We look forward to seeing everyone in beautiful Newport, RI on June 10th and 11th for the 2024 McGovern Institute Retreat!
The theme of the 2024 retreat is Networking. A broad range of programming is designed to encourage communication and collaboration across labs, provide professional development opportunities, and promote a fun and relaxing atmosphere for all.
The McGovern Institute retreat is for registered participants only. Registration is now closed and the retreat has reached capacity. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email Sarah Frank at sarahf22@mit.edu.
This page will be updated leading up to and during the 2024 retreat. Please check back here for the most up-to-date information.
Questions?
Administrative Contact – All McGovern HQ staff have green ribbons on their name tags. Ask us anything! If you can’t find us, email: Sarah Frank – Events Coordinator, sarahf22@mit.edu
Retreat Schedule
MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2024
| 10:30 am | REGISTRATION, Convention Registration Desk Pick up name-tag, program, t-shirt, and BINGO card Drop luggage in Columbia Room |
| 11:00 am | BRUNCH, Salon 1 & 2 |
| 12:00 pm | WELCOMING REMARKS, Salon 3 & 4 Robert Desimone – Director, McGovern Institute Julie Pryor – Communications Director, McGovern Institute |
| 12:15 pm | McGOVERN FACULTY LIGHTNING TALKS, Salon 3 & 4
Moderator: Jill Crittenden, Scientific Advisor, McGovern Institute |
| 1:10 pm | 3 MINUTE THESIS (3MT) COMPETITION, Salon 3 & 4
HALIE OLSON – Postdoc, Saxe & Fedorenko Labs Faculty Judges: Ed Boyden, Mehrdad Jazayeri, Nancy Kanwisher, Josh McDermott, & Fan Wang |
| 2:10 pm | GROUP PHOTO & COFFEE BREAK Group photo in the Atrium – be sure to wear your retreat t-shirt! Followed by coffee and snacks in the South Foyer |
| 2:30 pm | FREE TIME See details below |
| 4:00 pm | ROOMS AVAILABLE FOR CHECK-IN |
| 5:30 pm | RECEPTION | POSTER SESSION | INDUSTRY PANELISTS Poster session and reception in Atrium. Tuesday’s industry career panelists available for discussion in adjacent Martini room |
| 7:00 pm | LOBSTER BOIL DINNER, Salon 1 & 2 |
| 9:00 pm | DANCE PARTY, Salon 3 & 4 Wristbands required for entry. Party ends at 11:00pm. |
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2024
| 8:00 am – 10:00 am | BREAKFAST, Salon 1 & 2 |
| 10:00 am | OPENING REMARKS, Salon 3 & 4 Julie Pryor – Communications Director, McGovern Institute |
| 10:10 am | 3MT COMPETITION (Pt 2), Salon 3 & 4
Faculty Judges: Ed Boyden, Mehdrdad Jazayeri, Nancy Kanwisher, Josh McDermott, & Fan Wang |
| 11:10 am | COFFEE BREAK, CHECK-OUT |
| 11:30 am | CAREER PANELS (Choose 1)
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| 12:30 pm | LUNCH, Atrium 3MT and BINGO award ceremony, closing remarks |
| 1:30 pm | DEPARTURE Last bus leaves the Marriott Hotel at 2:00 pm |
3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
We are so excited to host our first ever research slam modeled on the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition.
If you’re not familiar with the 3MT competition, here’s how it will work: 11 McGovern researchers (postdocs and grad students) across multiple McGovern labs will present their research at the retreat in three minutes or less with a single slide – no animation, videos or other props. The slam will happen in two sessions over two days, with half of the participants presenting on day one (June 10, 12-1pm) and the other half presenting on day two (June 11, 10-11am). The presentations are 3 minutes in length, and judges will have 5 minutes to ask questions before scoring each participant on a 5-point scale (5 being the highest) on each of the points listed below:
- Did the presenter convince you of the broad importance of a specific problem/question?
- Was the presenter able to clearly explain how they will solve the problem, without using complex jargon?
- Did the presenter clearly describe important possible outcomes of their work (either short-term or long-term or both)?
- Did the presenter adhere to the rules of the slam? (eg, did they finish their presentation in 3 minutes or less with a single slide containing no animations, videos or props?)
Scores will be tallied privately and the winners will be announced at lunch on Tuesday. The winner will receive $400 and the runner up will receive $300.
Don’t miss this exciting event!
Free Time Activities
- Sightsailing around Newport (pre-registration required)
Boat leaves at 3:00pm from Bowen’s Wharf and returns by 5:00pm. This event is currently sold out. Waitlist available.- Those who pre-registered for the boat cruise should meet in the Atrium at 2:20 pm on Monday June, 10 (after the group photo) to walk to Bowen Wharf together.
- Newport “Hop On Hop Off” Trolley (free)
Explore some of Newport’s most popular atttractions including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Cliff Walk, and First Beach. The trolley departs from the Marriott Hotel every thirty minutes. - Newport Mansion Tour (pre-registration required)
Tour the opulent and iconic Newport Mansions. Tickets are required for entry. This event is currently sold out. Waitlist available.- Those who pre-registered for mansion tours can pick up their tickets at the Convention Registration Desk after the 2:30pm group photo on Monday, June 10. The mansion tour is sold out. Waitlist available.
- Newport Cliff Walk (free)
Take the free trolley to Newport’s Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile path with views of the ocean and Gilded Age mansions. - Make Your Own Fun
- Explore the shops and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
- Challenge someone to a game of Pickleball or Spikeball.
- Solve the McGovern BINGO board for a prize. Instructions can be found on the back side of your BINGO card. Try to complete a line – or better yet, the entire board! Submit your completed BINGO cards to staff at the Convention Registration Desk by 11:30am on Tuesday, June 11 to be considered for prizes.
- Swim in the hotel pool.
- Work out at the hotel gym.
- Relax.
Poster Presenters
- COLTON CASTO, Fedorenko Lab & Kanwisher Lab
Neural populations in the language network differ in the size of their temporal receptive windows - LIYAM CHITAYAT, Boyden Lab
Synthetic cells models for endosymbiosis - CAMILLE CUNIN, Anikeeva Lab
Organic Iono-Electronic semiconductors for detection of neurotransmitters - ALEXANDRA DECKER, Gabrieli Lab
Striatal and behavioral responses to reward vary by socioeconomic status in adolescence - MICHAEL FERNANDEZ, Herr Lab
Learning biophysical models for neural control of prosthetic arms - JORIS GENTINETTA, Herr Lab
Phantom limb trajectory estimation for EMG based control - JARROD HICKS, McDermott Lab
Noise schemas aid hearing in noise - MAELLE JACQUEMETTAZ, Boyden Lab
Design of a stress sensor for high-throughput genetic screens in neurodegenerative diseases - MIAOMIAO JIN, Wang Lab
Identifying neural circuit correlates of pain anticipation and nocebo hyperalgesia using a novel behavioral paradigm in mouse - RYAN KAST, Feng Lab
Mulitmodal analysis reveals cellular diversity and divergent circuits of the zona incerta - DUNCAN LEE, Herr Lab
Comparison of prosthetic ankle-foot devices over different walking conditions - CAROLINE LIGE ZHANG, Boyden Lab
Tools for mapping the links between stimuli, affective states, and behavior through whole-brain imaging in zebrafish larvae - PEMA MARETICH, Anikeeva Lab
Stress and anxiety modulation using wireless optogenetics - JERRY NGO, DiCarlo Lab
Probing large vision language models with illusion and simple visual tasks - MARIA RAMOS GONZALEZ, Herr Lab
Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) Surgical amputation procedure in upper extremity amputees - RONALD R. RISO, Herr Lab
Micro-channel peripheral nerve interface for enhanced control and sensory feedback from powered prosthetic limbs - MARGARET SCHROEDER, Feng Lab
A transcriptomic atlas of astrocyte regional heterogeneity across developmental stages in mouse and marmoset brains - KYLE SEVERSON, Wang Lab
