Our research training group SynAGE is a very active community. Scientifically we focus on healthy aging and cognitive decline in normal aging. Apart from our daily research we offer a number of activities, events and opportunities for our members. They are in the focus!
Here our members get a chance to tell their SynAGE stories …
My OHBM 2024 Journey in South Korea
by Yanin Suksangkharn – Seoul, South Korea
In the summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to participate in the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) in Seoul, South Korea. The conference was one of the venues for people who work in neuroimaging research. For me, this trip was a mixture of academic innovation and cultural familiarity.
OHBM is the place for neuroimaging that combines people with backgrounds such as neuroscience, machine learning, and statistics. For me, it was an eye-opening event where I could see people showcasing new research techniques or intertwining knowledge between the fields.
a SynAGE PhD student goes abroad
by Akilashree Senthilnathan – Charlottesville, Virginia
Mid October 2024, I started my traineeship in Charlottesville, Virginia, working as a research scholar at the University of Virginia (UVA). Adjusting to life in a completely different country was initially overwhelming, especially with how everything in the United States seemed so big-particularly the supermarkets, which were quite a shock! I was warmly welcomed by the lab group of Dr. Eyo at UVA, and my colleagues have been incredibly supportive and helpful. They actively discuss my project with me and work together to ensure we achieve our goals within this short timeframe.
Female Career Days Kick-off 2024
On October 17, 2024, the Female Career Days 2024 started with a kick-off event. Young female scientists met in a place that may be unusual for science: the OLi Lichtspiele Magdeburg; an old cinema for an afternoon/evening event.
Annuallly, the female Careers Days are organized by the Female Scientist Network that connects all interested female scientists that do have ties to Magdeburg. Guidance, mentoring and exchange are valued by its members, and the Career Days have developed as one of the yearly highlights.
SynAGE International Mentoring 2024
by Larissa Fischer – Boston, Massachusetts
In July 2024, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, working with Prof Jonathan Peelle in his Speech, Hearing, and Communication (SHAC) Lab. Their work on aging and changes in cognitive functions with higher task demands is highly relevant for our SynAGE project D1. They investigate how hearing difficulties with age cause higher demands on the aging brain, necessitating more effort to succeed at tasks. We aim to better understand how Alzheimer’s pathology in cognitively unimpaired older adults poses higher demands and whether there are potential compensatory brain mechanisms during ageing. The SHAC lab is, fittingly with the interdisciplinary focus of SynAGE, located at the ISEC (Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex).
SynAGE Retreat & Alumni Gathering 2024
by Dana Zöllner
From May 29th to 31st, 2024 we, that is 17 PhD and MD students, five postdocs and five PIs, have travelled to Thale for our yearly SynAGE retreat. The aim was an intense exchange on the current state of the PhD/MD projects as well as in-depth discussions on future plans. To that aim, we had prepared a very diverse program.
We started together on the morning of the 29th of May at the central station in Magdeburg, where we took the local train to Thale. The city of Thale is just about 65 km from Magdeburg sitting at the foot of the Harz mountains. With slightly less than 20,000 residents it is a lovely little town, where the Bode Valley starts.
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