Society for Neuroscience - Proposals for the 2020 Social Issues Roundtable

Skip Navigation

  • join logo Join
  • give logo Give
  • advocate logo Advocate
  • publish logo Publish
Shop Sign In
SfN Logo 2025
  • Membership
    • Learn About Membership
      • Individual Member Benefits
      • Institutional Program Member Benefits
      • Sustaining Associate Member Benefits
      • Get Involved at SfN
    • Become a Member
      • Sponsorship Information for New Members
      • Membership Categories & Fees
      • Membership Fees for Developing Countries
      • Renew Individual Membership
    • Member Resources
      • Automatic Renewals
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Individual Member Directory
      • Member Obituaries and Memorial Donations
    • Learn About Local Chapters
      • Start or Reactivate a Chapter
      • Resources for Chapters
      • Submit Annual Report
      • Chapter Directory
      • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Meetings
    • Meetings Overview
    • Neuroscience 2025
      • Call for Abstracts
      • Sessions and Events
      • Registration
      • Housing and Travel
      • Exhibits
      • Dates and Deadlines
      • FAQs
    • Global Events
      • SfN Virtual Events
    • Past and Future Annual Meetings
      • Neuroscience 2024
      • Neuroscience 2023
      • Search Past Annual Meeting Abstracts
      • Attendance Statistics
    • Meeting Policies and Guidelines
      • Code of Conduct at SfN Events
      • Guidelines for Participating in SfN Events
      • Photography & Recording Policy
      • Presenter Guidelines and Policies for SfN Events
    • Meeting Awards
      • Trainee Professional Development Award
      • International Travel Awards
      • FENS Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
      • IBRO Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
      • JNS Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
  • Careers
    • Careers Overview
    • Institutional Program (IP) Directory
    • NeuroJobs Career Center
      • Job Seekers
      • Employers
    • 2025 Graduate School Fair
    • Career Tools and Resources
      • Neuronline
      • Neurobiology of Disease Workshop
      • Scientific Short Courses
      • Responsible Conduct of Research Short Courses
      • Global Funding Sources
    • Higher Education and Training
      • Core Competencies
      • Neuroscience Training Program Survey
    • Awards
      • Outstanding Career and Research Achievements
      • Early Career
  • Initiatives
    • Initiatives Overview
    • Awards
      • 2024 Award Recipients
      • Awards and Prizes FAQ
      • Trainee Professional Development Award
    • Neuroscience Scholars Program
    • Neuronline
      • Scientific Rigor and Reproducibility
    • Resources to Stay Connected
      • SfN Zoom Backgrounds
    • Diversity Initiatives
    • Women and Neuroscience
      • Increasing Women in Neuroscience (IWiN) Courses & Toolkit
      • Celebration of Women in Neuroscience Event
      • Awards
    • Animals in Research
      • Support for Members and Institutions
      • Tools and Resources
      • Resources for Medical Students
    • Public Education Programs
      • Resources for Educators
      • Brain Awareness Video Contest
      • Life of a Neuron Exhibit
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy Overview
    • Advocacy Response
    • Advocacy Network
      • The NeuroAdvocate Challenge
      • Advocacy Action Center
      • Advocacy Best Practices
      • Advocacy Network News
      • Advocacy Training Seminars
    • US Advocacy Programs
      • Capitol Hill Day
      • Connect with Policymakers
      • Early Career Policy Ambassadors
      • Partner with a Local Chapter
      • Engage the Media
    • Global Advocacy Programs
      • Global Neuroscience Initiatives
      • Global Funding
      • North American Programs
    • Science Funding
      • Advocacy Videos
      • Advocacy Resources
      • US Neuroscience Initiatives
      • Funding Priorities and Processes
    • Policy Positions
      • Statements and Testimony
      • Sign-On Letters
  • Outreach
    • Outreach Overview
    • BrainFacts.org
    • Find a Neuroscientist
    • Brain Awareness Campaign
      • Webinar: The ABC's of BAW
      • How to Get Involved
    • Awards
      • Award for Education in Neuroscience
      • Next Generation Award
      • Chapter of the Year Award
      • Science Educator Award
  • Publications
    • Publications Overview
    • SfN News
    • JNeurosci
    • eNeuro
    • SfN Nexus
    • Neuroscience Quarterly
    • Annual Report
    • History of Neuroscience Autobiographical Chapters
  • About
    • About Overview
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • What We Do
      • Annual Report
      • Bylaws
      • Resolutions to the Bylaws
      • Environmental Commitment
      • Strategic Partners
      • History of SfN
    • SfN 50th Anniversary Celebration
    • NIH Public Health Service-Supported Funding Financial Conflict of Interest Policy
    • Volunteer
      • SfN Council
      • SfN Presidents
      • Committees
      • Elections
      • Call for Nominations
    • Professional Conduct
      • SfN Ethics Policy
      • Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication
      • Code of Conduct at SfN Events
      • Commitment to Scientific Integrity
      • Neuronline Digital Learning Community Guidelines
    • History of Neuroscience
      • Autobiographical Chapters
      • Autobiographical Videos of Prominent Neuroscientists
      • Classic Papers
      • Neuroscience History Resources
      • Robert Doty's Chapter on Neuroscience
    • Careers and Staff
      • Staff List
  1. Meetings
  2. Neuroscience 2020
  3. Proposals for the 2020 Social Issues Roundtable

 

Neuroscience 2020 has been cancelled.

