March 2020
NeuroAdvocate Challenge: March 2020
Today, neuroscientists are on Capitol Hill for SfN’s 14th Capitol Hill Day. The group of nearly 40 will be speaking with their Senators and Representatives to help ensure a viable future for neuroscience research. Alongside your chapters, support them and the field by reaching out to your lawmakers today:
- Email your legislators to support SfN’s Congressional ”asks” for neuroscience. These include specific funding levels for federal science agencies, support for the use of animals in research, and support for global collaboration in research.
- Share or create an SfN Hill Day social media message using #NeuroAdvocate and #SfNHillDay on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram to bolster our voice on the Hill.
- Reach out to your elected officials to arrange a lab tour or in-district meeting at your institution over Brain Awareness Week from March 16–22.
- Tell your Representative to join the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus and Senators to join the NIH Caucus if they have not already done so
These activities and more are part of SfN’s year-long NeuroAdvocate Challenge. Help advocate with SfN after this year’s Capitol Hill Day by signing up for the challenge today. Active participants will be recognized for their efforts and entered into a drawing to attend SfN’s 15th Capitol Hill Day in 2021.
Make sure to report back what in order to be recognized for your efforts. View previous activities that have been rolled out to date.
NIH Regulatory Resources for BRAIN Initiative Applicants
NIH has released resources for BRAIN Initiative applicants, investigators, or anyone seeking guidance on neural device regulations. These are particularly useful for anyone developing or using novel neural devices in humans at all stages of development and testing.
Deep Brain Stimulation: Patient Impact and Continuing Research
In this video, patient John Downey shares how deep brain stimulation gave him “a second life” and emphasizes the necessity of animal research for positive patient outcomes. Alexandra Nelson emphasizes that sentiment, noting that clinical research in humans and animal research have complementary roles.
Forum About Pharmaceutical Partnerships to Advocate for Basic Research
The Public Advocacy Forum at Neuroscience 2019 dealt with advocating for research funding through pharmaceutical partnerships. Former SfN president and current Government and Public Affairs Chair Moses Chao moderated a lively discussion on the importance of private institutions both for advocating increased funding and in partnering with universities for research.
NIH Nonhuman Primate Workshop
NIH hosted a workshop to talk about rigor and reproducibility surrounding nonhuman primate (NHP) research. The event emphasized the need for nonhuman primates in research, while highlighting the complexities of determining ways to ensure optimal rigor and reproducibility with NHP models.
International News Headlines
- Scientists in Latin America are intensifying the battle against sexual harassment in academia.
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) President Steven Chu highlights the value of immigration and international collaboration at this year’s AAAS annual meeting.
- Animal-research data shows the effects of the European Union’s strict regulations on animals in research.
- A German research institute is offering scientists €1,000 to publish null results.
SfN Advocacy Resources
- 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.
- Download the SfN Advocacy App for your Apple or Android device to have all your advocacy resources in one place.
- Reach out to advocacy@sfn.org for assistance in preparing for your next advocacy effort at home or on Capitol Hill.
