SfN Spotlight

• Check Out BrainFacts.org — A New Public Site About the Brain

  BrainFacts.org, a public information initiative of The Kavli Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and the Society for Neuroscience, features nearly 1,000 articles and images about the brain and nervous system. Learn more about BrainFacts.org and use these resources in your public outreach for your community and the classroom.

• Now Open: Brain Awareness Video Contest

  Have a great story for communicating brain research to the public? The Brain Awareness Video Contest is an opportunity to share the wonders of the brain and mind with the public in a creative video that is five minutes or less. The first-place winner will be awarded $1,000 and a trip to Neuroscience 2012 in New Orleans. Submissions due: June 11.

• Last Chance: Apply for the Distinguished Traveling Scientist Program

  Up to $2,000 in funding is available to chapters interested in inviting a prominent neuroscientist to share their knowledge and research with chapter members. Visit the SfN Chapter Awards and Grants Web page for further details about the new Distinguished Traveling Scientist Program. Applications must be submitted to chapters@sfn.org by May 14.

Membership & Chapters

• Vote for SfN Leadership in 2012 Election — Opening May 16

  Look for an e-mail from Survey and Ballot Systems with an invitation to vote in the 2012 election for President-Elect, Treasurer-Elect, Secretary-Elect, and two Councilors. The e-mail contains your member ID number, login password, and a link to the voting Web site, where you will find biographical information for each candidate. The voting system is completely confidential. Cast your ballot by June 3 at 5 p.m. EDT.

• Deadline Extended: Apply to Organize a Professional Development Workshop

  The Chapter Grant for Professional Development Workshops supports chapters with up to $2,000 in grants to organize workshops addressing the career development needs of their local neuroscience community. Visit the program page for guidelines and application forms. Applications are due June 1.

Education & Advocacy

• U.S. House Approves FY2013 NSF Funding

  The House of Representatives approved Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations legislation recommending $7.3 billion for NSF in FY2013 by a 247-163 vote. The bill increases NSF funding by $299 million over FY2012. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its own CJS appropriations bill, recommending $7.2731 billion for NSF, $240 million above the FY2012 enacted level.

• Brain Awareness Week Travel Award: Call for Nominations

  Apply for the Brain Awareness Week Travel Award, which recognizes an undergraduate student for significant public outreach contributions. The award, sponsored by SfN and the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, is open to students presenting a poster at Neuroscience 2012 in Theme H: History, Teaching, Public Awareness, and Societal Impacts in Neuroscience. Nomination deadline: May 20.

• U.S. Advocacy: How Much NIH Funding Goes to Your State?

  Updated factsheets on state-by-state NIH funding are now available on SfN.org. Take factsheets to meetings with lawmakers and their staff or share when hosting a lab tour. Check out the Guide to Public Advocacy for tips on communicating the importance of biomedical research to elected officials, the press, and the general public.

Professional Development

• Nominate an Early-Career Colleague for the Lindsley Prize

  Recognize a young neuroscientist’s outstanding 2011 PhD thesis in the general area of behavioral neuroscience by nominating him or her for the Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience. The prize includes $2,500 as well as travel and registration support for Neuroscience 2012. Nominations due: May 18.

• Last Chance: Apply for the Neuroscience Scholars Program

  A three-year professional development fellowship for underrepresented diverse undergraduate and graduate students in the United States is available through the Neuroscience Scholars Program. Recipients receive an annual stipend for enrichment activities outside their home institution, support for SfN annual meeting travel and registration expenses, ongoing mentoring, and complimentary SfN membership. Read the NINDS diversity definitions to see who qualifies as a diverse trainee. Application deadline: May 18.

• Use SfN’s New Web Portal for Neuroscience Educators

  Looking for videos, lab exercises, syllabi, and other resources for teaching neuroscience? Search the new Educational Resources in Neuroscience Web portal. Visit erin.SfN.org to search for and contribute teaching resources.

• Is it Plagiarism? Join the NeurOnLine Discussions

  Are your research findings accurately used and properly cited in the online world? Members are currently sharing their experiences, concerns, and advice about this topic on NeurOnLine. Recent threads include ideas to help if you suspect that you’ve been plagiarized or you are concerned about having published research under different versions of your name. Join these conversations now, found in NeurOnLine’s Postdoctoral Trainees community.

Annual Meeting

• Browse the Neuroscience 2012 Scientific Program

  Visit the Neuroscience 2012 Web site to learn about the cutting-edge science that scientists will present during Neuroscience 2012 featured and special lectures.

• Help a Student or Postdoctoral Fellow Attend Neuroscience 2012

  Each chapter may nominate one outstanding graduate student and one postdoctoral trainee for the Chapter Travel Awards. The award provides a stipend to defray travel expenses and complimentary registration to the SfN annual meeting. Awardees are chosen based on the scientific merit of the abstract, evidence of outreach activities, and letters of nomination. All travel award applications must be submitted by June 1 to chapterawards@sfn.org. Visit the SfN Awards page for further details.

• Pain, Transcriptomics, and Imaging: 2012 Neurobiology of Disease Workshop and Short Courses

  Don’t miss the training opportunities available at Neuroscience 2012. Learn from leading experts on persistent pain, the 2012 topic for the Society’s Neurobiology of Disease Workshop. Two short courses will focus on transcriptomics, and MRI and advanced imaging. Include one of these training events in your Neuroscience 2012 plans. They will be held on Friday, October 12 before the annual meeting begins. Registration opens July 11.

• Use Nearly 150 Categories to Browse Neuroscience 2011 Exhibitors

  The online list of Neuroscience 2011 vendors is broken down by nearly 150 unique product categories on My Neuroscience Marketplace. Search the database by exhibitor name, booth number, or keyword. Neuroscience 2012 vendor information will be available in July.

Across the Field

• The 16th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies focused on exploring breakthroughs in neurology will be held in Stockholm, September 8–11. Read about the 2012 Congress workshops, special sessions, and teaching workshops in the preliminary program online. Early registration deadline: June 18.

• Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) has issued a request for applications for a grant to advance understanding of infantile spasms (IS). CURE is looking for applicants that explore cutting-edge approaches to biomarker and model development that could lead to IS cures or therapies. CURE will fund several projects up to $5 million over three years. Letters of intent are due June 27 and those invited to apply will be notified in August.

• The 30th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research, August 25–29 in Queenstown, New Zealand, will promote interaction between academic and clinical brain research disciplines. Speakers will cover topics such as distinct neurogenetic cell population in the hippocampus and the glutamatergic model of psychoses. Early registration and abstract submission close July 13.

• The third biannual Bevill Conference on Glial Biology in Medicine will be hosted by the Center for Glial Biology in Medicine at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, November 5–6. A panel of international experts will speak on topics including glial axonal interactions, glial neuronal interactions, and glia and neurological disease. Submit abstracts by October 12 and register online.