Lena Kaufmann and Rajeev Rajendran

Speaker 1. Lena Kaufmann, Postdoc
Elephant neuroscience and behavior.

Lena Kaufmann will share a glimpse into her PhD journey. At the Humboldt University of Berlin in Prof. Dr. Michael Brecht’s group, she worked on elephant neuroanatomy and behavior – from the trunk to the brain. This talk will give insight into how the elephant can be approached as a fascinating non-standard model organism by elaborating on recent findings on trunk-dependent cognitive abilities, the impressive fine motor skills of the trunk tip, the neuromuscular control of this unusual multifunctional organ, as well as its somatosensory innervation and material properties of the numerous trunk whiskers.

Speaker 2. Rajeev Rajendran, Postdoc

Automated 3D whole brain microscopy and how it might be helpful in your research.

Block-face serial section two-photon tomography (STPT) has emerged as a powerful approach for high resolution, whole-organ volumetric imaging. Volumetric imaging is increasingly important in fields such as neuroscience and developmental biology, where quantifying structure and mapping connectivity are inherently three-dimensional problems. Unlike optical clearing and lightsheet microscopy, STPT avoids complex sample preparation and sample-to-sample variability, while providing an excellent compromise between image quality, speed, and scalability. However, STPT remains difficult to implement for DIY microscopists, largely due to the absence of flexible, general-purpose control software. By implementing a modular, open-source software platform, ‘BakingTray’, designed to operate STPT systems reliably in multi-user environments, we have streamlined a robust and adaptable pipeline that accommodates diverse user requirements while remaining accessible to non-expert users. Rajeev will showcase a few projects (from different groups within NIN and external collaborators) to highlight these aspects of the microscope.