Around 60 Puerto Rican scientists or people with scientific ties with Puerto Rico attended the Puerto Rico social during this year’s Society for Neuroscience meeting (SfN).  The social was held in Washington D.C., on Sunday, November 16.  During the social, hebbian links were formed and fortified within the neuroscientist community that researches in the Puerto Rican archipelago with other scientists that research in other parts of the world. 

The social’s purpose was to unite the neuroscience community that attended SfN, and it also allowed various researchers to present their findings in a two minute ‘data blitz’.  Eleven investigators explained their research interests, presented their laboratories, and exposed new ideas.  One of the presentations was from Dr. Sierra-Mercado, who talked about the characteristics of memories before, during, or after traumatic brain injury.  Dr. Oné Pagán presented his most recent book about the neuroscience of planarians.  Christian Bravo-Rivera, a graduate student, presented his task to measure avoidance responses in rats. 

This is the first time that the data blitz format was used in a PR SfN social.  The social ended with some words of the vice-president of research of the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. Lazalde.  He spoke about the next technological advances that we shall have in the near future, such as a dedicated floor to study neural plasticity in the molecular sciences building, and the acquisition of four specialized microscopes for common use among investigators. 

This meeting demonstrated that the neuroscientific Puerto Rican community shudders with energy, passion, and direction.  Expect excellent science from this group soon. 

Solymar Rolón Martínez, co-organizer of this event, also contributed to this article.