Aug. 15, 2014 - This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
UK Grants Chile Matching Funds for Program on Scientific Research and Innovation
Aug. 11, 2014 | Washington Post
The Newton-Picarte Fund for scientific research was officially launched in Chile through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Chilean Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism. The $40 million fund is aimed at promoting UK-Chile collaboration in scientific research and innovation over three years.
- Many funding agencies have programs specially designed to promote international collaboration. Learn more about global funding sources.
International Brain Bee Winner Announced
Aug. 15, 2014 | Society for Neuroscience
Gayathri Muthukumar of Bangalore, India was named the winner of the 2014 Brain Bee. She won a laboratory internship with a neuroscientist, sponsored by SfN.
- Learn more about the Brain Bee and how to get involved next year.
Articles of Interest
Scientists Have Created the Most Realistic Fake Brain Tissue Ever
Aug. 11, 2014 | Washington Post
Led by David Kaplan, the director of the Tissue Engineering Resource Center at Tufts University, researchers developed a new combination of materials to mimic the gray and white matter of the brain. Unlike other lab grown neurons, this material is 3D and is about as brain-like as lab-grown tissue can get.
- Read about the development process of a neuron on BrainFacts.org.
In the Brain, Memories Are Inextricably Tied to Place
Aug. 12, 2014 | The Atlantic
Researchers have been using a rat model and an injectable virus to shut down portions of the brain for short times in order to look at how the brain associates many different stimuli when forming a single memory.
- Take a look at the 2013 Brain Awareness Video Contest second place winner Sketch of a Memory on BrainFacts.org.
US Fast-Tracking Process Toward Human Testing of Ebola Vaccine
Aug. 12, 2014 | Fox News
A biopharmaceutical company in Ames, Iowa has been given the go-ahead and funding from a branch of the U.S. Department of Defense to work toward human testing of an Ebola vaccine. Yet, this research started in animals; their Ebola vaccine has been 100 percent effective in preventing lethal infection when given to animals before they are infected with the virus.
- Read about other success stories on BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Nepal ‘Still Struggling’ to Harness Science for Development
Aug. 11, 2014 | Science Development Net
Nepal’s science sector remains chronically underfunded — getting less than 0.4 per cent of the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) — and initially promising science policies have failed to improve things. Local scientists say the policies have failed to prioritize research and development, leaving them to scramble for jobs abroad.
- The NeuroJobs Career Center has a range of career resources available through SfN and partnering organizations.
I Believe in Animal Research. But It’s Time to Draw a Line
Aug. 16, 2014 | The Spectator
As someone in the medical field, the author talks about the problems with how animals are used in education. She points out that we can’t do without animal research, “for testing medicines, or for pure research…yet, making anatomy students slightly less bored doesn’t quite seem worth it.”
- SfN has resources about animal welfare and the regulatory agencies responsible for ensuring research animals are treated humanely in biomedical research.
