June 2026 | LAMP Lab at RSA 2026 in San Antonio TX

The LAMP Lab traveled to San Antonio, Texas, June 20–24 for the 49th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA). It was a busy few days of sharing new findings, catching up with collaborators and friends, meeting researchers from across the field, and celebrating some very well-deserved honors.

Three students presented posters, two highlighted experimental cue conditioning work from our human laboratory and one presented collaborative neuroimaging work with the MU HNC:

  • Julian Aponte Zabala — “Limited Evidence for Alcohol Sensitivity Shaping Behavioral and ERP Responses to a Newly Conditioned Alcohol Cue”

  • Kayla Drifka — “Liking or WANTING? An fMRI Study of Neural Reactivity to Conditioned Alcohol Cues”

  • Robin Arnold — “Emotion Regulation in Alcohol-Nicotine Co-Use: A Functional Neuroimaging Investigation”

We were also excited to see several scientists connected to our team recognized by RSA this year.

Rueben Gonzales, Roberto’s undergraduate and graduate/PhD mentor, received RSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing more than four decades of contributions to alcohol research, mentorship, and service. Rueben played a formative role in Roberto’s personal and professional developmentand has had an enormous influence on his career. Roberto was especially proud to be among those who nominated Rueben for this very well-deserved recognition.

Denis McCarthy, a longtime colleague and informal mentor, received the Marlatt Mentorship Award, honoring his exceptional commitment to mentoring emerging alcohol researchers. It was also a great meeting for our colleagues at Mizzou and beyond. Mary Beth Miller received the Early Career Investigator Award and delivered her plenary address on sleep as a novel target in alcohol use disorder treatment, while Sarah Pedersen received the Dora Goldstein Distinguished in the Sciences Award, which recognizes excellent research on under-investigated problems in the field. We were lucky to get a photo bringing together Roberto, Denis, Sarah, Mary Beth, and Andrea Wycoff—a group connected not only by their work in alcohol research, but also by… Denis’s mentorship!

And, of course, RSA is about more than posters and presentations. This year marked Year 2 of the RSA Francophone Dinner, this time at San Antonio’s Mon Chou Chou. Good food, good company, and a chance to parler français with fellow researchers made it another meeting highlight.

Already looking forward to RSA 2027—and, bien sûr, au prochain dîner francophone. À l’année prochaine !