March 11, 2025
From left to right: Torsten Wiesel, Carla Shatz, Marla Feller, and Anna Vlasits. Photo credit: Zoë Lieberman.
On March 3, 2025, four generations of neuroscientists from the same academic family tree discussed how neuroscience research has evolved over time at a packed event held at UC Berkeley, sponsored by the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI).
“Neuroscience Through the Generations: A Dialogue Among Four Generations of the Same Neuro-family Tree” featured Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel (The Rockefeller University), HWNI co-founder Carla Shatz (Stanford University), HWNI member Marla Feller (UC Berkeley), and Berkeley Neuroscience PhD alum and new Assistant Professor Anna Vlasits (University of Illinois).
Wiesel had mentored Shatz, who mentored Feller, who mentored Vlasits, making for a unique conversation between four generations in the same scientific lineage about research in their field. Shatz also noted how diversity in science has increased compared to when she started her career, and the importance of having three generations of women in this “neuro family”.
From left to right: HWNI director Ehud Isacoff, Torsten Wiesel, Carla Shatz, Marla Feller, and Anna Vlasits. Photo credit: Zoë Lieberman.