Message From the President: Shaping the Future
Marina Picciotto
When it comes to deciding between doing basic research and doing research directly and immediately relevant to human health, I consider myself very fortunate. That’s because my work, studying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and their role in neurons, circuits, and behavior, is one puff away from consequences in the real world. While it took decades of fundamental research to understand how nicotine acts on specific nicotinic receptors to drive addiction, smoking cessation products on the market today rely on that fundamental research to help smokers escape their dependence. This means my “elevator pitch” about the value of our basic research on nicotinic receptors is easy to make — I just ask whether my audience has ever smoked or has a friend or family member who smokes.
There are so many examples of basic research that start out as exploratory efforts, only to lead to real-world advancements we now take for granted. Research into using mRNA as the basis of a new class of vaccines was curiosity driven until SARS-CoV-2 spread across the globe. Pieces of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system were first discovered in the 1980’s, yet the first CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutic — for sickle-cell disease — was approved just last year.
The journey from a fundamental discovery to its clinical applications is a difficult yet well-trodden path. It is a journey that always starts with the investment of time and money into answering a scientific question.
... as part of SfN’s Mission, the Society invests significant resources into connecting neuroscientists with their representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. ...
While we are happy to dedicate our time to answering questions related to neuroscience, we cannot do much without consistent and sustained funding for basic research. Research funding comes overwhelmingly from government agencies, and the budget of those agencies is set by our elected officials. That is why every year, as part of SfN’s Mission, the Society invests significant resources into connecting neuroscientists with their representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as well as supporting advocacy efforts of our members around the world.
SfN’s Hill Days, March 12–14, introduced 46 NeuroAdvocates to 53 Congressional offices. Each conversation advocated for increases in funding for neuroscience-funding agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF) and support for the responsible and ethical use of animals in biomedical research. Rather than rattle off talking points, our NeuroAdvocates tell stories of how they got into neuroscience, how funding (or lack-thereof) influences the research they pursue, and where they hope their future research will take them.
... it is the public that influences their representatives’ attitudes toward policy and funding.
Personally, I really enjoy taking the time to speak to non-neuroscientists. Conversations with policymakers are critical as they determine funding budgets, and it is wonderful how excited many staffers get when hearing about neuroscience research. But conversations with the general public are also essential for building support for scientific research, since it is the public that influences their representatives’ attitudes toward policy and funding.
Public outreach opportunities, such as Brain Awareness Week (BAW) and BrainFacts.org, provide an opportunity for all of us to share the wonder of the human brain, and to describe how neuroscience has the power to help overcome some of our most debilitating diseases and conditions. At the same time, SfN’s participation in events like the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) annual meeting provides a platform to reach educators and, by extension, shape the next generation's perception of neuroscience.
Yet despite the caricature of scientists locked in their ivory-tower labs, we are an interdependent community.
We are a fortunate community — not many people can say their day job furthers our understanding of the human brain! Yet despite the caricature of scientists locked in their ivory-tower labs, we are an interdependent community. We rely on each other for ideas, encouragement, and feedback. And we rely on those outside our community: funding organizations; the elected officials who set research budgets; and the wider public whose desires set the priorities for policymakers.
I encourage all of you to be like our NeuroAdvocates and BAW volunteers — shape the future of basic science by communicating with the public and start by making an “elevator pitch” about your research today!
