June 6, 2014 - This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
Student Goes to Washington to Advocate for Increased Neuroscience Funding
June, 4 2014 | KUMC News
Early Career Policy Fellow Angela Pierce speaks about her experience at SfN Hill Day and the importance of advocating for Neuroscience research.
- Learn more about Hill Day and get involved on SfN’s Hill Day page.
Science Funding Cuts are Generating Fears for Jobs and Research Output
June 3, 2013 | The Guardian
Australian scientists are facing funding cuts for science, which has already resulted in a loss of jobs in the country.
- Check out SfN’s Global Programs page for information about advocacy around the world.
Symbolic Slap at Social Sciences
June 2, 2014 | Inside Higher Ed
The House of Representatives passed legislation that increases funding for the National Science Foundation, but included an amendment that moves funds away from programs that fund projects related to the social sciences. The sponsor of the amendment, Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX), is also responsible for the FIRST Act, which would drastically cut the funding targets for the social, behavioral, and economic sciences division.
- Contact your member of Congress to make your case for NSF funding.
German Politicians Break Research Funding Impasse
May 27, 2014 | Science Insider
After disagreements and delays, the German government came to an agreement on how to spend €9 billion slated for education and research over the next four years. The agreement makes several major changes to how colleges and universities are funded within the country and is seen as generally positive within the research community.
N.I.H. Seeks $4.5 Billion to Try to Crack the Code of How Brains Function
June 5, 2014 | The New York Times
The BRAIN Initiative released its final report on June 5 and calls for a major commitment in funding over 12 years. The new funding recommendations would gradually increase from the $110 billion budgeted for 2014 until they reached $500 million a year in 2020, and stay at that level until 2025.
Senate Confirms Sylvia Mathews Burwell as New Secretary of HHS
June 5, 2014 | The Washington Post
On June 5, the Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which contains the National Institutes of Health. Burwell, who has been the budget director at the White House for the past year, was nominated for the position after her predecessor, Kathleen Sebelius, stepped down in April of this year.
- Learn more about the U.S. congressional committees relevant to NIH and HHS.
Repairing the Brain
June 2, 2014 | Newsweek
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Restoring Active Memory (RAM) program. This program will fund research into implants which can reverse damage to memory caused by a brain injury.
- Learn more about worldwide neuroscience initiatives like RAM.
Articles of Interest
Flashes of Light Show How Memories are Made
June 2, 2014 | Nature News & Comment
Researchers led by SfN member Roberto Malinow at UCSD provide strong evidence for long-term potentiation as a cellular basis for memory by creating and erasing fear memories in the brains of rats using optogenetics.
- Read more about optogenetics and long-term potentiation at BrainFacts.org.
What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades
June 2, 2014 | The New York Times
This article details the science behind the benefits of handwriting—both print and script—in child development.
- Learn more about the science of brain development at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Animal Research Can be Justified – But 'Cuteness' is Irrelevant
June 5, 2014 | The Guardian
Dr. Obaro Evuarherhe, a postdoctoral behavioral neuroscientist, calls out unfairness behind circulating pictures of research animals and the need to approach decisions about animal research with objectivity.
- Find support for members and institutions on animal research issues.
Mentorship Matters for the Biomedical Workforce
June 5, 2014 | Nature Medicine
Sally Rockey, deputy director for extramural research at the National Institutes of Health, outlines recently launched NIH programs and tools that aim to facilitate mentorship of early career scientists.
- Check out SfN’s host of mentoring and career resources.
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