Helping Middle Eastern neuroscientists build community

Last November, just as tens of thousands of neuroscientists flocked to the Society for Neuroscience conference at San Diego’s large convention center, a much smaller meeting convened nearby. There, at the first ever Middle Eastern Systems Neuroscience Symposium , attendees snacked on plates of baklava during coffee breaks, heard music from the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum marking the end of presentations, and shared research highlights from Middle Eastern countries and scientists.