Curious to learn more about neuroscience straight from the literature, but finding it difficult to get a start? Interested in finding a community of like-minded students?
Consider attending the Grey Matters Journal Club, where you can learn about neuroscience from the presenter's topic of choice!
No prior scientific knowledge is required, nor will you need to have finished reading the paper. This is a judgment-free zone hoping to foster curiosity and learning, regardless of your educational background.
If you're interested in presenting, please click here!
Journal Club leadership applications are currently closed for 2023-2024.
General Information
Journal Club is typically hosted every two weeks in the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) 427, typically on Mondays from 6PM to 7PM unless otherwise noted. During dead week and finals, there is no Journal Club.
Don't want to miss Journal Club? Join the mailing list!
Meeting Information
Meeting time: 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Location: HSEB 427 (Zoom)
Paper topic: Polymorphism and division of labour in a socially complex ant: neuromodulation of aggression in the Australian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Kamhi, 2015)
Presenter: Eric Shiu
Neurotransmitters play an important role underlying our behavior. One study was interested in the aggression within Australian weaver ants, whose workers are divided into majors that defend and minors that help brood. What exactly happens when manipulating the neurotransmitter octopamine among these two populations?
No prior neuroscience experience is needed to attend, nor do you need to read the paper beforehand.
Pre-Submit Questions
Have some questions about the paper before the meeting or want to ask about topics you'd like us to cover? Fill out the form!
Feedback Form
If you have any feedback after the meeting, please let us know. Journal Club is meant for you, after all!
Mandatory Attendance for First-Time Authors and Editors
If you’re entering production for the first time on the Grey Matters Journal Production or Snippet teams, attending at least one Grey Matters Journal Club meeting is mandatory.
Why is it Mandatory?
This is because Journal Club has similar goals to the production team, and therefore first-time authors and editors would benefit from:
- Learning how to communicate complex topics and research papers to the public in a concise and understandable manner
- Observing from experienced senior Grey Matters members and others
- Connecting with the wider Grey Matters community
Meeting Archives
Check out the Grey Matters Journal Club Archives if you missed a meeting or are interested in looking through old Journal Club content!
Article Access
Quite a few of our articles will need to be accessed via paid journals, so we highly recommend using the UW Proxy Bookmarklet to access this content instead. If you're still having trouble accessing, feel free to contact us at thalamus@greymattersjournal.org or talk to us after a meeting!
Interested in Presenting?
Please fill out our Presentation Interest Form! Additionally, check out our Journal Club Presenter Guide!
Last updated February 7th, 2024.