Learn more.

Proposals for the 2020 Social Issues Roundtable

Social Issues Roundtable

Submissions Now Closed

The submission period is now closed. Thank you for your interest in being part of Neuroscience 2020. 

The Public Education and Communication Committee (PECC) invites the membership to submit proposals for the Social Issues Roundtable (SIR) to be held at Neuroscience 2020 in Washington, D.C. Submitters should consider neuroscience topics that have an impact on society, particularly in terms of ethics or social awareness. The Committee seeks to select a topic with broad appeal that touches on a timely social issue. Unless recent developments have occurred, topics appearing in the past three years will be less favorably considered. On the other hand, the principal argument in favor of a topic should not be that it has not been represented for many years. 

  • 2019: Human Fusions: Ethical and Social Issues Raised by Neural-Digital Interfaces
  • 2018: Solitary Confinement: Psychological and Neurobiological Insights Into Isolation
  • 2017: Engaging Neuroscientists in Dialogue With Religious Communities
  • 2016: Concussion: From the Players' Experience to the Future of Research

Participants

It is required that you name in your proposal a chair (perhaps yourself) who has already agreed to be responsible for the SIR and a maximum of four speakers who have also agreed to participate. The chair must be a member of SfN. Speakers may be SfN members or nonmembers. The chair’s responsibilities include entering submission requirements for the entire session and making sure that all speakers have returned necessary logistical and programming information to SfN. Please note that during the submission and review process, the proposer (if different than the chair) will be the primary contact. After acceptance into the annual meeting program, the chair becomes the primary contact and is responsible for relaying any and all important information to and from the speakers.

When to Put It Together

PECC selects the SIR in March, in time to include the final title in the Preliminary Program. This means that it should be well-developed in design, particularly in regard to an agreed upon chair and speakers, in November or December.

Proposal Requirements

Your proposal should be firm before submitting, meaning that the agreement of the chair and speakers has already been obtained. The site will direct you to provide the following (all character limits include spaces):

  • Contact information (institutions, emails, addresses) for the chair and speakers
  • Title of the overall SIR and the individual presentations
  • Short description of the SIR for use in the annual meeting Program and Neuroscience Meeting Planner (500 characters)
  • Overall objectives for how the SIR addresses neuroscience topics that have an impact on society, in terms of ethics or public awareness or social change (1500 characters)
  • Why the proposal is timely (500 characters)
  • The extent to which it could have a broad appeal for the membership (500 characters)
  • The diversity of your participants (women, international, underrepresented minorities) (500 characters)
  • Other considerations that may make the proposal attractive (500 characters)

General

The final selection is made by PECC, whose primary consideration is to determine what will best serve the interests of the Society for Neuroscience and the success of the annual meeting. The committee may suggest substitutions of speakers or a different chair. The committee may decide to combine two proposals into one and suggest which speakers should be retained in that event. Suggestions arising from discussions of PECC are passed on directly to the proposed chair.

Note that proposals that fail to be accommodated one year will not be held over for consideration the next. However, a proposal can be re-submitted the following year and will receive the same consideration as any other.

Diversity

Appropriate representation of women, international scientists, and underrepresented minorities is strongly encouraged and will be considered in the selection of the SIR by PECC. PECC retains the right to work with the organizer to modify the composition of the SIR to ensure diversity.

SfN Websites
  • BrainFacts.org logo
  • eNeuro logo
  • JNeurosci logo
  • Neuronline logo
Engage with SfN
  • join Join
  • give Give
  • advocate Advocate
  • publish Publish
Quick Links
  • SfN News
  • For Press
  • Global Events
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Code of Conduct
  • Jobs at SfN
  • SfN Store
  • Social Media
Follow SfN
  • BlueSky logo
  • Facebook logo
  • Instagram logo
  • LinkedIn logo

  • Threads logo
  • X Logo
  • YouTube logo
SfN logo with "SfN" in a blue box next to Society for Neuroscience in red text and the SfN tag line that reads "Advancing the understanding of the brain and nervous system"
1121 14th Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 962-4000 | 1-888-985-9246
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Notice
  • Contact Us

Copyright ©
Society for Neuroscience