Dear CNBC Faculty, Post-docs, and Students:

We would like to invite you to join us for the 21st CNBC Retreat to be held on Friday, May 31-June 2, 2019 at 7 Springs Mountain Resort.   The goal of our retreat is to foster scientific and social interactions among faculty, post-docs, and students affiliated with the CNBC.  The program will include a full agenda of scientific presentations and discussions, as well as other informational and social events.

Attendance
Retreat attendance for students is a required part of the CNBC program, and the CNBC Education Committee has adopted a policy that students must participate in the retreat each year to remain in good standing.  However, we realize that on occasion a scheduling conflict makes attendance difficult, and therefore, each student will receive one “opt-out”.  That is, a CNBC student may pick one year when they do not attend the retreat.  We encourage you to save this for when you really need it, as additional opt-outs will not be available.  Students who are not in good standing will not be eligible for funding.

Student / Post-Doc-organized Data Blitz, Discussion and Group Activity
CNBC Retreat Committee members will be hosting a data blitz and group activities on Friday in Sessions 1-5.  Students and post-docs are encouraged to present brief overviews of their research. The best presenters will be awarded with fantastic prizes. There will also be a Future of CNBC discussion, and extremely fun group games will follow.  All graduate students, post-docs, and faculty interested in having a great time are encouraged to attend. Pizza and drinks will be provided beginning at 7:00 pm.

Talks
The first scientific session begins promptly at 9:30 am on Saturday.  The program tentatively ends at 10:00 am on Sunday. A preliminary schedule of events can be found at https://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/cnbc-retreat/2019-retreat-schedule/. Talks will be held in the Grand Ballroom and will feature Jana Kainerstorfer, Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University,  Rebecca Price, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, and Greg Siegle, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Clinical and Translation Science, University of Pittsburgh, post-docs and students, including winners of the McClelland (student) and Strick (post-doc) awards.

Jacqueline Crawley, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis MIND Institute, will deliver the keynote address at 4:30 pm on Saturday.  The title of her talk is Mouse Models of Autism to Test Hypotheses about Causes and to Discover Effective Treatments.

Poster Session
There will be a poster session held before and after dinner on Saturday evening in the Exhibit Hall. It will feature the recent work of students and post-docs.  Faculty should encourage their students and postdocs to present a poster.  The poster can be simple and include only a title, abstract, and a few figures, or can be a recycled or preview of prepared conference posters.  Students and post-docs are encouraged to sign up for the poster session during the registration process.  Travel Awards for the best posters will be announced that evening.

Registration / Lodging / Meals / Directions

Faculty
The CNBC will cover the cost of registration, meals, and Saturday night’s lodging, based on double occupancy. If you would like lodging on Friday night, it will be at your own expense. Please make a note in the “Special Request” section when you register, and CNBC staff will contact you regarding costs.

Post-docs
The CNBC will cover the cost of registration, meals, and Friday & Saturday night’s lodging based on double occupancy.

Students
The CNBC will cover the cost of registration, meals, and Friday and Saturday night’s lodging in a chalet with other students. Students are expected to arrive on Friday and depart on Sunday following the events.

Directions
7 Springs is located approximately one hour’s drive southeast of Pittsburgh. It is easily accessible off exit 91 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Turn left off the exit ramp (Routes 711 and 31); approximately two miles, turn right on Route 711; follow 711 for about two miles; at the Star Market in Champion, turn left; follow the signs to Seven Springs (approximately eight miles) on the right.

Registration will close on April 25, 2019.   Please register using the online Registration Form.

For questions, please contact Barbara Dorney or Melissa Stupka, or a member of the retreat planning committee.

Faculty Reps
Michael Walsh Dickey, Pitt Communication Science and Disorders
Sandra Kuhlman, CMU Biological Sciences

Post-doc Reps
Anna Chrabaszcz, Pitt Psychology
Kai Yu, CMU Biomedical Engineering

Student Reps
Matt Boring, Pitt CNUP
Kevin Mohsenian, Pitt Bioengineering