On Thursday, May 16., Alina Steinemer successfully defended her PhD thesis, entitled "Investigating avian navigation: Magnetic sense, motor projections, and the role of nitric oxide in memory formation." In her thesis, Alina examined key aspects of bird navigation using pigeons as a model species known for their exceptional homing abilities. First, Alinas showed that pigeons cannot be conditioned to respond to magnetic stimuli, nor do their brains exhibit activity in hypothesized magnetically sensitive regions. This casts a dark shadow on pigeon magnetoperception. Alina then mapped neural pathways from the nidopallium caudolaterale, revealing highly organized motor projections vital for integrating navigational information. Finally, she researched the neurochemical underpinnings of avian navigation, by mapping the distinct distribution of nitric oxide-producing neurons, as a foundation for future research on its potential role in spatial learning and navigation.

Alina's defense was a full success, and the committee (consisting of Onur Güntürkün, Henrik Mouritsen, and Nikolai Axmacher) was thoroughly impressed, awarding Alinas great work with magna cum laude. Congratulations, Alina! We all are very proud of you. And we are happy, that your next journey does not take you so far away from here, but just to the lab of Nikolai Axmacher.