GEORGIA PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE EDUCATION WIN AWARD TO 37TH SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETING IN SAN DIEGO
For immediate release.
NR-31-07 (10/31/07) For more information, please call DeeDee Clendenning at (202) 962-4000 or dclendenning@sfn.org
GEORGIA PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE EDUCATION WIN AWARD
TO 37TH SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETING IN SAN DIEGO
Sally Murphy, a science teacher at The Cottage School in Atlanta, Ga., and Laura L. Carruth, PhD, of Georgia State University (GSU) in Atlanta, have received a Neuroscientist-Teacher partner Travel Award to attend the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) annual meeting in San Diego, Calif., November 3-7.
This partnership program in neuroscience of one neuroscientist and one teacher, sponsored by SfN, recognizes 13 pairs for their commitment and innovative approach to bringing neuroscience into the classroom.
"I have been working with Dr. Carruth for the past three years at the camp, and the experience has been very rewarding for me in that I have had the opportunity to work with young students to help them engage in exciting, hands-on science activities that they would ordinarily not experience. I have also become much more knowledgeable through my experiences," says Murphy.
Murphy first met Carruth in 2004 when they collaborated to develop a week-long hands-on neuroscience summer camp for rising 5th to rising 8th grade students in metro Atlanta. The camp is sponsored by the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at GSU and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. "Because of the contributions of these sponsors, many of the campers attend for free or pay a small fee which is used to cover the cost of supplies," explains Murphy.
The camp includes fun and inquiry based activities that allow the campers to explore many aspects of the nervous system. The campers dissect sheep brains and cow eyes, conduct sensory system experiments, learn about neurotransmission, learn about how memories are made and how they learn, learn about neurological diseases and disorders, brain health and nutrition and much more.
"The campers make papier-mâché brains, beady neuron key chains, and lots of other art activities that support learning about the brain. We also always hold an open house for the camper's families to visit on the last afternoon of the camp so the kids can show everyone what they learned all week," says Carruth.
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. Murphy, Carruth, and the other educators will also be honored at a meeting of SfN's Public Education and Communication Committee.
The goal of the award is to further partnerships between research and educational communities. "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 scientists and teachers working in partnership."
Roughly 30,000 scientists from around the world will attend SfN's annual meeting to present and discuss the latest advances in neuroscience research. The meeting will feature more than 16,400 presentations covering topics ranging from stem cell research to basic human behavior.
The Society for Neuroscience, with more than 38,000 members, is the largest organization of researchers and clinicians studying the brain and nervous system.
