Sugar Stress and Sex

“So, apparently, putting ‘sex’ in the title really brings people out,” Ewan McNay joked as he opened the symposium “Sugar, Stress, and Sex: How Hormones Affect Cognition.” He was right, the room was packed, and everyone was there to hear the latest research on the effects of sugar (as in glucose), stress (as in glucocorticoids), and sex (as in estrodiol and progesterone) on the hippocampus and other regions of the brain. (more…)

The Writing Mind

There’s a phrase in Zen Buddhism—“beginner’s mind”: If you approach something in the attitude of someone with no ego, unburdened by the accumulated knowledge and assumptions that come with being an expert, you’ll get better results—no matter whether you’ve been actually doing that thing for a month or all your life.

Something like “beginner’s mind”—willingness to improve one’s writing and be influenced by great teachers of the craft—was one of the themes touched on by all four speakers in this afternoon’s workshop called “Perspectives on Scientific Writing.” (more…)

City Lights Bookstore

You say “San Francisco” and a lot of people think of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, or Fisherman’s Wharf. My own number-one destination, which turned out to be an easy 15-minute walk from the Marriott, was the famous City Lights Bookstore. Founded/owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and still associated with his Beat friends (Kerouac, Ginsburg, Burroughs, etc.), this gem is a must-visit for bookstore lovers.

Independent bookstores are getting harder and harder to find, especially decent-sized ones, and City Lights did not disappoint. Indeed it was no problem spending two hours (and a chunk of money) there. It is spread out over three floors. The main floor is mainly devoted to literature, the upper floor poetry (they were setting up for a reading when I was there so I couldn’t really explore those titles), and the science, politics, history, philosophy, etc. occupy the basement floor. The place has a really good mix of titles you won’t find at, say, Borders. As I was hoping, they had lots of smaller presses (including, of course, pretty much everything by their own City Lights imprint), as well as obscure literary and political journals–a real island of intellectual biodiversity.

- Eric Wargo

Convention Kickoff and Student Social

Hey Students, if you just got in and aren’t sure where to go out tonight, why don’t you head over to the Student Social at Jillian’s Billiards? It’s a great opportunity to get to know the APS Student Caucus and meet other students who share the same interests. The event will be held at 9pm just down the street from the hotel at 101 Fourth Street, Suite 1070.

Be sure to bring a valid ID and your APS Convention Badge.

Get Psyched!

Good Morning all! Registration is open from 7am to 9pm today. What’s on your itinerary? The morning starts off at 9 with 4 workshops, several Teaching Institute sessions, poster sessions, and symposia. Check back here regularly for recaps of these events from APS staff and convention attendees. 

So, grab your coffee and head down to your first talk, but most importantly let us know how your convention is going in the comments. Have a great day!

A Three Hour Tour

APS Staffer, Barbara Isanski, spent a few hours of her free time on the Deluxe San Francisco City Tour. Check out some of her pics!