Contribute to the Future of Neuroscience
Every year, Society for Neuroscience launches innovative programs to better serve the evolving needs of the domestic and international membership and to cultivate opportunities that promote the field of neuroscience. In recent years, the Friends of SfN Fund was established to provide annual meeting travel awards to trainees and to support public education and outreach initiatives such as BrainFacts.org, which provides teachers with classroom materials and engages young people with science content.
Make a donation to the Friends of SfN Fund today to support the next generation of neuroscientists.
“SfN’s young members are a great asset to SfN,” says fund contributor Nancy Ip, SfN councilor and dean of science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “They can bring in fresh perspectives and new energy, which is critical at a time when there are so many new developments in the field.”
Ip says she contributed to the Friends of SfN Fund because she values investments in the education of future neuroscientists and understands how SfN can assist a young members embarking on a career in neuroscience. “For a young researcher residing in a country where science and technology may not be as well-developed as in the U.S., and who may not have funds to travel to conferences, SfN membership is a goldmine of resources — from finding mentors, peers, and collaborators, to staying up-to-date on the latest advances in the field,” she says. “I believe that the global reach of SfN is essential for development of quality neuroscience around the world.”
Over the past several years, hundreds of students and early career-stage researchers have benefited from SfN’s Travel Award program. Trainees who receive a travel award from the Friends of SfN have an opportunity to present their research and network with colleagues at the annual meeting during the Travel Award Recipients Poster Session.
All travel awards are supported through SfN’s corporate, foundation, and individual donor contributions because membership dues cover only a portion of the costs for these and other SfN programs such as professional development, international outreach and collaboration, public education, and advocacy.
BrainFacts.org, a public information initiative of The Kavli Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and the Society for Neuroscience, is supported in part by donations to the Friends of SfN Fund.
Neuroscientist-turned-educator Katie Croft says she relies on the teaching resources available on BrainFacts.org, including hundreds of articles, videos, and blogs on neuroscience, to teach her students about the brain and to introduce them to basic science and research. By creatively engaging students on how their memories work, how their eyes focus, or why they get sleepy, features on the site help teach and inspire the future neuroscientists.
Read more information on supporting SfN and the field »
