HONG KONG PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE WIN TRAVEL AWARD TO SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE 36TH ANNUAL MEETING IN ATLANTA, GA
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HONG KONG 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.
Dr. Suen Ka-Chun, a biotechnology teacher at Po Leung Luk Laws Foundation College, and Dr. Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang of the University of Hong Kong, 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.
Chang currently serves as an academic advisor to Ka-Chun's class to help enhance the biotechnology curriculum. Their partnership has allowed Ka-Chun's students to take on projects that model the work done in Chang's Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Chang states that their efforts share the common goal of revealing the biological mechanisms that underlie neurodegeneration.
Chang and Ka-Chun are also involved in researching learning and memory development of young people. "We conduct these studies because we want to improve the learning effectiveness of my students," says Ka-Chun. In fact, two of their research projects will be presented at this year's annual meeting.
Ka-Chun's future plans for his school include developing a neuroscience program suitable for secondary school students and eventually getting more young people involved in research. At the annual meeting he hopes to discuss how to use findings in neuroscience to enhance students' learning and memory.
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.
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. Ka-Chun, Chang, 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.
