World Meeting: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Welcome to Minneapolis and the XVII Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression

About the logo →  

Local Organizer
Michael Potegal

Meeting Coordinator
Kelli Clement

Program Committee: 
Caroline Blanchard
Brad Bushman
Marina Butovskaya
Yvon Delville
Jozsef Haller
Roger Johnson
Barbara Krahe
Menno Kruk
Simha Landau
Manuela Martinez
Steve Maxson
Mike Potegal

Meeting Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday, 7/25
2 pm: Registration at Radisson Hotel*
5 pm – 7 pm: Opening reception at Weisman Art Museum, music by The Usual Suspects jazz combo
Registration available at the reception*

Wednesday, 7/26
8 am: Greetings by UM officials
8:30 am: Plenary 1 Laura Baker
9 am: Scientific sessions X 3
12 pm: Lunch: Coffman Union food concessions
1 pm: Scientific sessions X3
4 pm – 6 pm: Poster sessions 1 & 2** & cash bar
6 pm: Cuisine affinity groups: Guided dining experiences with local attendees to facilitate socialization

Thursday, 7/27
8:30 am: Plenary 2 Mia Bloom
9 am: Scientific sessions X 3
12 pm: Lunch: Coffman Union food concessions
1 pm: Scientific sessions X 3
4 pm: Caroline Blanchard's presidential address
5 pm: Business Meeting
7:30 pm – 9 pm: Adrian Raine Public lecture including Q&A

Friday, 7/28
8:30 am: Plenary 3 Emil Cocarro
9 am: Scientific sessions X 3
12 pm – 2:30 pm: Grants Workshop with representatives from NSF, NIMH, NICHHD, HFG ***
Free Afternoon
6 pm: Banquet XVII Historic Wabasha St. Caves, St. Paul, AWARDS & SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT

Saturday, 7/29
8:30 am: Plenary 4 Dean Pruitt
9 am: Scientific sessions X 3
12 pm: Lunch off-site only
1 pm: Scientific sessions X 3
6pm: Optional post-meeting events, e.g. Mississippi paddleboat ride, St. Paul Saints baseball game, theater, music. To be arranged.

* Subsequent registration at Coffman Union meeting site
** Two consecutive 1 hr sessions during which poster authors are required to be at poster
*** National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Individual post-session appointments can be made with agency representatives. (more info) [link to Special Features of the Meeting page to be created below]

Scientific Program

As is typical for an ISRA meeting, a broad range of biological, psychological and social topics and issues related to aggression will be presented. Because issues of aggression cross academic discipline boundaries, we are making an effort to reach out across disciplines while maintaining the scientific integrity of the presentations. Please note that as presentations are added to the schedule, the details of the scientific program may change.  We strongly suggest checking this website periodically for updates and changes. 

Plenary Addresses

Each morning of the meeting will begin with a plenary address.  A plenary address that is open to the public will also be given on Thursday evening.  Speakers and topics are as follows:

Wednesday, 7/26: Laura Baker, Risk factors for antisocial behavior: Genes and environment
Thursday, 7/27 AM: Mia Bloom, Understanding motivations for suicide terrorism
Thursday, 7/27 PM: Adrian Raine, Lombroso’s legacy: Violence, brain mechanisms, and moral responsibility (Public lecture)
Friday, 7/28: Emil Cocarro, Biology and treatment of impulsive aggressive behavior in humans
Saturday, 7/29: Dean Pruitt, Intergroup escalation and its remedies

Symposia scheduled to date

The Comparative Genetics of Aggression: Focus on MAO and Serotonin
Wednesday (7/26) morning (to follow Laura Baker’s plenary address) 
Organizer: Steve Maxson
Jean Shih, MAO Variants and aggression in mice
Andrew Holmes, 5HT Variant and aggression in mice
Dee Higley, MAOA Variants and aggression in monkeys
Elizabeth Prom, MAOA Variants and aggression in humans

Anger expression, behavior and physiology: Recent research, current findings and new models   
Wednesday (7/26) afternoon
Organizer & discussant: Mike Potegal
Gerhard  Stemmler, A streetcar named anger: Antecedents, mechanisms, goals
Julie Hubbard, Anger and aggression in children
Eddie Harmon-Jones, Varieties of anger and their relationships to asymmetrical frontal cortical activity
Ray Novaco, Anger dysregulation and its treatment

President's Address

Caroline Blanchard 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Thursday, 7/27 PM

Special Features of the Meeting

Coffee Break
A daily coffee break between the plenary address and scientific sessions each morning will include coffee, tea, juice, pastries and fruit.

