Neuroscience Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Association (NPGA)

SoN Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Association

We are a graduate student and postdoctoral trainee group from the School of Neuroscience (SoN), dedicated to facilitating the professional and scientific development of neuroscience graduate students and postdoctoral associates.

Officers:

Activities, including schedule of open meetings:

  •  Monthly seminar series: Hear about ongoing Neuroscience research through our informal seminar series with graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and SoN faculty members.
  •  Neuroscience Trainee Lab Meeting: Monthly “lab meetings” for trainees only, where we get to troubleshoot an experiment/analysis/research idea with fellow graduate students and postdocs.
  • NPGA General Assembly meetings: Held 3 times / semester, here we meet for updates on event/seminar planning and a trainee-chosen “Hot Topic”

For the schedule of  Neuroscience-related events and seminars, please see our Calendar!

Want to get more involved?

 
Our Committees are a great avenue! Email the Committee Chairs below
  • Budget - This committee works to find funding sources for career development (and social) events and assists the Treasurer with other budget related tasks. Chair: Matt Glover
  • Events - This committee works to organize different types of socials that NPGA hosts/co-hosts and organizes event logistics. Chair: Earl Gilbert
  • Speaker Recruitment - This committee networks within the SoN and affiliated labs to help organize speakers for the SoN monthly seminar and the annual SoN symposium. This committee will also coordinate recruitment of outside speakers and their trainee-oriented visit time (lunches, meetings). They will assist SoN (or affiliated) sponsored events hosted by faculty through connecting appropriate trainees during their visit time. They will be in charge of the full schedule of speakers recruited by NPGA. Chair: Keaton Unroe
  • Resources - This committee organizes and reviews resources (career development, grant writing, scientific writing, how to survive grad school or a postdoc) and create a resource hub for all NPGA trainees to access. They work to learn more about the programs that are available at VT and notify Neuroscience trainees of seminars and workshops of interest. They also approach other VT groups or programs to for creating collaborations. Chair: AnnaLin Woo
  • Outreach - This committee works to organize different student outreach programs. This includes opportunities for mentor/mentee programs (faculty/trainee, trainee/trainee, trainee/undergraduates) and programs for general community and  younger demographics (such as middle/elementary schools). Chair: Jen Rainville