I just returned from a particularly excellent edition of the International Conference of Auditory Cortex. This meeting takes place every 3 years, and is a rare but unique opportunity for a worldwide gathering of scientists broadly interested in how we and other animals perceive sounds, and how the brain processes acoustic information. Over 4 very busy days, more than 300 of us listened to dozens of talks that together captured the current issues and big questions in the field, discussed our research over posters, and networked with old and new colleagues amidst the exceptional setting of the Canadian Rockie Mountains in Banff National Park. This was the first time I presented a poster on my mouse “love song” behaviour, to which Margaux contributed over the summer. I received encouraging and critical but useful feedback from my fellow researchers. This has boosted my motivation and curiosity, and I come back to the lab with plenty of new ideas and things to try!
Photo credit: Don Lee, The Banff Centre