# 4th Ferret Brain Meeting

> **NIH NIH R13** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $22,740

## Abstract

Project summary/Abstract
This proposal seeks partial support for the 4th Ferret Brain Meeting, which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland,
from 10/29 to 10/30/2020.
 The goal of the Ferret Brain Meeting is to bring together the larger community of neuroscientists working
in the ferret. Ferrets offer distinct advantages for neuroscience research – they have a complex brain, capable
of sophisticated processing, with established functional and structural similarities to the primate. At the same
time, ferrets share some of the advantages of research in rodents, such as the availability of larger animal
numbers, and most recently the development of transgenic animals. Finally, ferrets are uniquely suited for
developmental studies because of very early parturition. Research in the ferret spans a diverse range of topics,
and the Ferret Brain Meeting is currently the only venue that brings all of the labs together. On the basis of a
shared animal model, we will discuss recent research findings and new ideas. An important component is to
share technological advances, and to coordinate further tool development efforts. The first transgenic ferret line
has recently been developed, but transgenic ferrets will only become widely available if we can combine efforts
across labs, and involve commercial ferret breeders as well. In general, we aim to build a strong, collaborative
community that significantly benefits and advances the research in all of our labs.
 An important component of the Ferret Brain Meeting is to promote graduate students and postdocs.
Generally, the meeting is single track with many opportunities for participants to interact, which will provide
trainees with plenty of opportunity to network. In addition, trainees will present their work in a poster session,
and at least 6 of 15 talks at the meeting will be given by trainees. We will honor the best trainee presentation
with the Barbara Chapman Young Investigator Award. At the 4th Ferret Brain Meeting, we will also test an
outreach program aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented minorities in neuroscience. More
specifically, we plan to use the conference as a platform for recruiting undergraduates from these backgrounds
to neuroscience. The Ferret Brain Meeting is an exciting opportunity for this effort – it will not only introduce
undergraduates to cutting-edge science, but because of the meeting's small size, it will allow them to meet the
involved scientists (faculty and trainees). To start this outreach effort, the organizers of the 4th Ferret Brain
Meeting will work with their local institutions to recruit undergraduates to the meeting, but we intend to expand
this effort at future meetings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9994543
- **Project number:** 1R13DC018722-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina J. Nielsen
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $22,740
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9994543

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9994543, 4th Ferret Brain Meeting (1R13DC018722-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9994543. Licensed CC0.

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