In the beginning of March the LIGHTCAP project organized a 3-day training event featuring numerous lectures on topics ranging from research techniques to application; the program is shown below. International experts spoke about measurement methods and tools -fMRI-based to field studies – and how they can be utilized. For example, in one of the more interactive lectures, the fellows were challenged to recognize specific sleep stages in polysomnography recordings. In addition, we had speakers working in a clinical setting or in the industry. These speakers shared their insights on a number of topics, including the diagnosis of sleep disorders and the marketing of health-related products.
The entire event took place online, even the fun escape room challenge for the fellows and PIs afterwards. This online organization made it possible for people outside of the LIGHTCAP consortium to join the lectures as well. Across the three days, we saw a large number of attendees. Of course all 15 ESRs and many of their mentors were present, but with a running average of over 40 participants per lecture also many attendees from elsewhere participated. Although there was room for questions after each talk, curiosity of our junior researchers was clearly raised and they voiced a clear desire for more. Additional in-depth discussions between the fellows and speakers are now being arranged and we look forward to the next training session.