<p>At Inscopix, our goal is to advance the state of neuroscience research and enable breakthroughs in the understanding of how the brain works by pairing cutting edge technology with world-class scientific and technical support. </p> <p>To catalyze the research of our users, we designed our ACCELERATE Workshop series with the key needs and concerns of our community in mind, presenting lectures, live demos and discussions to engage our attendees in a dynamic and intimate setting.  Our goal: to propel researchers towards scientific success in imaging large-scale neural circuit activity in freely behaving rodents.</p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/miktmRg.jpg" width="500" height="335" /></p> <p>The first Inscopix ACCELERATE Workshop was held jointly at Inscopix Headquarters and Inscopix’s biology R&amp;D laboratory on the campus of the NASA Ames Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley, CA.  During the two-day event, the Inscopix Science and Support Team laid out the nVista <em>HD</em> imaging workflow, pinpointing surgical, technical and data analysis steps where scientists might stumble, and guiding our first Class of workshop attendees from around the world through their questions and concerns.  Along with the Inscopix Science Team, Inscopix Chief Scientist Professor Mark Schnitzer (Stanford/HHMI) and nVista <em>HD</em> expert user Dr. Jones Parker (Pfizer) provided both academic expertise and first hand working knowledge of the technology.</p> <p>We are pleased that all of our participants, irrespective of background and level of expertise, reported they had a very positive experience and would be taking home useful information.  Some feedback includes:</p> <p><em>"</em><em>I thought there was a great variety of topics covered that was useful in really bringing my understanding of the technology together." - Dr. Stephanie Nygard, Bruchas Lab, Washington University.</em></p> <p><em>"The workshop was </em><em>very informative and thorough. The seminars were well organized, and the NASA [lab] trip extremely helpful." - Dr. C</em><em>hirag Upreti, Kandel Lab, Columbia University/HHMI.</em></p> <p><em>"Learning the methodology behind how the data analysis works, such as where the PCAs vs ICAs come from, was very helpful in understanding how the data is analyzed." - Dr. Jonathan Sugam, Kash Lab, UNC Chapel Hill</em></p> <p>Our inaugural Workshop concluded with an open forum to allow our attendees to freely socialize amongst themselves, as well as with members of the Inscopix staff, including our engineers, software specialists and neurobiologists.  The open and collaborative nature of the conversations lent further credence to the establishment and nurturing of a tight-knit Inscopix Community.</p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/9gHkJqP.jpg" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/raejzgX.jpg" width="500" height="298" /></p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/fpsYRU5.jpg" width="500" height="289" /></p> <p>Neuroscience has become a springboard for new levels of collaboration and information exchange between scientists for the combined goal of working towards a better understanding of brain function and disease.  We at Inscopix aspire to continue lowering the barriers inherent in conducting complex <em>in vivo</em> neural imaging and behavioral studies, and to remove the daunting aspect of learning how to use brand new technology to gather breakthrough neural activity data sets.</p> <p>For more information about future ACCELERATE Workshops, please contact <a href="mailto:support@inscopix.com">support@inscopix.com</a>.</p> <p><em>SILICON VALLEY, CA. July 23, 2014</em></p>