For Immediate Release
June 21, 2012
Contacts: David Ottalini, 301 405 4076 or dottalin@umd.edu

Autism and Social Development Neuroscience Take Center Stage During First Summer Institute

WHAT:

The 2012 University of Maryland NACS Neuroimaging Summer Institute is an innovative, intensive program that brings the best young minds together with leading scientists to figure out new ways to tackle critical societal problems for the health of children - especially those with autism and other childhood psychiatric disorders.

WHEN:

Sunday, June 24 through Wednesday, June 27

WHERE:

Marriott Inn and Conference Center
3501 University Boulevard East
Hyattsville, MD 20783

See the Map

BACKGROUND:

The four-day institute features 42 of the best and brightest international scholars including 15 world-renowned speakers who will discuss how brain development impacts child and adolescent interaction with the social world as well as the role of social experience on brain development.

Faculty will discuss recent findings from studies of typical and atypical brain development, including children with anxiety and bipolar disorder, and neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism. Distinguished University Professor of Human Development Nathan Fox organized the Summer Institute along with Psychology Professor Elizabeth Redcay.

Fox points to sessions specifically targeting cutting-edge neuroscience methods for observing the developing brain in pediatric psychiatric disorders including a whole day on the neuroscience of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

MNC Summer Institute Topics include:

• Neuroimaging studies of social and emotional development;
• Childhood psychiatric disorders (bipolar, anxiety);
• Neurodevelopment disorders (autism);
• Imaging methods (resting state, pattern analysis, DTI), particularly with pediatric populations.
  
  Please see the Institute Flyer (pdf) and Sessions at a Glance (pdf) for more information.
  

  The MNC Summer Institute is a premier learning opportunity for future leaders in the field, targeting graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young faculty. 42 fellowships were awarded to the most promising and talented national and international scholars. The center brings together an array of state-of-the-art tools for observing the human brain in action, fostering collaboration among neuroscientists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, engineers, and physicists.

  The Maryland Neuroimaging Center is an initiative of the University of Maryland's interdepartmental Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program and is available to researchers from the University of Maryland and other regional centers.
  

SPONSORS

Sponsors of the Summer Institute include Janssen, a division of Johnson & Johnson and Siemens Corporation.

MEDIA:

Media coverage is welcome. Parking is available at the Inn and Conference Center. Please contact MNC Manager Judi Gorski (below) if you plan to attend.

CONTACT:

For more information, contact:

Judi Gorski
Manager
Maryland Neuroimaging Center
301-405-2975

Maryland Neuroimaging Center Summer Institute Resources

Maryland Neuroimaging Center Website
Neuroscience and Cognative Science Program Website

Summer Institute Flyer (pdf)
Summer Institute Sessions at a Glance (pdf)

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About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, Maryland is ranked No. 18 among public universities by U.S. News & World Report, has 32 academic programs in the U.S News Top 10 and 73 in the Top 25. The Institute of Higher Education (Jiao Tong University, Shanghai), which ranks the world's top universities based on research, puts Maryland at No. 36 in the world and No. 12 among U.S. public universities. The university has produced six Nobel laureates, seven Pulitzer Prize winners, more than 40 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The university is recognized for its diversity, with underrepresented students comprising one-third of the student population. For more information about the University of Maryland, visit www.umd.edu.

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