Grants Workshop
Friday (7/28) 12 pm – 2:30 pm
A new feature of the meeting will be a "Grants Workshop" to be held by representatives of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. These representatives will review substantive rather than procedural issues, e.g., current areas of funding interest in their respective agencies, what counts as "translational research" in aggression, upcoming PA's and RFA's, what's hot and what's not. This workshop will include a period for audience Q&A. Written material from the Violence Prevention Branch of the Center for Disease Control may also be available.

PLEASE NOTE: Individual half-hour consultations with representatives following the workshop (2:30-5:00 PM) can be pre-arranged before the meeting or through sign-up sheets at the meeting. Interested parties should e-mail Mike Potegal (poteg001@umn.edu), indicating the agency representative(s) you would like to meet.

Publishers' Table

7/26-7/28
The University of Minnesota Bookstore will provide a cross-disciplinary display of recent books on anger and anger management, aggression, conflict and conflict resolution, violence and violence prevention, and associated topics. Some relevant books by ISRA plenary speakers, University of Minnesota faculty and other attendees will also be displayed. A bookstore representative will answer questions and handle sales at a convenient time slot and location each day, Wednesday thru Friday (e.g., at the Wednesday PM poster sessions; a schedule of slots and locations will be available at the meeting). At other times, the books can be examined at the publisher’s table near the meeting rooms. At all times, books can be purchased at a special ISRA meeting display in the bookstore itself in the lower level of the Coffman Union during the summer business hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Meeting discounts up to 20% may be offered, depending on the publisher.

Business Meeting/Awards

Thursday, 7/27: 4:30 pm – 6 pm
Information about the John P. Scott Award for lifetime achievement and awards for excellence in presentation at this meeting will posted at this site.

Social Events

Opening Reception
The Opening Reception will be held on Tuesday, 7/25, from 5 pm – 7 pm, at the Frank Gehry designed Weisman Art Museum [http://wam.umn.edu/] on the east bank of the Mississippi River. Enjoy beer, wine, and soft drinks, hors d’oeuvres and conversation, all set to the swinging tunes of John Jensen and the Usual Suspects jazz combo. Renew old friendships and make new ones as you stroll among the art galleries.

You can also pick up your meeting registration packet or pay for on-site/late registration.

Cuisine Affinity Groups
Meet new colleagues over dinner! Wednesday, 7/26

Minneapolis features restaurants of many different cuisines, e.g., Afghani, Argentine, Caribbean/Spanish, Chinese, Ethiopian, French, German, Greek, Indian, Italian, Iranian, Japanese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Mongolian, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as seafood, steakhouses, vegetarian and good ol’ American soul food and barbecue. On Wednesday evening, 7/26, after the first full day of the meeting, we will facilitate social contact by organizing expeditions to these restaurants.

Meet folks who share your taste in food (and who knows what else). Student guides will make suggestions, hand out maps, and call taxis. Local faculty and students will be asked to go along and act as guides on what’s good and what’s great on the menus. (For a general review of Twin Cities restaurants, see www.twincitiesdiningguide.com or www.citypages.com/restaurants).

Laboratory Tours
The possibility of lab tours with local researchers is being explored.

Lunch Options
An extensive food court on ground level of the Coffman Memorial Union features bagel, pizza, sandwich, and hot food concessions. There is an upscale (and more expensive) menu at the Campus Club on the 4th floor of Coffman. The food court will be open 7 AM-5 PM weekdays throughout the meeting. For lunch on Saturday, when the food court will not be open, a  5-10 minute walk east along Washington Ave will bring you to food choices including bagel and noodle shops, 3 pizzerias and 3 “submarine” sandwich shops as well as Chinese, Mexican, 2 Thai, 2 Vietnamese and 3 American restaurants.

Free afternoon
Fri 7/28
Check tourism and recreation section for suggested indoor and outdoor activities.

Banquet XVII
Historic Wabasha St. Caves, St. Paul, Friday, 7/28

Explore the criminal mentality in a unique dining experience wholly befitting a professional meeting on aggression. Price includes bus transportation, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, buffet dinner with vegetarian option, awards, and SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT!