Februrary 27, 2026: Columbia, SC

The SCAND symposium is a free research conference that provides an opportunity for researchers across the state to learn about science targeting autism and neurodevelopmental disorders within South Carolina. Our annual meeting often includes:

• Regional speakers
• Invited speakers
• Poster session targeted for trainees (undergraduate and graduate students, staff, post-docs, etc.)
• Opportunities to network/socialize with researchers

Held at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Botanical Garden, 1300 Botanical Parkway, West West Columbia, SC 29169
Note - make sure to navigate to the Botanical Garden parking lot NOT the main zoo entrance. 

Registration 

You must register to attend this free research conference. Registration closed at end of day February 12, 2026. 
Please note: there is a separate link to upload abstracts (see below)

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Matthew Mosconi

Title:
Understanding the extreme variability in brain, cognitive and motor aging among FMR1 premutation carriers

Biography: Dr. Mosconi is a professor in the Clinical Child Psychology Department, director of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training and associate director of the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. His research is focused on cognitive and motor development in neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and fragile X-related conditions. Mosconi’s studies aim to understand biological factors that contribute to or predict the wide range of abilities and challenges experienced by individuals with these conditions. He completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a clinical internship at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He performed postdoctoral training in developmental cognitive neuroscience and pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where he also served as a faculty member. Mosconi then served on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center before moving to the University of Kansas. His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and many others.

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Research program: Dr. Mosconi's research examines sensorimotor, cognitive and brain development in autism spectrum and related intellectual/developmental disorders. He also currently is conducting studies on neurodegenerative disorders characterized by deterioration of sensorimotor skills, such as Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The aim of this research program is to determine the brain mechanisms that contribute to sensorimotor and cognitive impairments in developmental disorders. This knowledge then may be used for multiple purposes: 1) To identify new behavioral and brain targets for the development of more precise and effective therapeutic approaches; 2) To generate translational biobehavioral markers that can measured in clinical trials validating new treatment approaches, and; 3) To create biobehavioral measures that may assist in more reliable identification approaches. Dr. Mosconi's studies integrate quantitative behavioral measurements, neuropsychological assessment, and systems neuroscience techniques including functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), kinematic and kinetic analysis and oculomotor recording.

Agenda overview (Final)

• 8:30 am: Symposium Registration, Poster Set-up, and Continental Breakfast
• 8:55 am: Welcoming and Opening Remarks 
• 9:00 am: Opening Remarks
  
• 9:10 am: Updates from across the state (GGC, Clemson, MUSC, USC)
• 9:30 am: Symposia Session #1 on Anxiety- Part 1
• 10:30 am: Networking coffee break 
• 10:45 am: Symposia Session #2 on Anxiety - Part 2
• 11:45 pm: Lunch, poster session, & networking 
• 1:15 pm: New Investigator talks
• 2:30 pm: Networking afternoon break 
  
• 2:45 pm: Trainee talks 
• 3:30 pm: Keynote Speaker - Dr. Matt Mosconi
• 4:30 pm: Networking Happy Hour 
• 5:30 pm: Concluding Remarks

Symposium Topics

We are planning two symposium sections - one will feature new faculty to engage with institutions across the state. The other symposium will involve be thematically centered on anxiety. More details to come as we plan talks from faculty and trainees.  

Panel with new SCAND faculty will include talks from:

• Christin Schmidt (MUSC), Deciphering medulloblastoma tumorigenesis through the lens of brain development
• Svetlana Shinkareva (USC), From Hearing to Seeing and Thinking About Triggers: Physiological and Brain Responses in Misophonia
• Raajaram Gowrishankar (MUSC), Elucidating the role of neuropeptide signaling for motivated behavior
• Chad Rose (USC), Bullying, Behavior, and Disability: Evidence from School-Based Prevention Research
• Ashley Kalinski (USC), ​Immune mediated mechanisms of neural repair

Sessions on anxiety​ will include talks from:

• Lindsay McCary (USC), Anxiety in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Prevalence, Presentation, and Implications for Research and Treatment
• Zoe Rogers (USC)
• Mojtaba Norozi (USC), Physiological Regulation and Social Anxiety in Autistic Preschoolers
  
• Fiona Hollis & Susan Wood (USC), Gestational Stress and Its Impact on Maternal Postpartum Health and Offspring Social Communication
• Xiaolong Peng (MUSC), Managing Symptoms in Adolescents with ASD Using Transcutaneous Auricular Neurostimulation (tAN): A Pilot Clinical Trial​
  
• Stacey Cobb (USC/Prisma Health), Identification and treatment of anxiety
  
• Carrie Buchanon (GGC), Clinical Trials in Fragile X Syndrome

Research Posters and Trainees

All abstract submission is closed. Abstract submissions with consideration for a talk or award closed on January 15, 2025. Late-breaking abstracts closed on 2/13.

Abstracts should consist of a brief background, objective, method, results, and conclusion. You will be asked to paste your abstract into a open text field. 
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Any SCAND researcher and/or lab member (e.g., student, postdoc, staff) may submit an abstract.
SCAND faculty will review trainee abstracts and nominate top abstracts for awards.  

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Trainee talks

Congratulations to the trainees that have been selected to present their work as a talk!

Jennea Franklin (USC; Mentor: Jane Roberts)
Early Language and Effortful Control in Autism: Associations Beyond Nonverbal Cognitive Ability

Tyreek Jenkins (MUSC; Mentor: Hainan Lang)
Aging limits Mef2c-Dependent Peripheral Auditory Deficits Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sophie Cramer-Benjamin (USC; Mentor: Caitlin Hudac)
Associations between resting brain activity and caregiver-reported emotion dysregulation in autistic and non-autistic youth

Directions 

This meeting will be held at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Botanical Garden: 1300 Botanical Pkwy, West Columbia, SC 29169
More information on directions and parking, coming soon!

From Charleston, SC

• Take I-26 W until Exit 110 for US-378 E
• Turn right onto US-378 E / Sunset Blvd
• Turn left onto Botanical Pkwy

From Greenville or Greenwood, SC 

• Take I-26 E; when highway divides, continue in the right most lane on I-26 E. 
• Then, use 2nd from right lane to take exit toward US-278 E /Sunset Blvd
• Turn left onto Botanical Pkwy

Details about Columbia

Staying in Columbia? See the Columbia Visitor Guide as a starting point!