelle Johnson (majohnso@oberlin.edu), Dr. Christopher Howard (choward@oberlin.edu) and Dr. Tracie Paine (tpaine@oberlin.edu).  

See Parking and Accommodations Information Here: https://mglurs.org/parking-and-accommodations/