Meetings & Courses Program

Crossroads of Biology

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Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior
June 25 - July 16, 2026

Key Dates
Application Deadline: April 13, 2026
Arrival: June 25th by 6pm EST
Departure: July 16th around 12pm EST

CSHL Courses are intensive, running all day and often including evenings and weekends; students are expected to attend all sessions and reside on campus for the duration of the course.

Instructors
Maria de la Paz Fernandez, Indiana University
Tingting Wang, Georgetown University
Jens Rister, University of Massachusetts Boston

See the roll of honor - who's taken the course in the past 

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Follow us on Twitter @cshlflycourse

Social Media Coordinator: Tyler Sizemore, University of West Virginia

This laboratory/lecture course is intended for researchers at all levels from beginning graduate students through established primary investigators who want to use Drosophila as an experimental system for nervous system investigation. This three-week course is designed to introduce students to a wide variety of topics and techniques, including the latest approaches for studying nervous system development, activity and connectivity, as well as complex behaviors and disease models.

Daily research seminars present comprehensive overviews of specific subfields of nervous system development or function or focus on state-of-the-art techniques and approaches in Drosophila neuroscience. Expert guest lecturers discuss their findings and approaches, and bring along their own assays and techniques for students to learn in the laboratory part of the course.

The hands-on portion of the course is centered on inquiry-based projects, utilizing the different morphological and physiological measurements and behavioral paradigms learned at the course. This includes molecular-genetic analyses, immunocytochemistry, recording of activity using electrophysiology and genetically encoded calcium indicators, optogenetic and thermogenetic control of neural activity, as well as numerous quantitative behavioral measures.

Collectively, the course will provide a comprehensive and practical introduction to modern experimental methods for studying the neural basis of behavior in Drosophila.

2026 Invited Speakers
Christa Baker, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 
Sarah Certel, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 
Megan Corty, University of Arizona, Tucson, OR 
Benjamin de Bivort, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 
Marc Freeman, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 
Stefanie Hampel, University of Puerto Rico - Medical School, San Juan, PR 
Elizabeth Heckscher, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States 
Cheng Huang, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO 
Lily Jan, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 
Yuh Nung Jan, University of California, San Francisco/HHMI, San Francisco, CA 
Oguz Kanca, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 
Justin Kumar, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 
Tim Mosca, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, United States 
Nara Muraro, IBioBA-CONICET-MPSP, Buenos Aires, Argentina 
Michael Reiser, HHMI / Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 
Andrew Seeds, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 
Orie Shafer, Indiana University Bloomington, Blooomington, IN 
Cale Whitworth, Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center, Bloomington, IN 
Nilay Yapici, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY


The course may be supported by funds provided by: National Institute of Neurological Diseases & Stroke and Howard Hughes Medical Institute

We would like to acknowledge the following companies that provided invaluable support:
ADInstruments, Inc, Andor Technology, Coherent Corp., Molecular Devices, Narishige International USA, Inc., Nikon Instruments Inc.,  Precision Motion Solutions | OEM Manufacturing | Engineering, Acuvi, Scientifica Ltd, Sutter Instrument, Sensapex, and ThorLabs Inc.

Funding is available for domestic and international students accepted to this course.

Stipends are available to offset tuition costs as follows-

       

Cost (including board and lodging): $6,255 USD

No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course.

Before applying, ensure you have:
  1. Personal statement/essay;
  2. Letter(s) of recommendation;
  3. Curriculum vitae/resume (optional);
  4. Financial aid request (optional).
    More details.

If you are not ready to fully apply but wish to express interest in applying, receive a reminder two weeks prior to the deadline, and tell us about your financial aid requirements, click below: