Two Weeks at a Neuroscience Summer Course in China
This summer, I spent two weeks in Suzhou, China, attending the Modern Techniques in Neuroscience course at Cold Spring Harbor Asia. Two weeks sounds short, but somehow it felt like a lot happened—long days of lectures and experiments, many new techniques, lots of conversations, and, of course, exploring a little bit of China in between.
One of my favorite parts was getting to learn directly from scientists whose work I had previously encountered through papers. Yulong Li and Michael Lin introduced genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors and how we can use them to watch neurotransmitters and voltage activities.
Tianyi Mao took us through circuit mapping with electrophysiology and laser-scanning photostimulation (LSPS), while Chris Xu explained the principles behind two- and three-photon microscopy and how we can push optical imaging deeper into the brain.Then there was Moritz Helmstaedter, who took us to a completely different scale with electron microscopy and connectomics, reconstructing neural circuits in incredible detail. Guoping Feng brought genetics, neural circuits, and disease together, showing how these approaches can help us understand neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
But what I appreciated just as much as the science was how willing people were to teach us. Yulong Li and Tianyi Mao were incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I appreciated not only what they taught us about neuroscience, but also their encouragement to keep learning and become better scientists.
And beyond the science, some people simply made the experience warmer. George Augustine was one of them. I was struck by how kind, approachable, and encouraging he was with young scientists. Sometimes a few supportive words from someone who has spent decades in science can stay with you for a surprisingly long time. Meeting him was a lovely reminder that being a great scientist and being a kind person can—and should—go together.
And one sentence from Chris Xu has stayed with me: “Every talk is a job talk.” It was simple, slightly intimidating :), but also a great reminder that every time we present our science, we are showing how we think, communicate, and approach our work.
I think what stayed with me most was realizing that there is no single “best” technique in neuroscience. Every tool lets us see a different part of the story. Sometimes we start with a scientific question and search for the right tool, and sometimes a new technology suddenly allows us to ask questions we couldn't ask before.
A special thank you to our three incredible TAs, whose patience, support, and positive energy made the long experimental days so much easier—and much more fun. We truly couldn’t have asked for a better team!
But these two weeks were not only about science. They were also about meeting people from different places, talking about our experiments over meals, laughing about the struggles of research, exploring Suzhou, and making new friendships.
I came back to Korea with a notebook full of ideas, new people in my life, and probably even more questions than I had before.
And I think that is a pretty good way to come home from a neuroscience summer course. :)
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