While at Harvard, I organized (with Ed Kravitz) the Behavior Club, a regular meeting of researchers in the Boston area interested in animal behavior and its underlying mechanisms in the broadest sense. During the academic year, we met every 1st Tuesday of the month at 7pm over pizza and beer at the respective host institution. Over the course of four years, we had 27 regular meetings with speakers from ten different institutions as well as 5 one-day symposia (4 in Woods Hole, 1 at Tufts) - see schedule below! The Behavior Club has become an institution, so therefore, after my moving to The University of Texas at Austin...

Important News: The Behavior Club has new organizers! Kari Lavalli and Maria Abate are now in charge. Please contact them for more information.

2006

February 7 , 2006
Host: Ed Kravitz, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School.
Topic: "The Fruit Fly Fight Club."
Speakers: Yick-Bun Chan, Lulu Wang and Joanne Yew
Location: Room 177, 7 Divinity Ave, Cambridge.

March 7 , 2006
Host: Randy Buckner, Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University.
Topic: "How we remember and why we come to forget"
Location: Room 1550, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge.

April 4 , 2006
Host: Thomas Kunz, Department of Biology, Boston University.
Topic: "Behavior and Ecology of the Brazilian free-tailed Bats: A Paradigm for Assessing Ecological Impacts on Agroecosystems"
Location: Room BRB113, Biology Research Building at 5 Cummington St., Boston

May 27, 2006: 4th Annual Behavior Club Symposium in Woods Hole
Organizer: Gabi Gerlach, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole; Sponsored by MBL and BUMP
Announcement: click here; Program: click here
Location: Lillie Auditorium, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.

As in previous years, this symposium was again a great opportunity for students, postdocs, and faculty to present their work (short talks and posters) in an informal setting. With 20 talks, 10 posters and over 50 participants, we had a great meeting. Thanks to Gabi Gerlach and her students for the excellent organization!

June 6 , 2006
Host: Hans Hofmann, Bauer Center for Genomics Research, Harvard University.
Topic: "Molecules, Brains and Behavior: An Integrative Approach to Understanding Social Dominance."
Location: Room 211, 7 Divinity Ave, Cambridge.

2005

March 15 , 2005
Host: Maria Abate, College of General Studies, and Les Kaufman, Department of Biology, Boston University.
Topic: "Gender-bender oral fixations and other fish feeding behaviors: effects on habitat use and species interactions."
Location: Room BRB115, Biology Research Building at 5 Cummington St., Boston.

April 5 , 2005
Host: Earl Larson, Department of Biology, Northeastern University.
Topic: "Sex, violence and eating disorders: What can we learn from fish brains?"
Location: Room 412 Mugar Building, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston.

May 14, 2005: 3rd Annual Behavior Club Symposium in Woods Hole
Organizer: Gil Rosenthal, Department of Biology, Boston University; support is generously provided by BUMP
Announcement: click here; Program: click here
Location: Swope Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.

June 7 , 2005
Host: Irene Pepperberg, Brandeis University and Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.
Topic: "Cognition and Interspecies Communication in Grey Parrots"
Location: Fairchild Biochemistry, Room 177, 7 Divinity Ave., Cambridge.

2004

February 3 , 2004
Host: Ed Kravitz, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School.
Topic: "Aggression in female flies and genetic studies on the laying down of patterns of behavior in nervous systems."
Location: Room 336, Warren Alpert Bldg., Longwood Medical Area, Boston.

March 2 , 2004
Host: Hans Hofmann, Bauer Center for Genomics Research, Harvard University.
Topic: "Timescales of Plasticity in Brain and Behavior: A Genomic Approach."
Location: Room 177, 7 Divinity Ave, Cambridge.

April 6 , 2004
Host: Caroly Shumway, New England Aquarium and Boston University.
Topic: "How Habitat and Social Factors Shape Brain and Behavior."
Location: Howland Room, 2nd floor of the Aquarium.

May 1, 2004: 2nd Annual Behavior Club Symposium in Woods Hole
Organizer: Gil Rosenthal, Boston University Marine Program, MBL
Program: click here
Location: Candle House 104, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.

