Florida Atlantic University at Jupiter

The NeuroCollective Symposium returned to the John D. MacArthur Campus! Roughly 140 students, researchers, industry professionals and community partners from across the Palm Beach County neuroscience ecosystem (and beyond) converged for an afternoon scientific discourse, mentorship and professional networking.

Here are the highlights ⬇️
🔹 26 poster presentations featuring 32 presenters
🔹 4 selected trainee research talks
🔹 Plenary keynote presentation by Dr. Martin Maier (INRS, Montreal, Canada): “NeuroAI: Crossing the Bridge between Artificial and Natural Intelligence”
🔹 NeuroAI Career Panel Lunch featuring 10 panelists representing diverse scientific and industry career pathways
🔹 Representation from 15 universities, institutes and industry partners

Special thanks to our partner research institutions Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology for co-hosting this incredible event with us. And big thank you to our sponsors Avalanche Thinking, Where There Is Light Foundation, FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and Palm Health Foundation.

Last week, Dr. Rodrigo Pena's lab hosted the School for Computational Applications in Neuroscience (aka SCAN) at the Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute.

The immersive two-day workshop drew students from five Florida universities for a unique opportunity to learn and practice leading-edge research techniques in computational neuroscience, AI, quantum computing and more - utilizing technology available through the Computational Neuroscience lab at SNBI.

The workshop emphasized community building around computational neuroscience to encourage scientific exchange in pursuit of new knowledge and discoveries.

Last month, students from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of FAU participated in a unique hands-on exercise called Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions (CD3) ⚖️

Held at the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, CD3 simulated the experience of a legal proceeding in a federal courtroom based on real-life issues - in this instance a First Amendment case. In just a few short hours, the students were briefed on the case, volunteered for their respective roles (defense, prosecution or jury), and then argued and decided the case in front of a real federal judge.

Special thanks to WHC alum Michael Habib, the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and Judge Ryon McCabe for volunteering your time to provide this incredible experience!

Read the full story in the comments ⬇️

In the latest issues of Jupiter Magazine and Stuart Magazine Dr. Corrine Lasmezas, director of the David and Lynn Nicholson Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, shared how her research into tiny brain proteins called "prions" have contributed to huge leaps in understanding - and potentially treating - neurodegenerative diseases.

Link to the full digital issue is in the comments.

Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and our campus research partners shared the powerful impact of our life sciences hub during a recent Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches panel discussion.

Florida Atlantic Research

Northern Campuses Awards 2026! Congratulations to all the stand-out students, faculty and staff from Florida Atlantic's Jupiter and Harbor Branch campuses 💙❤️🦉

🔹 Distinguished Student - Ian Aviles (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Owl of the Year - Ryleigh Newman (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Rising Star - Seth Smith (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Volunteer of the Year - Michael Pedro (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Student Employee of the Year - Vinicius Augusto Bilinski das Neves (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Staff of the Year - Cathy Rossmell (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute)
🔹 Outstanding Student - Olivia Faris (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute)
🔹 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year - Isabella Zuniga (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Graduate Researcher of the Year - Alexis Base (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute)
🔹 Faculty of the Year - Kelsie Bernot (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Special Awards - Julianne Binto and Anna Briscoe (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Intern of the Year - Alyssa Rozenblat (Wilkes Honors College)
🔹 Employer of the Year - Center for Child Counseling

The Resilient Brain - a new documentary from Allhealthgo - is a powerful exploration of the extraordinary complexity of the human brain across the lifespan. Dr. Randy Blakely and Dr. Nicole Baganz from the Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute were featured scientists, sharing both their expertise on brain science and how research discoveries have intersected with their personal stories.

View the full documentary in the comments.
WPBT2 South Florida PBS WXEL - South Florida PBS

Congratulations to Danylo Fedkiv for being named a prestigious Goldwater Scholar 👏 🎓

Danylo is a senior at FAU High School Jupiter Campus/Max Planck Academy and dual-enrolled at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of FAU majoring in chemistry and biology. He currently conducts his research under mentor Gregg Fields, Ph.D., synthesizing inhibitors of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) to help fight cancer and other MMP-related disorders.

In addition to academic and scientific excellence, Danylo is an entrepreneur. His social venture Bottles for Bits - an upcycling program that converts plastic bottles into affordable 3D printer filament for schools - earned him an academic scholarship and seed funding through the Kenan Social Engagement Program.

Read more about Danylo and fellow 2026 Goldwater Scholar, Kyle Loh, at the link in the comments.

We're keeping the vibes going all week 💚 Join our annual Celebration and Plant Sale this Friday at the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum. The fun starts at 10 a.m. 🌎 🌳