November 1, 2013 - This week's consolidation of Advocacy News
News
Seize the neuroscience moment
November 1, 2013, Science
Alan I. Leshner, chief executive officer of AAAS, describes what is different about the atmosphere surrounding neuroscience initiatives, such as the U.S. BRAIN Initiative and the European Commission launched Human Brain Project, in this decade compared to the 1990's which was declared the "Decade of the Brain" by President George H.W. Bush.
- Come to SfN’s annual meeting Event: Understanding New Brain Initiatives in the U.S. and Europe on Monday November 11, 2013 at 1:15 p.m. in San Diego! Find more information »
Inside Paul Allen’s plan to reverse-engineer the human brain
October 24, 2013, Wired
Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen is spending $300 million to understand how the mouse brain interprets visual information using a big-science approach that the U.S. federal government is pushing with its BRAIN Initiative, which the Allen Institute has been instrumental in planning.
Entitlement reform to boost research and development
October 27, 2013, Politico
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) writes that mandatory spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is crowding out research and development funding. "Science can bring us a better tomorrow but only if we are willing to reform entitlement programs today."
- Read letters from SfN to members of Congress in relevant budget committees on the issue of science funding.
Sen. Casey: Congress cannot allow budget fight to affect medical research
October 25, 2013, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Speaking at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Rep. Casey (D-PA) called for Congress to act to prevent new sequester cuts to medical research.
- Communicate with your elected officials about science funding through SfN’s Advocacy Action Center.
Liz Warren channels Ted Kennedy on NIH funding
October 29, 2013, Boston Herald
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called for a "nonpartisan" effort to double the funding of the National Institute of Health when speaking at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
- Read more about neuroscience funding through NIH.
NIH names Dr. George Koob Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
October 31, 2013, NIH News
National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins announced today the selection of SfN Member George F. Koob as Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Koob is expected to join the NIH in January 2014.
Research Highlights
The unlikely network at the core of your brain's internet
October 29, 2013, Wired
A growing body of evidence suggests that a network of highly interlinked brain regions exists that could prove essential in facilitating higher-order tasks.
- Find research published on this topic in The Journal of Neuroscience
Policy
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Meeting
November 6, 2013 - 2:30 p.m.
Russell Senate Office Building - 253
Hearings to examine the "America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act" (America COMPETES), focusing on science and the United States economy.
Opinion
Should mental health be a primary-care doctor's job?
October 21, 2013, New Yorker
This primary care physician writes about the challenges in dealing with mental health in a world where the demand for primary care doctors to manage a wide range of psychosocial issues is high.
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