September 7 , 2004
Host: Michael Sorenson, Department of Biology, Boston University.
Topic: "The Behavior and Genetics of Speciation in Brood Parasitic Indigobirds."
Location: Room BRB113, Biology Research Building at 5 Cummington St., Boston

October 5 , 2004
Host: Jeff Stevens and Marc Hauser, Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
Topic: "Selfish Minds: Psychological Constraints on the Evolution of Animal Cooperation."
Location: Room 1550, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge

November 13, 2004, 9:00am - 5:30pm: Behavior Club Symposium
Local organizer: Barry Trimmer, Department of Biology, Tufts University
Program & Directions: click here
Location: Barnum Hall, Tufts University, Medford (MA)

This meeting was a great opportunity for students, postdocs, and faculty to present their work (short talks and posters) in an informal setting. Steven Reppert (U Mass Medical School) presented the keynote lecture on "Time-Compensated Sun Compass Navigation in Monarch Butterflies". We'll have another symposium next year, so stay tuned.

December 7 , 2004
Host: Becky Rosengaus, Department of Biology, Northeastern University.
Topic: "Ecological Immunology of Social Insects"
Location: Room 412 Mugar Building, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston.

2003

February 4, 2003
Host: Don O'Malley, Department of Biology, Northeastern University.
Topic: "Probing the Neural Basis of the Larval Zebrafish's Locomotive Repertoire using Optical Techniques" (Don O'Malley).
Location: Room 412, 414 Mugar Building (Biology Department), 360 Huntington Ave.

March 22, 2003: 1st Annual Behavior Club Symposium in Woods Hole
Organizer: Gil Rosenthal, Boston University Marine Program, MBL
Program: click here
Location: Candle House 104, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.

April 1, 2003
Host: James Traniello, Department of Biology, Boston University
Topic: "From Ecology to Society to Behavior: Neuroethology of Ants" (Marc Seid).
Location: Room 115, 5 Cummington Street, Boston.

May 6, 2003
Host: David Haig, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
Topic: "Prader-Willi Syndrome and the Evolution of Human Childhood."
Location: Room 001, Bauer Laboratory, 7 Divinity Ave., Cambridge.

June 3, 2003
Host: Naomi Pierce, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
Topic: "Life History Evolution in Lycaenid Butterflies: From Mutualism to Parasitism."
Location: Room 177, Fairchild Biochemistry, 7 Divinity Ave., Cambridge.

October 7 , 2003
Host: Fred Davis, Department of Biology, Northeastern University.
Topic: "Daily timing of locomotor activity in nocturnal rodents."
Location: 412 Mugar Life Sciences Building, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston.

November 4 , 2003
Host: Ayako Yamaguchi, Department of Biology, Boston University.
Topic: "Sexually distinct acoustic communication in birds and frogs "
Location: Room 109, 2 Cummington Street, Boston.

December 2 , 2003
Host: Bob Horvitz, Department of Biology, MIT.
Topic: Mark Alkema: "Tyramine and octopamine have distinct roles in C. elegans behavior"
Location: Room 181, Building 68, Cambridge.

2002

March 19, 2002
Host: Hans Hofmann, Bauer Center for Genomics Research, Harvard University
Topic: "Phenotypic Plasticity in Social Behavior: Mechanisms and Potential Consequences for Evolution"

April 9, 2002
Host: Klaus Miczek, Department of Psychology, Tufts University
Topic: "Aggressive Behavior in Mice: Genes, Monoamines and Behavioral Complexities".
Location: Psychology Building, 490 Boston Ave, 1st floor conference room.

April 30, 2002
Host: Ed Kravitz, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
Topic: "Fighting Lobsters and Fighting Fruit Flies: Model Systems for the Study of Aggression"

May 21, 2002
Host: Karen Warkentin, Department of Biology, Boston University
Topic: "Embryonic anti-predator defenses and the behavioral ecology of hatching in amphibians"

June 11, 2002
Host: Bob Horvitz, Department of Biology, MIT
Topics: "CREB and Octopamine in C. elegans" (Mark Alkema); "Modulation of Egg-laying by Environment and Experience" (Niels Ringstad).

October 1, 2002
Host: Michael Baum, Department of Biology, Boston University
Topic: "Olfactory Mechanisms Contributing to Mate Recognition in a Carnivore, the Ferret" (Sarah Woodley).
Location: Room 115, 5 Cummington Street, Boston.

December 3, 2002
Host: Marc Hauser, Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
Topic: "Vocal Behavior in the Cotton-Top Tamarin": 1. "Description and Analysis of Vocal Signals" (R. Egnor); 2. "Vocal Recognition" (C.T. Miller); 3. "Language Discrimination" (M.D. Hauser).
Location: Room 1550, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge.