The next EARssentials course will be held July 19-23, 2021. We have not yet determined whether the course will be entirely virtual or will include some hybrid components. We will post a faculty list and class schedule in the late spring. Details below about the 2020 course will give you an idea of the content covered.
To participate in the 2021 EARssentials course, please e-mail Karen Fischer before July 10 to register.
Videos of the 2016 EARssentials lectures and Q&A sessions cover core content from the course and remain available for viewing online:
- Day 1 (Monday, 7/18/16): Course introduction. Introduction to the auditory system. Auditory mechanics and the traveling wave. History of auditory research.
- Day 2 (Tuesday, 7/19/16): Introduction to the vestibular system. Development of the inner ear. Spiral ganglion.
- Day 3 (Wednesday, 7/20/16): The stereocilia bundle and mechanotransduction. Hair cells/hair cell death/age-related hearing loss/protection.
- Day 4 (Thursday, 7/21/16): Hair cell regeneration. The hair cell synapse. Efferent regulation of auditory function.
- Day 5 (Friday, 7/22/16): Lateral line. Genetics of hearing loss. Clinical treatments. Introduction to gene profiling and bioinformatics.
Source: Ivan Rebustini, Ph.D.
Source: Benjamin Gersten
Source: Natalie Mosqueda
Join us for EARssentials 2020, to be held online July 20-24! EARssentials provides students with an overall conceptual view of the auditory system as well as exposure to laboratory techniques unique to research on the inner ear. In the seventh year of this free, week-long course, hosted and taught primarily by scientists at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all lectures will be conducted virtually.
The primary audience for this course is new intramural NIDCD trainees, including postdoctoral, graduate, postbaccalaureate, and summer students. Scientists from other institutions are welcome to attend as well. The course is also useful for others who want to learn about concepts related to the auditory system.
This year, due to our inability to congregate in person, we will flip the traditional classroom lecture model. Participants will individually watch archived lectures from the 2016 EARssentials course and then come together to participate in live virtual lunchtime discussions (Eastern time) with course faculty. There will not be a hands-on laboratory component in 2020, but there will be a virtual mouse genetics lab, and the week will end with a live panel that explores current treatments for hearing loss and the careers of some of the clinician-scientists at the NIDCD.
If you would like to participate in this year’s virtual EARssentials course, please e-mail Karen Fischer(link sends e-mail) before July 10 to register.
Course Schedule
Monday, July 20
Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern: Discussion session covering the following topics. To participate, watch the video on these topics prior to the discussion. Video source: 2016 EARssentials course.
- Course introduction.
- Introduction to the auditory system.
- Auditory mechanics and the traveling wave.
- History of auditory research.
Tuesday, July 21
Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern: Discussion session covering the following topics. To participate, watch the video on the vestibular system and development of the inner ear and the updated video on the spiral ganglion prior to the discussion. Video sources: 2016 and 2020 EARssentials courses.
- Introduction to the vestibular system.
- Development of the inner ear.
- Spiral ganglion.
Wednesday, July 22
Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern: Discussion session covering the following topics. To participate, watch the video on hair cell death and Part I video on mechanotransduction and the updated Part II video on mechanotransduction prior to the discussion. Video sources: 2016 and 2020 EARssentials courses.
- The stereocilia bundle and mechanotransduction.
- Hair cells/hair cell death/age-related hearing loss/protection.
Thursday, July 23
Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern: Discussion session covering the following topics. To participate, watch the video on hair cell regeneration, ion channel biology, and efferent regulation of auditory function and the updated video on the hair cell synapse prior to the discussion. Video sources: 2016 and 2020 EARssentials courses.
- Hair cell regeneration.
- The hair cell synapse/efferent regulation of auditory function.
2:00-5:30 p.m. Eastern: Live virtual laboratory session: Introduction to mouse genetics (registration required).
Friday, July 24
11:30 a.m.-noon Eastern: Discussion session covering the following topics. To participate, watch the video on these topics prior to the discussion. Video source: 2016 EARssentials course.
- Lateral line.
- Genetics of hearing loss.
- Clinical treatments.
- Introduction to gene profiling and bioinformatics.
Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern: Live clinical panel (registration required). The discussion will be driven by audience questions, but possible topics may include:
- The latest advances in the treatment of hearing loss.
- The unique rewards and challenges associated with a career as a clinician-scientist.
Related Topics
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