December 2019

NeuroAdvocate Challenge: December 2019 Challenges

Sign up today to join fellow advocates in SfN’s NeuroAdvocate Challenge. Join in advocacy activities alongside SfN through December 2020. Participants will be recognized and can enter a drawing to attend the 2021 SfN Capitol Hill Day.

Start or continue your NeuroAdvocate efforts this December by:

• Emailing your Representative and Senators to introduce yourself as a constituent, a researcher, and someone interested in talking to them about brain research.
• Encouraging a colleague or friend to sign up for SfN’s Advocacy Network Newsletter & Alerts.
• Posting a video of yourself on social media challenging other NeuroAdvocates to participate in the challenge. When posting, make sure to use the hashtag #NeuroAdvocate.

Make sure to record any completed activities, including those completed in November, for recognition.

Federal News Roundup

• Lawmakers are working to complete appropriations bills before the Dec. 20 deadline.
• NIH is seeking feedback on a draft data management and sharing policy that is likely to impact both ongoing and future NIH research, as well as the BRAIN Initiative. Comment submissions are due by January 10.
• Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) are still in “listening mode” for a sequel to the 21st Century Cures Act, dubbed Cures 2.0.
• The discussion of retiring aging lab monkeys to sanctuaries has resurfaced.
• An investigation into NIH’s Loan Repayment Program found multiple instances of funding rule breaking.
• The American Association for the Advancement of Science Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues is attempting to bridge science and the public on the issue of voting security.

Early Career Policy Ambassador Program Applications Due January 10

Apply today for SfN's Early Career Policy Ambassadors (ECPA) Program. This year-long program for early career undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students, as well as recent PhD/MD recipients, allows NeuroAdvocates to enhance their advocacy skills with the neuroscience community, policymakers, and the public. Applications close January 10 at 11:59 a.m. EST.

Seeking Input on American Research Environment

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is seeking input on information regarding the American research environment. The request for information addresses research rigor and integrity, coordination of administrative requirements for research, research security, and safe and inclusive research environments. Comment submissions are due by December 23.

Use Your Scientific Training to Change Science Policy

Read Neuronline’s interview with Karen L. Jones, a current ECPA and the Trudy Schafer Advocacy Fellow at the League of Women Voters of California. Jones shares advice on how to use scientific training to be a better advocate for the neuroscience community, from building connections to seeking careers in policy.

Medical Innovation Stymied by Major Airlines

Richard Born, a member of SfN’s Committee for Animals in Research, recently authored a piece in the Wall Street Journal on airlines refusing to carry research animals. Born noted that air travel has been widely recognized as the most humane form of live animal transportation - and that its restriction is detrimental to the economy, patients, and research.

International News Headlines

• Two recent openness in animal research events were held in Switzerland and Portugal, and another event is happening today in the Netherlands.
• The Italian government is debating whether or not to set up a national research agency.
• Researchers warn European data law is impeding studies on diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Attacks on scholars worldwide have raised concerns.

SfN Advocacy Resources

• Apply now to be an Early Career Policy Ambassador.
• Contact your legislator about research funding via the Advocacy Action Center.
• Watch the Neuroscientist’s Guide to Advocacy series to understand the tools you need to help advance the field.
• Learn how to engage your members of Congress and persuasively advocate for science with SfN's Advocacy Best Practices.
• Get involved in global advocacy.
• Talk to the public about the importance of animal research.