Encoding of full-body kinematics and actions in sensorimotor cortex of freely behaving mice - CHRISTOPHER SHALLAL, Herr Lab
Providing cutaneous feedback to those with lower limb amputations through a myoneural interface - GABRIEL STINE, Jazayeri Lab
Cerebellar-thalamic interactions during non-motor learning - YUDI XIE, DiCarlo Lab
Learning only a handful of latent variables produces neural-aligned CNN models of the ventral stream - HAORAN XU, Desimone Lab
Large scale ECoG recording during social scene watching and social behaviors in marmosets
Career Panels
Paths for PhDs and Postdocs
- ANDY BANBURSKI-FAHEY – Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research (former Poggio Lab postdoc)
- JENNA ARONSON – Principal, Two Bear Capital (former Boyden Lab postdoc)
- PATRICK TIERNEY – Scientific Director, Takeda (former Graybiel Lab postdoc)
- SASHA KROL – Research Scientist, Intellia Tx (former Feng Lab postdoc)
- JOSHUA PAK – Associate Scientist, Pfizer; Director of Strategy & Operations, Nucleate Boston
- Moderator: Shen Wang, Postdoc, Feng Lab; President, MIT Postdoc Association
Guidance for College Grads
- JASON LI – MIT ‘24 (BCS) attending Columbia’s Neurobiology and Behavior PhD program in the Fall
- AJANI STEWART – Grad student in McDermott lab studying neural and computational basis of hearing
- ZOE PEARCE – Research scholar in Wang lab pursuing an MD program at Harvard Medical School in the Fall
- OWEN KUNHARDT – Former Poggio Lab intern currently employed at YouTube as a software engineer
- NANCY KANWISHER – McGovern Investigator and grad/ postdoc mentor to many in the community
- Moderator: Claudia Valenzuela, Technical Associate & Manager, Desimone Lab
Transportation
Buses
Monday, June 10th Bus Departure from MIT to Newport Marriott:
- Location: Buses will depart on Monday, June 10th morning from the Vassar Street side of Building 46, across the street from the Stata Center. Please meet on the sidewalk in front of the BCS and Picower entrances, next to the Bluebikes.
- Time: Buses will arrive at 8:00 AM and depart as they are filled. The last bus departs at 8:30 AM. The bus will not wait for you; please arrive on time.
- The buses are full! If you did not receive an email from Sarah Frank confirming you have a seat on the bus, you will need to find other transportation!
Tuesday June 11th Bus Departure from Newport Marriott to MIT:
- Buses will depart from the Newport Marriott on Tuesday, June 11th afternoon beginning at 1:30 PM. The last bus departs at 2:00 PM.
Carpooling / Driving Separately
If you are driving yourself / others to the retreat, DO NOT VALET PARK AT THE HOTEL. You may park at the Gateway Visitors Lot located at 23 America’s Cup Ave, Newport, RI (right next to the Newport Marriott). McGovern will cover the cost of the parking validation overnight. If you move your vehicle before the end of the Retreat on Tuesday, June 11th, you will be responsible for the additional validations (cost is $40). To get the validation, please bring your ticket to the Marriott Reception desk.
House Keeping
Know and Go
- REGISTRATION PACKET – You will receive your name tag, a wristband, the retreat program, and a BINGO card at registration. Do not lose these items! The wristband is required for entry to the party and the t-shirt must be worn for the group photo.
- NAME TAG – On your name tag is a neuron. At dinner on Monday, June 10, look for tables with “your” neuron and take a seat. These neurons provide an opportunity for you to meet new people and learn new things. Look for conversation starters at each table.
- EMAIL UPDATES – Stay tuned for email updates throughout the retreat from Sarah Frank. These emails will provide you with up-to-date information about programming that you won’t want to miss.
Hotel Information:
- CHECK-IN, CHECK-OUT – Rooms will not be available until 4:00pm on Monday, June 10. You can store your bags in the Columbia Room until then. Check out of your room before lunch on Tuesday, June 11.
- WIFI Network: Marriott_CONFERENCE
Password: marriottgo