Dear ISN Secretariat: Andonis Pattakos,
Welcome to our May edition of What's on in ISN See our most recent news, explore award & grant opportunities,
gain access to conferences & meetings, and much more.
JNC Editorial Office
Meet the team! The
JNC Editorial Office would like to introduce the new Editorial
Coordinator (Sarah Ch’ng) and Digital & Social Media Coordinator
(Kim Kwan). Sarah and Kim are based in the Melbourne office recently
established at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
with the commencement of Andrew Lawrence as Editor-in-Chief. Sarah and
Kim will work alongside Laura Hausmann (our Managing Editor) whom many
of you will know, given her long-standing role and invaluable service to
the journal.
A little bit about Sarah: 
I
obtained my PhD in behavioural neuroscience from the University of
Melbourne in 2017. My doctoral thesis focused on the brain circuits at
the interface of stress and reward systems. I then worked as a post-doc
at the Florey from 2018–2020 researching the role of endogenous opioids
in salt appetite. During my stint as a post-doc, it became clear to me
that I was much happier thinking, reading, and writing about science
than I was pushing pipettes! Although I realised I did not want to
continue down the academic path, I still wished to remain intimately
connected with science. When the opening arose to apply for the JNC
Editorial Coordinator position, I knew that it would be the perfect
opportunity for me to channel my love for science in a different form. I
commenced this role in January 2021 and it has been a fascinating
experience so far learning about the world of science editing and
academic publishing. I am excited to enter this new venture and look
forward to serving the journal. In my free time, I enjoy making music
and going to the gym.
A little bit about Kim: 
I
am a mosaic of interests – a mental health advocate, QueersInScience
communications lead, previously an analytical chemist, and newly the
Digital & Social Media Coordinator for the Journal of
Neurochemistry/International Society for Neurochemistry. I finished my
Master of Science in 2017 at Bio21 Institute and Austin Health where I
developed phospholipid radiotracers for prostate cancer lipidomics
analyses. Three years at Metabolomics Australia followed, where I used
mass spectrometry to analyse metabolites and small molecules in
biological samples as a service for life science researchers. Joining
JNC/ISN in March 2021 makes me the newest recruit to the team, and I am
keen to see this community grow! I am also passionate about
promoting mental health in both academia and day-to-day life, and am
always up for grabbing a coffee or kicking a soccer ball around.
A little bit about Laura:
I
joined JNC/ISN in 2011 after completing a PhD in behavioural
neuroscience on the barn owl’s auditory system and sound localisation
behaviour, and an MBA in economics. I knew that I wanted to work in a
job that integrated science and management rather than stay in research.
When I got that chance as the position of JNC’s Editorial Coordinator
and later Managing Editor, I knew I had found my dream job. I have not
regretted the decision for one day since, and the new Melbourne team I
am now working with feels as much like family as the whole JNC/ISN
always has. After a decade, it is still exciting to take active part in a
traditional scientific journal’s strategic positioning in a highly
dynamic field. In my free time, I like to do renovation works or go for a
hike to balance out the screen work.
JNC Online Event
"Presynaptic Dysfunction and Disease Symposium"  Efficient
neurotransmission is dependent on the ability of the presynapse to
maintain neurotransmitter release, however aberrant presynaptic function
can also lead to pathogenic consequences and disease. In recent years,
mutations in the genes encoding many presynaptic proteins have been
implicated in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. This
symposium coincides with the release of the Journal of Neurochemistry
Special Issue, entitled Presynaptic Dysfunction and Disease and features
talks from the issue contributors. The symposium will discuss the
molecular mechanisms underlying the function of key presynaptic proteins
and their role in disease pathogenesis.
"I
am so glad to be one of the ISN/CAEN Return Home grant recipients for
the year 2020/21. After a 4-year postdoctoral training in Professor
Bruce Yankner's laboratory at Harvard Medical School, Boston, I returned
to Malaysia to an Associate Professor position with the Department of
Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti
Putra Malaysia. The grant will allow me to apply the concept of REST as
the master stress-regulator in neurodegeneration on a different disease
model, Down syndrome. I am currently using the grant to produce
preliminary evidence to prove that dysregulated REST in Down syndrome is
responsible for neurogenic-to-gliogenic shift seen during early
cell-fate determination. I hope the preliminary results would pave the
way to longer-term funding to study the role of REST in neuronal cell
fate determination in Down syndrome individuals!"
-Dr. Ling King Hwa, Malaysia - CAEN Awardee (October 2020)
Young Scientists Steering Committee (YSSC):
Routine – friend or enemy?
"Welcome
to the May newsletter article of the YSSC! It seems a bit strange to
talk about routine in times where it does not really exist for most of
us and daily life is still turned upside down. Maybe this is a good time
to bring it up, because some of us might miss our routine. The day in
day out, the go to the lab and the do the jobs. Well, in reality, more:
Wanting to start the jobs and then finding out that favourite colleague
forgot to make up more buffer they used up when you really need it. Oh
well, the joy of having multiple people in the lab at the same time. You
could complain loudly and someone would hear it! It might not lead to
improvement, but liberation for you in that very moment."
Journal of Neurochemistry (JNC):
LATEST HIGHLIGHTS If you are still not convinced why you should publish in JNC, you can find out more here.
1st ESN Virtual Conference - Full Programme "Future perspectives for European neurochemistry -
A young scientist conference"
Find here the Final programme
ISN-APSN MEETING IN KYOTO, JAPAN
AUGUST 28- SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 
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