Student Involvement Graduates in Neuroscience (GIN)

Graduates in Neuroscience, GIN, is a student-run organization comprised of the students in the Emory Neuroscience Graduate Program. Our aims are to promote neuroscience and build a sense of community, all the while enjoying ourselves - whether playing paintball, teaching neuroscience to elementary school kids, hosting a lecturer, or rafting at the annual retreat. It's friendly! It's fun!

Every Emory Neuroscience PhD student is invited to participate in GIN events, run for GIN office, or apply to become a student representative on a Neuroscience Program Committee or Graduate Student Council Committee.

GIN Activities

At this event, Neuroscience faculty and students get together to discuss issues of importance and have a blast, all in the same weekend. Morning talks are followed by afternoon volleyball, Randy Hall's fabulous trivia contest, and a GIN-hosted party that usually lasts deep into the night. Faculty members have been known to demonstrate amazing breakdancing abilities at this party, so it is an event not to miss.

In the month of April GIN hosts a week of programming focused on brining awareness to different wellness resources on campus and offer some opportunities to get out of lab and put some of the recommendations into action! Keynote events have included panels with campus representatives for the Office of Respect, Counseling services, the Office of Health Promotion, and the Center for Ethics. The week has also included, yoga classes, picnics in Lullwater park, and a King of Pops study break.

The weekly Frontiers in Neuroscience seminar series occurs during both Fall and Spring semesters. This seminar series features speakers within the Emory community as well as external speakers that are invited by students. This event is open to the Emory community and is a great opportunity to gain exposure to the breadth of research that occurs within the field of neuroscience.

Once a month during the academic year, senior neuroscience students from the diverse disciplines within Emory have the opportunity to present their exciting research findings. Talks are 20 minutes long with 10 minutes for questions. GIN provides snacks and beverages to all attendees to facilitate a relaxed atmosphere for the seminar.

Several times a semester, GIN hosts mixers where neuroscience students can socialize while enjoying tons of snacks.

GIN supports the Atlanta-area campaign to raise public awareness about the value of neuroscience research by teaching lessons at local elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools, and by serving as organizers or judges for neuroscience-themed high school competitions. Graduate students visit schools year-round, and GIN organizes special trips to visit schools during March as part of Brain Awareness Week.

There is an undergraduate Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology program at Emory, and in the past GIN has been involved in matching NBB undergraduates with Neuroscience PhD students for mentoring and research opportunities.

GIN Officers (2023 - 2024)

Presidents: Jennifer Isaac, Yasmine Bassil
Treasurer: Tina Tian
Secretary: Kelly South-Pham
Executive Committee Representatives: Jarildy Javier, Katelyn Oliver
Recruitment Coordinators: Fisayo Aloba, Viviana Valentin, Mari Rocha
Curriculum Committee Representatives: Abigail Grassler, Berna Aliya
Peer Liaisons: Taylor Pio, Ary Wiggins-Gamble
ENCORE Coordinators: Jarildy Javier, Nardos Kebede
Neuroscience Awards Coordinators: Yesenia Garcia-Sifuentes, Linzie Taylor
Alumni Coordinators: Saahj Gosrani, Aziz Elshabir
Division Student Advisory Council (DSAC) Representative: Trinity Pruitt
Central Sulcus Editors: Emmie Banks (Editor-in-Chief), William McCallum, Justin Santos, Betty Bekele