Dissemination
Activities
The MNC
has been active in promoting molecular neuroscience by managing the
international journal NeuroSignals and organizing the Molecular
Neuroscience Seminar Series, Croucher Advanced Study Institute and Gordon
Research Conference. All these activities have further enhanced the
international standing of Hong Kong in the field of neuroscience.
NeuroSignals
The MNC members have used their collective experience to help disseminate
advances and information in the field via NeuroSignals, an international
journal specialized in neuronal communication. This is one of the first
such ventures to be initiated in Hong Kong. Associated with the family
of journals under the Karger AG, a reputable Swtizerland-based publishing
house, NeuroSignals is dedicated to publishing original articles,
reviews and short reports in the field of neuronal communication. The
journal aims to accelerate interdisciplinary communication for the advancement
of our understanding of neuronal signaling, and through this provide
a source of inspiration for further studies. An editorial board consisting
of 36 prominent scholars from renowned universities and institutes has
been assembled to lend their support to the journal. In 2004, NeuroSignals
achieved an impact factor of 3.585 and was ranked 49 out of 198 SCI-listed
journals in the category of neurosciences.
Book
on Cdk5
The MNC organized a two-day international Croucher Symposium on "The
Roles of Cdk5 in Neuronal Development, Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodegenerative
Diseases" from 9 to 10 January 2007 at HKUST. Twenty leading scientists
from the US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, South Korea
and Japan delivered scientific presentations. They include Prof. Ashok
Kulkarni (National Institute of Health, USA), Prof. Li-huei Tsai (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) and Prof. Laurent Meijer (CNRS, France), reflecting
the excellence of this symposium. Abstracts presented at the symposium
will be consolidated and published in a Special Issue in the NeuroSignals
journal and speakers will contribute articles towards a book on Cdk5
(publisher: Springer, USA).
Molecular
Neuroscience Seminar Series
The MNC has established the Molecular Neuroscience Seminar Series in
order to promote the team members' research interests as well as to
provide an environment to facilitate international collaborations. Distinguished
international as well as local scientists have been invited to share
their research findings and the latest developments in molecular neuroscience
at HKUST.
Croucher
Advanced Study Institutes (ASI)
The ASI served as a platform for research scientists to present the
latest findings in the forefront of research in specific topic. The
dynamic and extremely lively plenary lectures encompassed innovative
scientific findings from the plenary speakers. The workshop was well
received. Abstracts presented at the workshop were published in Special
Issues in the NeuroSignals journal. Three Croucher ASI have been
organized since the inception of MNC:
"Molecular
Neuroscience" (6-11 January 2002, HKUST)
"Molecular Neuroscience: Technology Applications" (5 March
2003, HKUST)
"Signaling in Cell Growth and Differentiation" (16-20 January
2006, HKUST)
Gordon
Research Conference on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology"
Furthermore, the MNC organized and hosted four Gordon Research Conferences
on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology" at HKUST in 2000,
2002, 2004 and 2006. The prestigious Gordon Conferences are known for
providing an ideal setting in which scientists with common professional
interests can come together for a full week of intense discussions on
the most advanced aspects of their field. This particular conference
provided a unique opportunity for molecular and cellular neurobiologists
from the international scientific community to communicate recent scientific
findings and to explore new areas of collaboration, thereby fostering
the advancement of this field of research in the Asia Pacific region.
HKUST has now been given the distinction as the permanent site for future
GRC meetings on "Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology" in this
region. Establishing a venue for a GRC in Hong Kong has been an important
step in recognizing Asia's contribution to neuroscience. This has been
evident by the number of participating overseas visitors and prominent
researchers such as Nobel Laureates Prof. Bob Horvitz from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Prof. Linda Buck from the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute and Prof. Paul Greengard from Rockefeller University. The
conference has attracted a lot of publicity. Editors from prominent
journals, including Science, Neurons, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Public
Library of Science Biology and Science, attended the Hong Kong meeting.
Intensive scientific interactions will help to advance molecular neuroscience
research as well as neuro-drug discovery in Hong Kong.