Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience Research Symposium

Keynote Speaker at the 15th Annual Research Symposium of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience

Gwenn Garden

Dr. Garden will speak about:
Discovering how Microglia Function influences Alzheimer's Disease Pathology


Friday, November 21 at 4:30-5:30 pm
Pennington Health Sciences Building
Auditorium 103

Dr. Gwenn Garden is the H. Houston Merritt Distinguished Professor and Chair of the
Department of Neurology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine.
She also serves as co-director of the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr.
Garden joined UNC in 2019 after serving as the Vice Chair for Education in the Department
of Neurology, University of Washington. She is an active clinician providing inpatient care
and neurological consultations at UNC Hospital where her clinical interests focus on
neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and dementia.

Dr. Garden completed her undergraduate education at Northwestern University and
received her MD and PhD in Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington.
Following residency training and a research fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and the Harvard Longwood Neurology Training Program, Dr. Garden joined the
faculty at the University of Washington in 2000 and as the Vice Chair of Education from
2013 to 2019. Dr. Garden’s research aim is to elucidate the cellular interactions that occur
between immune and neural cells in the setting of ischemia, trauma, seizures, and
neurodegenerative diseases. Her laboratory has earned significant NIH funding and
produced an extensive bibliography of publications in top journals.

We are honored to have Dr. Garden present the keynote lecture at the 15th Annual
Research Symposium of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.

Symposium agenda

  • 12:30–1:00 p.m.: Posters in the Atrium 
  • 1:00–1:30 p.m.: Theresa McKim, PhD (Biology, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Mapping the Neurosecretory Connectome in Drosophila: Hormonal Control of Physiology and Behavior
  • 1:30–2:00 p.m.: Nicholas Murray, PhD (School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Using Eye and Head Movements during the Vestibular/Ocular Motor-Screening in Virtual Reality to Predict Concussion Diagnosis
  • 2:00–2:30 p.m.: Maryam Raeeszadeh-Sarmazdeh, PhD (Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Engineering Proteins with Effects on the Blood-Brain Barrier
  • 2:30-3:15 p.m.: Posters & Refreshments
  • 3:15–3:30 p.m.: Amy Altick, PhD (Treasurer/Secretary of the SNC-SfN, Biology, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Business Meeting and State of our Chapter
  • 3:30–4:00 p.m.: David Feil-Seifer, PhD (Computer Science & Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Robotics for Humanity: How we can Design Robots to Help People
  • 4:00–4:30 p.m.: Justin Legleiter, PhD (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CABNR, University of Nevada, Reno)
    • Protein Aggregation at Membrane Interfaces: Implications for Neurodegeneration
  • 4:30–5:30 p.m.: Keynote Speaker: Gwenn A. Garden, MD, PhD (Chair of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
    • Discovering how Microglia Function influences Alzheimer's Disease Pathology

Symposium and Keynote Speaker sponsored by a generous donation from the Budhecha Family Trust

Mission Statement

The Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (SNC-SfN) was formed in 2008 by neuroscientists in Nevada. Our interest is to advance the understanding of the nervous system and to promote education in the neurosciences. Neuroscientists in Nevada have diverse backgrounds ranging from molecular biology to behavior to clinical specialties. This chapter brings them together by hosting local meetings, facilitating attendance at the annual international Society for Neuroscience meeting, and organizing local educational public outreach activities. Membership is open to all
neuroscientists and those with an interest in neuroscience residing in Nevada and in the geographical region of the Sierra Nevada. The chapter is an educational, non-profit
organization that is supported by membership dues and local sponsors. It is formally chartered by the Society for Neuroscience. The Sierra Nevada Chapter does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, in any of its activities or operations.

With the rapid expansion of neuroscience at UNR in the last decade, our chapter's focus is now primarily on educational outreach, such as brain awareness week, supporting schools' science fair or brain bee projects, and helping to foster interest in and communicate the diverse neuroscience activities at UNR to a wider audience.

Our chapter’s website will be transitioning to UNR’s Institute of Neuroscience (https://www.unr.edu/neuroscience).

How to join

Send an email to Dr. Amy Altick (aaltick@unr.edu) to be added to our mailing list. Dr. Altick is the Secretary/Treasurer of the SNCSfN.

If you want to present a poster at the Annual Symposium on November 21, 2025:

Send an email to Dr. Christopher von Bertheld (cvonbartheld@med.unr.edu) with the title and a list of all authors. Dr. von Bartheld is the Founder and current President of the SNCSfN.