A Reflection on S4SN 2024
The time has come to reflect on the incredible science and inspiring individuals that made S4SN 2024 unforgettable. Join us as we revisit the highlights and key events from each day of the conference. Be sure to stay tuned for an exciting S4SN announcement at the end!
Day one of S4SN 2024 kicked off a fascinating exploration of the neural mechanisms that drive social behavior. It opened with Symposia 1, which explored these mechanisms across different species and throughout the lifespan. Symposia 2 delved into the neural, psychological, and computational aspects of social motivation and reward. The insights continued with Symposia 3, where we learned about inter-brain connectivity behind dyadic social interactions. The afternoon was packed with dynamic data blitz and poster presentations covering a range of topics and left us with many exciting new ideas. As a reward for embracing open science, S4SN President Siri Leknes awarded cash prizes to poster presenters who exhibited this approach in their research projects. A huge thank you to all the speakers and presenters who left us eager for more!
The following day began with Symposia 4, featuring talks on innate social behaviors, including aggression, sexual behavior, and parental behavior. We were then privileged to hear a keynote address from Dr. Masaki Isoda, who discussed the use of multi-site electrophysiological recordings and circuit-selective intervention techniques in studying social cognition in monkeys. This was followed by an inspiring talk on social competence in mice from one of our Early Career Award Winners, Dr. Nancy Padilla Coreano. We also awarded the Open Science prizes to Dr. Helena Hartmann and Dr. Jibran Khokar. Despite being a shorter day, it was packed with insightful talks and concluded with rainy day social gatherings and organized excursions, offering all attendees an excellent Tsukuba and Tokyo experience.
The third day of the conference was filled with symposia talks, data blitz presentations, and a wonderful poster session. Symposia 5 offered a cross-species perspective on how the emotions of others influence our feelings and decisions. We then had the pleasure of hearing our second Keynote by Dr. Shihui Han focused on the basis of racial ingroup biases in social emotions and decision-making. This was followed by our second Early Career Award Winner, Dr. Emilie Caspar, who delivered a compelling talk on the neuroscience of disobedience to immoral orders. The day continued with Symposia 6, which addressed social and physical pain and emotions, and Symposia 7, which explored the relationship between oxytocin and social cognition in the context of mental health. The day concluded with a data blitz presentation and poster session, where cash prizes were awarded once again for open and reproducible science, a cause that is near and dear to our society.
On the final day, the morning began with Symposia 8, which ventured beyond the usual boundaries of ordinary social neuroscience. This was followed by an engaging short talk session exploring collective behavior, cooperation, and conformity across species. The concluding symposia took us on a journey through the behavioral and neural dynamics underpinning natural social interactions. This incredible research would not be possible without our dedicated society members and speakers, who made the conference both informative and inspiring. Congratulations to the standout poster award winners, Han Qin and Dominica. We also extend our congratulations to the students and postdoc members from underrepresented backgrounds in science, who received travel awards from the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UCSD. These winners were Asena Umay Kocan, Michal Zamberg, Xiaoyan Wu, Liza Brusman, José Doeren, Ismael Perez, Eben-Ezer Oviedo Rodriguez, Julie Sadino, Eri Ichijo, and Liron Gruber. Additionally, a special thank you to all the volunteers, program committee members, and speakers who selflessly devoted their time and effort to make this conference a success. Despite not seeing any cherry blossoms, we heard from many attendees that this was one of the best conferences they had attended. Overall, a resounding success for our very first multi-day international S4SN Conference!
On behalf of the 2024 S4SN Board of Governors and Program Committee, we are thrilled to make two important announcements. First and foremost, we would like to congratulate our two newly appointed Board of Governor members, Dr. Weizhe Hong and Dr. Bess Lam. Second, we are ecstatic to announce that the S4SN 2025 conference will take place in Lisbon, Portugal from September 23-26, 2025. We hope you’ll join us as we continue to grow S4SN and the field of social neuroscience!
We owe much of this success to one of our beloved founders, Dr. Larry Young, whose absence was profoundly felt by everyone.
As we look ahead to S4SN 2025, we are eager to honor him with a fitting tribute, dedicating the event to his legacy.
Find the full gallery of S4SN pictures below!
Day by Day Schedule with Speakers
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S4SN 2024 (일본, 대면)
2024년 회의
대면: 쓰쿠바, 일본
2024년 3월 25일~28일
아름다운 쓰쿠바, 일본에서 대면 회의에 참여해 주세요!
심포지엄 제출 마감은 2023년 11월 1일입니다.
2024년 1월 15일까지 등록하세요
회의에 등록하려면 현재 회원이어야 합니다.
Click through the Program for details on the meeting!
See below for helpful information about Tsukuba!
Our travel booklet includes information about your travel to Tsukuba, visas, lodging, restaurants, shops, and activities in the area! Many important tips for international travelers!
Visit our new travel information website - you can search for nearby attractions, food and more!
Or you can find a booklet for viewing and download below:
Click through for info on how to travel to Tsukuba, how to pay for transport, where to eat, and more!
Poster information
The poster board size is 85cm (width) x 205cm (height) and portrait, not landscape, format. We will provide thumbtacks.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the 2024 S4SN meeting in Tsukuba:
Q1: Will there be onsite childcare or can I bring my child into the scientific sessions with me?
Onsite childcare will not be provided, though there will be a family-friendly private room in the conference center and we will be adding family friendly entertainment and dining options to the travel information booklet.
Q2: Is the excursion included in the meeting registration fee?
The excursion is not included in the registration fee to keep costs lower for all registrants.
Q3: Can my family members join the excursion?
Yes. Because the excursion is paid separately by individuals wishing to participate, it is open to additional travelers.
Q4: What are the excursion options?
Excursions options and sign up sheets will be announced on February 21, please stay tuned!
Q5: Can I cancel my conference registration?
Yes. All cancellations must be received in writing. The amount paid less a $75 USD processing fee will be refunded for cancellations requested prior to March 20, 2024. Following this date, no refunds will be issued. If you do not receive your visa in time the above cancellation policy will also apply. Please apply for your visas as soon as possible.=
Q5. What if I need a visa to travel?
Please visit the Meeting page and Trvale info booklet for more information or email kikusui@azabu-u.ac.jp
Q6. How do I know if my abstract was accepted?
Most abstracts will be automatically accepted, and official email acceptances will be sent by Feb 7. Please begin planning your trip to