Headed by Jane Roberts (Department of Psychology) and Jeff Twiss (Department of Biological Sciences), this initiative aims to build a multi-disciplinary, collaborative center for basic, clinical, and intervention research and education in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders at the University of South Carolina.
Felicia McGill, an undergraduate student doing research in the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Lab with Dr. Jane Roberts, has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious national award for students dedicated to a research career in math, science, or engineering.
On Monday, June 7, 2021 SCAND will be hosting a Summer Research Blitz where trainees can present a virtual poster or mini-talk of their research. Details will be available on the SCAND website or you can sign up for the SCAND newsletter.
After postponing the 2020 event due to COVID-19, the 2021 SCAND Research Symposium was held virtually on March 5th, 2021 and was a huge success! Nearly 90 individuals attended to see talks by researchers from Greenwood Genetic Center, Clemson University, Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina, along with a keynote address from Ami Klin, the Director of the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, GA and the Bernie Marcus Chair in Autism at the Emory University School of Medicine. The full program can be found on the SCAND website.
Spectrum News recently featured the work of the USCAND faculty affiliate Sofia Lizarraga's lab. Spectrum News is a renowned online media outlet funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) that provides comprehensive news and analysis of advances in autism research. Dr. Lizarraga's lab is investigating the role of ASH1L in neuronal morphogenesis. ASH1L is a chromatin regulator whose mutations have been linked to autism spectrum disorders. One of Dr. Lizarraga's graduate students, Janay Vacharasin, presented their work at the 2021 Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome, where her presentation caught the eye of a journalist from Spectrum News.
We have three new seminars scheduled for Spring 2021 - Dr. Clare Harrop (01/28), Dr. Jaclyn Schwarz (02/02), and Dr. Kristina Deninsova (02/09). Head to our events page for more information, including the Zoom info so you can join us!
USCAND has awarded two pilot grants to facilitate interdisciplinary research into neurodevelopmental disorders. Congratulations to Jessica Bradshaw, Amet Sheth, and Ugug Kurunscu (Development of an Instrumented, Intelligent Infant Interaction Laboratory for the Prediction of Autism Spectrum Disorder) and David Mott, Fiona Hollis, and Jessica Klusek (Role of Amygdala in Emotional and Social Behavioral Deficits in Fragile X Syndrome)!