Opportunity for Undergraduate Travel Award
Nominations are now open for the Brain Awareness Travel Award, a prize cosponsored by SfN and the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) that honors an outstanding undergraduate student active in neuroscience education and outreach. The winner will receive complimentary registration to the SfN annual meeting and a $750 stipend for travel expenses.
“Undergraduate opportunities can be limited at big conferences,” said 2013 winner Ashleigh Gonzales from Arizona State University. “This award offers a great opportunity for undergraduates to participate at a higher level than they might normally have been able to,” she said. “You have something worth sharing and with this award someone is offering you an opportunity to do that.”
Gonzales’ winning poster, “Tactile Images Help Students Visualize STEM Concepts,” helps visually impaired children learn about the brain using the sense of touch. For Gonzales, her topic is personal — she lost her eyesight at the age of 13. While her visual impairment may present challenges, it has inspired her to help develop technologies so that other visually impaired students can develop a fascination with science. Gonzales’ work is a great contribution to brain awareness, as it increases access to information for visually impaired students who might never have been able to learn about the brain previously.
Eligible students must present a poster in Theme H: History, Teaching, Public Awareness, and Societal Impacts in Neuroscience at Neuroscience 2014. Although applications for the FUN award are due Monday, June 9, abstracts for Theme H poster presentations are due to SfN by Thursday, May 8. Visit the FUN award website for more information about the award and application instructions.
