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Seminars and Events

The FIU TENS program hosts a number of events for the purpose of scientific collaboration in deepening our understanding of interactions between the brain and the environment.

Whiteboard showcase

2026 TENS Annual Symposium

Date: May 1, 2026
Time: 9:00am - 5:30pm, doors open at 8:30am 
Location: Graham Center, GC 150

Seminar Series

Our Neuroscience Speaker Series is a collaboration with experts from institutions across the world. The seminars provide a glimpse into the impactful research being conducted to examine the interactions between the brain and the environment.

Upcoming Speakers
01/15/2026Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay
University of Texas		SLC30A10 and Manganese: Genetic Risk Pathways to Parkinsonism
01/22/2026Ulrike Dydak
Purdue University		Advanced Neuroimaging to study the risk of Manganese Toxicity in Welders
01/29/2026Sean Clouston
Stony Brook University		Fine particulate exposures at the WTC: What do we know and what can we know?
03/1/2026Michael D. Wasserman 
Indiana University Bloomington
Examining Relationships between Endocrine-Active Chemicals and Primates from Ecological and Evolutionary Perspectives

 

 

Past Events

Please see below for recaps of previous events hosted by FIU TENS or held in collaboration with other institutions.

  • 2025 TENS Retreat

    TENS Retreat 2025

    Date: October 7, 2025
    Location: AHC5 500

    The TENS retreat offers the unique opportunity for fellows to work with mentors and get involved with the presentation of research.

    View Schedule

    9 - 9:15 a.m.
    Coffee and a light breakfast

    9:15 - 9:30 a.m.
    Welcome Introductions - SCOPE of TENS, Dr. Timothy Allen

    TENS Fellows - Research Updates
    Format: 10-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A

    9:30 - 9:45 a.m.
    Alcides Lorenzo Gonzalez (postdoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Timothy Allen

    9:45 - 10 a.m.
    Alex Rodicjkin (postdoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Tomás Guilarte

    10 -10:15 a.m.
    Carlos Otero (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Jorge Riera

    10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
    Nicole Blum (predoc)
    Mentors: Drs. Kim Tieu and Jason Richardson

    10:35 - 10:45 a.m.
    Jennifer Chavez (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Adam Carrico


    New TENS Fellows - Presentations

    10:45 - 10:55 a.m.
    Somaiyeh Azmoun (postdoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Roberto Lucchini

    10:55 - 11:05 a.m.
    Sarah Hardin (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Tomás Guilarte

    11:05 - 11:15 a.m.
    Ruth Marquez (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Roberto Lucchini

    11:15 - 11:25 a.m.
    Andy Tavel (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Yuan Li

    11:25 - 11:35 a.m.
    Freeman Lewis (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Roberto Lucchini

    11:35 - 11:45 a.m.
    Madilyn Dungan (predoc)
    Mentor: Dr. Tomás Guilarte

    11:45 - Noon
    General Discussion

    Noon - 12:30 p.m.
    Orientation for new fellows, Dr. Roberto Lucchini
    TENS activities, 2025-26, Dr. Timothy Allen

    12:30 - 1 p.m.
    Advisory Board Feedback

  • 2025 TENS Symposium

    Bridging the Gap: Understanding Environmental Impacts on Brain Health
    Date and Time: March 21, 2025, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Format: Hybrid
    Location: Graham Center (GC) 150

    Target Audience

    Researchers, healthcare professionals, students in neuroscience or environmental sciences, policymakers and industry representatives.

    Workshop Objectives

    • Understand how environmental exposures influence brain development, function and disorders.
    • Foster interdisciplinary collaboration and solutions for mitigating neurotoxic impacts.

    Sponsorship

    This training program in environmental neuroscience is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number T32ESO33955.

    For a PDF version of the schedule, please view our agenda.

  • Past Seminar Series Speakers
    DateSpeakerTitleHome Institution
    April 14, 2025Davide Marotta, Ph.D.Neurodegeneration and neuroscience studies on the International Space Station (ISS)International Space Station National Laboratory
    April 7, 2025Luca Lambertini, Ph.D.Placental Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Burden: A Key Mediator of Metal Exposure Effects on Fetal Growth and Neurodevelopment?Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
    February 17, 2025Annie Ciernia, Ph.D.Early-Life Gut Inflammation Drives Sex-Dependent Shifts in the Microbiome-Endocrine-Brain AxisUniversity of British Columbia
    April 25, 2024Marc Weisskopf, Ph.D.Exploring early origins of cognitive decline: The St. Louis Baby Tooth StudyHarvard TH Chan School of Public Health
    November 30, 2023Donald SmithAttention Deficit Disorder and Developmental Manganese Exposure: Mechanisms and Therapeutic TreatmentUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
    March 13, 2023Michael Fanselow, Ph.D.When and Why Does Adaptive Defensive Behavior Become MaladaptiveUniversity of California, Los Angeles