Meeting new people and learning new science
R4N organized an Autumn School Workshop from the 16th to 18th October 2024.
The workshop brought together attendees with expertise from different disciplines and at different career stages, from early career researchers to academics, each contributing with their own perspectives and experiences. This was a great opportunity for discussions and collaborative learning, creating a rich interdisciplinary environment.
After successful applications, 40 ECRs were invited to join one of three training streams: 1) Qualitative research led by Dr Felicity Sedgewick and Sarah Douglas,2) Trajectory modelling led by Prof Andrew Pickles and Dr Virginia Carter Leno, or 3) MRI methodology and connectivity analyses led by Dr Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh and Dr Tomoki Arichi. In addition to the training streams, the workshop included 3 plenary sessions, a career development session, and networking opportunities for the attendees. The workshop was held in Cumberland Lodge set in the grounds of Windsor Park, with its vibrant autumnal colours ,this venue was the perfect setting to stimulate discussions from Neuroscience to the history of English traditions and the mapping of connectomes across the brain.
The event started with a delicious welcoming lunch on arrival. The Respect 4 Neurodevelopment network lead Professor Eva Loth kicked-off the workshop with a reminder of the aims of the network. Then it was time to split up and go to the allocated training streams. Sessions were a mix of teachings style sessions, alternated with more interactive hands-on sessions. A relaxed but inspiring atmosphere was created with plenty of caffeine and sweets for sugar lovers. The late afternoon was spent with a tour of the house by a local historian, a welcome break from thinking about neuroscience and an opportunity to network. Two days of superb training led by leaders in their field, broken up by glorious meals, lots of chatting and meanders around the great park.
The Qualitative Research Stream grappled with the strengths and weaknesses of different qualitative approaches, when to best use them, how to approach and apply them to data. The MRI methodology and connectivity stream delved into the physics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the theory of MRI analyses such as anatomical structures and brain function, while describing how techniques such as fMRI and DTI can be implemented to study early brain development, followed by practical sessions. Meanwhile, the developmental trajectory modelling stream was hard at work implementing models in the statistical application Mplus and interpreting results from standard structural equation modeling (SEMs data analysis) based on detailed teachings from the day.
Picture above: Dr Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh’s plenary session.
The plenary sessions were given by core members of R4N network. Professor Tomoki Arichi, a lead PI on the network, gave a fantastic first plenary session on “Exploring early brain development with advanced MRI methods” at the end of our first day. He guided us through why it is important to study the prenatal brain, and demonstrated how fast the brain grows prenatally (illustrating this as a critical period). This was accompanied by a rich array of brain scanning images and explanations of advanced MRI techniques and connectome mapping.
Dr Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh, the co-chair of the Reliability Working Group in the network for MRI & fMRI, gave the next plenary talk on Thursday. He outlined the challenges of establishing “Reliable Neurotechnologies” in the field of infants and children, with specific emphasis from his own work on epilepsy and the brain and how these could potentially be addressed.
Friday’s plenary session was led by Professor Emily Jones and entitled “Using new tools and methods to uncover developmental paths to neurodevelopmental conditions”. At the start of her talk, she outlined the importance of understanding developmental pathways and variability in neurodivergent communities in terms of a neuroconstructive approach and environmental influences. She emphasised the importance of inclusivity in the language used in such research. Emily’s talk furthermore highlighted the importance of child directed learning, enabling identification of adaptive versus maladaptive pathways early in development and how we can build on this using individualized approaches.
The workshop concluded with an early career development session focused on CV improvement led by Dr Nick Puts. Dr Puts provided tips on creating a compelling CV, from structure and content to tone and presentation. He also discussed the different forms of CV for academia and industry. He clearly highlighted the do’s and don’ts and presented a lot of funny but real scenarios.
The autumn workshop came to a close with our final goodbyes to old and new connections made over during lunch, dinner and umpteen tea and coffee breaks. It was a great space not just for learning but milling over research ideas and sharing experiences.
Above picture: The final dinner -Lots of new acquaintances made while dinning and chatting.
Here are some comments received from reflecting on the retreat:
“The topics were very relevant, and the speakers were engaging and friendly in their presentation”. (taken from participant feedback survey)
“I really liked our speakers, the team they form is amazing, they explained really well, even for me who didn’t have the background expected, I really feel like I understood the subject, and I really enjoyed that.” (Attendee from the Qualitative stream)
“The workshop made my understanding of the fundamental aspects of advanced MRI techniques, such as fMRI and DTI, deeper and gave me the opportunity to engage in discussions about possible future improvements and current limitations of these techniques. Engaging with people from diverse academic backgrounds, understanding their needs, and viewing things from their perspectives was an invaluable experience. It has added great value to my daily research, enabling me to approach biomedical data from a more “human” perspective.” (Attendee from the MRI connectivity stream)
“I liked the expertise and support offered by the teachers.” (Attendee from the Developmental trajectory modelling stream)
“The thorough preparation, the good communication in advance, the test data sets and the practical examples” (Another attendee from the Developmental trajectory modelling)
“It was absolutely fantastic, thanks for the opportunity!” (overall comment)
We also deeply value the participants’ perspectives for areas of improvement, as they highlight opportunities for a more engaging and enriching experience in our future events. Suggestions from members included events on PPI and co-creation from project proposal to publication, repetitions of the training streams so ECRs can get training in the other streams they haven’t attended, and more workshops on statistical approaches of longitudinal analyses.
Written by Liz Burchell, Eirini Papageorgop and Rianne Haartsen