History/Admin

Previous programs

AANRI 2005 ACAN 2006 ACAN 2007 ACAN 2008 ACAN 2009 ACAN 2010 ACAN 2011

New Ownership of ACAN

On 29 January 2009, the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) formally took over responsibility for ACAN from the Finkel Foundation.

As Alan Finkel, founder of ACAN, commented in a press release: "By becoming part of ANS, the Course will benefit from continuity, mentoring, networking, awareness and prestige. Since the course exists for the benefit of the Australian neuroscience community it makes sense for that community, through ANS, to be given ownership of the Course."

The ANS Council will now be responsible for the future of ACAN. The Council will be assisted by an ACAN management committee.

An Interview with Alan Finkel on the transfer of ACAN to ANS is available here.

ACAN-ANS Management Committee

Professor Jacqueline Phillips, Macquarie University, Sydney

Establishment History
Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN)

After completing his Ph.D at Monash University and a postdoctoral fellowship at The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Alan Finkel established Axon Instruments, Inc., in 1983 to develop and manufacture instruments and software for neuroscientists worldwide. In 2004, Axon was acquired by Molecular Devices Corporation. This gave Alan the opportunity to contribute something special to the Australian Neuroscience community in recognition of his training as a neuroscientist in Australia and the groundwork this laid for the founding of Axon. The idea of establishing an advanced training course for young neuroscientists early in their career emerged from discussions Alan had with his wife Elizabeth Finkel and a fellow trustee on the Finkel Foundation, David Copolov.

During his years with Axon, Alan had many opportunities to visit the summer neurobiology courses held at Woods Hole and Cold Spring Harbor in the US, and he saw first-hand how valuable these intense courses were for both the students and the instructors. There was no equivalent course available in Australia, despite the strength of Australian neuroscience research, an oversight that Alan, Elizabeth and David thought could be and should be rectified.

After receiving encouragement from Steve Redman and others, Alan and Steve approached several of their colleagues to establish the inaugural Course Management Committee. Because the intention from the outset was to make this a widely available course it was decided to include a representative from each state that has an active neuroscience research program. The first meeting of the Committee was held in June 2004. The founding members were:

Alan Finkel (Foundation)
David Adams (QLD)
David Copolov (Foundation)
Elizabeth Finkel (Foundation)
Fred Mendelsohn (VIC)
George Paxinos (President, ANS)
James Vickers (TAS)
Judy Morris (SA)
Lyn Beazley (WA)
Peter Schofield (NSW)
Steve Redman (ACT)

The initial Committee meetings in 2004 made key decisions about long-term aspects of the course. For example, it was decided not to hold the course at a campus of a major university in a capital city so that the course would not become closely associated with a particular university or city. Further, it was felt that the course would be more enjoyable and that it would be easier for students and instructors to concentrate intensely if the course were to be located at a “getaway” spot. Initially, Heron Island was considered but there were too many practical difficulties. After considering several alternatives there was unanimous agreement that North Stradbroke Island was ideal. Crucial to this decision was the fact that the University of Queensland has a marine biological research facility there that they were kindly willing to rent to the course. Difficult decisions were made about when (April), how long (three weeks) and how big (12 students) the course should be.

The Committee unanimously decided to invite Steve Redman to be the inaugural course director, a job that he enthusiastically and capably undertook for two years (2005 and 2006). In this role Steve was ably supported by deputy director (in 2006) John Bekkers, senior course instructors Pankaj Sah, Joe Lynch, Greg Stuart and James Vickers, lab manager Garry Rodda,and course administrator Christine Hirst.

The first course in 2005 was judged by students and instructors alike to be a great success and the Committee committed to running the course annually from then on. After two years at the helm, Steve Redman retired as the course Director. The Committee invited John Bekkers to assume this role for 2007 and was delighted that John accepted.

The course would not be possible without several categories of supporters.

1) Universities. The Australian National University (Division of Neuroscience, The John Curtin School of Medical Research) and the University of Queensland (School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Queensland Brain Institute) have helped in numerous ways. The University of Tasmania has also provided assistance. Staff have contributed enormous amounts of their time to the planning and running of the course, and have provided equipment and lab supplies on an emergency basis.

2) Manufacturers that lend equipment. Various companies make the course possible and continue to do so by lending equipment ranging from microscopes to patch clamp amplifiers. This equipment is extremely expensive and there is no way that the course could operate without this generous support. The names of these companies are listed elsewhere on this web site.

3) Foundations and companies that provide scholarship assistance. Several foundations and companies have provided grants and scholarships, respectively. This funding is the lifeblood of the course and is much appreciated. The names of these foundations and companies are listed elsewhere on this web site.

4) Peak bodies. The Australian Neuroscience Society and the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand provide fee and travel support for some of the students, thereby significantly easing the financial burden for these students or their supporting laboratories.

5) Instructors. All the instructors donate their time for free. For many this is a massive commitment, not only involving several days or weeks at the course but also considerable time spent in preparation. The success of the course is dependent on the expertise and generosity of these instructors, who come from all round Australia and New Zealand, as well as other countries such as the USA and UK.

6) Professional advisors. We have been fortunate that legal and accounting advice has been provided pro bono for the establishment and auditing of the course.

The course program has evolved each year, with a strong emphasis on electrophysiology and an increasing contribution of fluorescence imaging. The past programs from every year of the course are available for download from this web site.

Since its establishment, turnover in the Course Management Committee has been low. Glenda Halliday, then David Vaney, took over the ex officio position from George Paxinos when each became President of the Australian Neuroscience Society, and Ian Gibbins (SA) took over from Judy Morris in 2007. In recognition of the active participation of New Zealand students in the course since its inception, in 2007 Cliff Abraham and Johanna Montgomery were welcomed as New Zealand representatives on the Committee.

Foundation Goals of ACAN

• Teach advanced experimental approaches and techniques in modern neurosciences to talented doctoral students and beginning independent scientists.
• Educate students in the fundamental theoretical principles that underpin modern neurosciences.
• Inspire students with the excitement and opportunities afforded by an ongoing research career in neurosciences.
• Give faculty an intense forum in which to cross-fertilize their specialized knowledge with their faculty peers.

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