Jimena Sierralta (Co-organizer). Universidad de Chile, Santiago, CHILE | Andrea Calixto (Co-organizer). Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, CHILE | John Ewer (Co-organizer). Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, CHILE | Carlos Oliva (Co-organizer). Pontificia Universidad Católica de Santiago, Santiago, CHILE
Mark Alkema, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, USA | Inés Carrera, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, URUGUAY | José Duhart, Fundación Instituto Leloir, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Jennifer Scott, Department of Biology, Oxford University, UK. | Angela Giangrande, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, FRANCE (remote participation) | Bassem Hassan, ICM, Paris, FRANCE | Greg Jefferis, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK (remote participation) | Angelina Palacios, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, CHILE | Diego Rayes, INIBIBB-CCT-CONICET, Bahia Blanca, ARGENTINA | Carolina Rezaval, Birmingham University, Birmingham, UK (remote participation) | Travis Thomson, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, USA | Scott Waddell, University of Oxford, Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, Oxford, UK | Manuel Zimmer, University of Vienna, Vienna, AUSTRIA.
The use of invertebrate model systems (Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, bees, among others) has had a tremendous impact in neuroscience research worldwide. However, Latin America has lagged behind in the use of these systems despite their obvious advantages, including unprecedented experimental power and comparatively low costs. Part of the problem has been the limited local knowhow of the tools, approaches, and advantages that these invertebrate models provide for neuroscience and biomedical research. The “Small Brains, Big Ideas” course has been offered every 2 years since 2010 and aims to overcome these shortcomings by increasing awareness of the utility of these systems and by providing practical laboratory experience.
2010
2012
2014
2016
The Biannual “Small Brains, Big Ideas” Course first took place in Santiago, Chile, October 2010 and has been offered every 2 years ever since. So far it has successfully trained over 100 Latin‐American students in recent advances and modern techniques in neurosciences, primarily focusing on the use of Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, Monarch butterflies, and bees, for biomedical research.
