From 3 to 9 September, the University of Pisa hosted the Sensory Neuroscience – NEUROBRIDGE Summer School, an interdisciplinary programme focused on the core principles of multisensory and motor integration, alongside cutting-edge research methods in neuroscience. Directed by Professor Paola Binda, the Summer School was aimed at students enrolled in Master’s Degree courses in the field of neuroscience, offering an overview of the wide range of research projects currently underway in the field and their many frontier challenges.
It welcomed 30 participants from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, representing diverse academic backgrounds, from biology and psychology to engineering and medicine. Among them were six students from universities in the Circle U. Alliance, which brings together nine European institutions: Aarhus, Belgrade, Berlin, King’s College London, Oslo, Paris, Pisa, UCLouvain and Vienna. As in the 2023 edition, the School was co-organised with Professor Martin Rolfs of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence. Professor Olivier Collignon of UCLouvain also took part, meaning three Circle U. institutions were involved. With the support of the TNE “NEUROBRIDGE” project led by the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, five students from the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney also joined the initiative.
“We had the privilege of sharing our passion for research with a large group of lecturers and students from highly diverse backgrounds, skills and interests,” said Professor Paola Binda. “Through the study of perception, we can address some of the most fundamental questions about how the mind and brain work—from the role of expectations and biases to how we make decisions on the basis of incomplete and uncertain information.”
The intensive programme, held at the Gipsoteca of Ancient Art of the University of Pisa, included lectures by faculty members from leading Italian (University of Pisa, University of Florence, IIT Genoa, SISSA Trieste, IMT Lucca, CNR Pisa) and international (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Northeastern University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ghent University, UCLouvain, University of Sydney) institutions. Activities were coordinated by Miriam Acquafredda, postdoctoral researcher at PisaVisionLab of the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery.
Participants also visited the Scuola IMT Alti Studi in Lucca for an overview of its ongoing research, the “Filippo Civinini” Museum of Anatomy with a guided tour by Professor Gianfranco Natale, and the Botanical Garden and Museum, where the official welcome was held. They also spent a full day at the Imago7 Centre and the Fondazione Stella Maris, to experience first-hand the cutting-edge research carried out there, including ultra-high-field MRI scanning at Imago7 Centre.
The lecturers at the Summer School praised the students’ engagement and skills, while the participants expressed their appreciation, as reflected in this anonymous evaluation: “The Summer School was a wonderful blend of science and learning. The lectures were extremely engaging, and the schedule gave just enough time to appreciate the beauty of Pisa. Meeting people from diverse backgrounds turned every break into a chance to learn something new, and the welcoming atmosphere made it even more special.”
The next edition of this scientific and educational adventure is scheduled for 2027.
