Date: Monday, October 20, 2025 Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Location: Seminar Room 3189Title: From Genes to Circuits: Spatial Learning and Decision Making In Fruit FliesAbstract: We study how genes and neural circuits control spatial learning and decision making in Drosophila. How animals navigate spatial learning tasks in environments lacking visual landmarks remains poorly understood. We use a high-throughput spatial learning task to investigate this question in Drosophila and found that Drosophila can simultaneously use self-generated olfactory cues and self-motion cues to learn a spatial goal under visually deprived conditions. We use Drosophila selection of egg laying site as a model to study how natural genetic variations shape the value-based decision making. While laboratory flies reject sucrose in favor of a plain substrate for laying eggs, a wild-caught African strain accepts sucrose. We identified the genes, neurons, and circuit that underlie the strain differences in behavior, illustrating how subtle gene regulatory polymorphisms reshape neural computations to drive adaptive variation in decision-making.Bio: Rebecca Yang is currently Associate Professor at Duke University in the Department of Neurobiology. She obtained her PhD from Stanford University studying mechanisms governing planar cell polarity in the Drosophila compound eye. She conducted her postdoctoral training in UCSF, where she used Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes. In her own lab, she investigates how genes and circuits, including natural genetic variations, control learning and decision making combining various high-throughput behavioral assays with transcriptomic, optogenetic, and in vivo imaging approaches.

Speaker: Kate Gilbert, Executive Director Boston Public Art TriennialRespondent: Garnette Cadogan, Tunney Lee Distinguished Lecturer in Urbanism, MITThis is part of the CDD / LCAU lunchtime lecture series. Lunch will be served

"Who bears climate change damages? Evidence from the gig economy"| Anna Papp (MIT) (joint with Development)

Anna Papp (MIT)

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu