CANADIAN PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE WIN TRAVEL AWARD TO SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE 36TH ANNUAL MEETING IN ATLANTA, GA
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NR-11-06 (10/11/06) For more information, please call Sara Harris at (202) 962-4000 or sharris@sfn.org.
CANADIAN PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE WIN TRAVEL AWARD TO SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE 36TH ANNUAL MEETING IN ATLANTA, GA
WASHINGTON, DC, October 11 - Two local educators -- a neuroscientist and a teacher -- are one of 10 pairs of international award recipients recognized for their commitment and innovative approach to bringing neuroscience into the classroom.
Karen Fougere, a 12th grade biology teacher at Armbrae Academy, and Dr. Gail Eskes of Dalhousie University, received a Neuroscientist-Teacher Partner Travel Award to attend Neuroscience 2006, the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, to be held in Atlanta, Ga., October 14-18.
Eskes, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, has given Brain Awareness presentations to Fougere's biology class for the past seven years covering topics such as brain function and processing, and memory and learning. This past year Fougere's class participated in Dalhousie's undergraduate student presentations, organized by Dalhousie's Undergraduate Neuroscience Society to promote neuroscience careers amongst area 12th grade students.
"I believe the high school students learn that neuroscience can be fun and enjoyable because they see how much the undergrads like it," explains Eskes. "Additionally, they get exposed to various aspects of neuroscience that might stimulate their interest for future university classes."
Roughly 30,000 scientists from around the world will attend Neuroscience 2006 to present and discuss the latest advances in neuroscience research. The meeting will feature more than 14,000 presentations covering topics ranging from stem cell research to basic human behavior.
"I believe that the best educators are those that continue to learn and be inspired by others," says Fougere. "The opportunity to attend the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience will provide me with even more information to share with my students."
In addition to receiving unlimited access to the meeting's thousands of sessions and forums, the awardees have been invited to attend a number of special events. Fougere, Eskes, and the other award recipients will also be honored at a gathering of the Society's Public Education and Communication Committee, which represents educational advocates from among the Society's membership.
The goal of the award program is to further partnerships between research and educational communities by bringing them together at a premier scientific meeting. "The travel award program is an example of the Society's commitment to explaining basic scientific processes -- how research leads to discovery and how discovery leads to treatments, cures and healthy choices at all stages in life," says Society for Neuroscience Public Education Director Colleen McNerney. "This program provides encouragement and visibility to the Society's members to embrace and contribute to this work, demonstrating the value of scientist and teachers working in partnership."
The Society for Neuroscience, with more than 37,500 members, is the largest organization of researchers and clinicians studying the brain and nervous system.
