Dear CNBC Faculty, Post-docs, and Students:

We would like to invite you to join us for the 15th Annual CNBC Retreat, to be held on October 21-22, 2011, at Seven 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.

Changes
There are a few changes to this year’s format. Probably the most notable change is that there are no talks or events scheduled on Sunday, however lodging on Saturday night and breakfast on Sunday are still covered by the CNBC. The retreat begins at 7:00 pm on Friday evening with a CNBC Training Program Overview and the Student Data Blitz and ends after the dessert/awards session on Saturday evening.

Training Program Overview / Student-organized Data Blitz
In lieu of the initial 'Brain Bag Meeting' which is typically held in September, Co-directors Peter Strick and Mike Tarr, and CNBC Education Committee Co-chairs, Carol Colby & Dave Touretzky will give a CNBC Training Program Overview on Friday in Seasons 1-3. Following the overview there will be a student-organized data blitz. These sessions are open to all graduate students, post-docs, and faculty interested in attending. Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 7:00 pm. The graduate student retreat representatives and social committee will be in touch with the students to provide more detailed information on the data blitz and social activities.

Retreat
The first scientific session begins promptly at 9:00 am on Saturday, with a continental breakfast available beforehand. The program ends at 9:30 pm on Saturday. A preliminary schedule of events can be found at http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/retreatsched.

Talks
Talks will feature local University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon faculty. Our invited keynote speaker, Prof. Shimon Ullman, Samy and Ruth Cohn Professor of Computer Science, Weizmann Institute, will speak on Saturday afternoon before dinner.

Poster Session
There will be a poster session held during dinner on Saturday evening. It will feature the recent work of students and post-docs. Faculty should urge their students to make a poster presentation. 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. Prizes for the best posters will be awarded.

REGISTRATION / MEALS / LODGING / DIRECTIONS

Faculty & Post-docs
The CNBC will cover the cost of Saturday night lodging (based on double occupancy), registration, and meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday). Please note that faculty and post-docs arriving on Friday will be responsible for their own lodging expenses.

Students
The CNBC will cover the cost of registration, meals (pizza on Friday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday), and lodging on Friday and Saturday in a chalet which sleeps 10 students. We expect students to arrive on Friday and depart on Sunday.

Special Arrangements
If you register to bring a guest or require single lodging accommodations, a CNBC staff member will be in touch with you to provide information on personal costs.

Directions
Seven 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.

Online registration will close on Wednesday, September 14th.

2011 Retreat Registration Form

For questions, please contact Barbara Dorney ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Melissa Stupka ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), or members of the retreat planning committee.

We look forward to seeing you in the mountains of Pennsylvania!


2011 Retreat Planning Committee

Alison Barth, CMU Biological Sciences - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mark Wheeler, PITT Psychology - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Shuang Li, PITT CNUP student representative - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Patrick Sadtler, PITT Bioengineering student representative - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Lindsay Victoria, CMU Psychology representative - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it