Organizers: Josef Syka, Eva Syková and Jan Bureš

One of the IBRO initiatives is to organize Summer Schools in various regions of the world, among them the Central and Eastern Europe region. The Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, an EU Center of Excellence, and the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences, both in Prague, were selected to organize one of these schools in the year 2002. Special IBRO funds have been allocated for this purpose to make participation free for students of the region, and to bring leading experts in the field from all over the world to the course as lecturers. The program during its first four years is discipline-oriented (functional neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, molecular neurobiology, system physiology/behavior).

Program of the 3rd year IBRO Summer School (2002) will consist of morning lectures and afternoon practical demonstrations and training. Topics covered in the lectures, seminars and demonstrations will include: behavioral paradigms, reversible lesioning, and single unit recordings for investigating spatial cognition; CNS diffusion parameters in health and disease; the function of glial cells in ionic homeostasis; electrophysiological, behavioral and fMRI methods in the investigation of the auditory system; and in vivo MR imaging and spectroscopy in the brain.

Invited lecturers include: J. Ashmore, B. Bjelke, J. Bureš, A. Fenton, S. Frey, U. Frey, M. Hájek, R. Miller, J. Nicholls, H. Scheich, J. Syka, E. Sykova

Eligibility: Graduate students and young postdoctoral fellows below the age of 35 years, residing in any of the countries that belong to the IBRO Central and Eastern Europe Region (i.e., Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia) are eligible to apply.

Applications should contain: a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and a one-page abstract of a 10 min talk the applicant is expected to present during the course.

Deadline for application is April 15, 2002.

The applications will be evaluated by the Central and Eastern Europe Regional Committee of IBRO, and the list of participants will be announced during the 2nd week of May.

The costs of accommodation and meals will be covered by IBRO for all students, and a contribution will also be provided towards travel costs (economy apex air-fare or train ticket).

This call for applications is also displayed on the Web site of the IBRO Central and Eastern Europe Regional Committee (www.koki.hu/ibro-ceer).