MINNESOTA PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE WIN TRAVEL AWARD TO SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE 36TH ANNUAL MEETING IN ATLANTA, GA
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NR-18-06 (10/11/06) For more information, please call Sara Harris at (202) 962-4000 or sharris@sfn.org.
MINNESOTA PARTNERS IN NEUROSCIENCE WIN TRAVEL AWARD TO SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE 36TH ANNUAL MEETING IN ATLANTA, GA
WASHINGTON, DC, October 11 - Two local educators -- an organizer of outreach activities and a school administrator -- are one of 10 pairs of international award recipients recognized for their commitment and innovative approach to bringing neuroscience into the classroom.
Jill Nysse, a Library/Media Specialist at Winona Middle School, and Carrie MacNabb, a Community Program Associate in the Neuroscience Department at the University of Minnesota, received a Neuroscientist-Teacher Partner Travel Award to attend Neuroscience 2006, the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, to be held in Atlanta, Ga., October 14-18.
This past school year, Nysse approached McNabb about initiating a professional development class to enhance teachers' effectiveness by giving them a better understanding of how the brain works.
"We began the class dealing with misconceptions about the brain and learning," says Nysse. The class, which combined text study with discussion and hands on learning, was so successful, the group asked for additional classes.
"The enthusiasm of her colleagues was infectious, and a testament to Jill's ability to bring resources together to benefit her larger teaching community," says MacNabb.
At the Society's annual meeting, the two hope to gain new ideas for expanding professional learning communities that focus on what neuroscience research offers to educators on both a professional and personal level.
Roughly 30,000 scientists from around the world will attend Neuroscience 2006 to present and discuss the latest advances in neuroscience research. The meeting will feature more than 14,000 presentations covering topics ranging from stem cell research to basic human behavior.
In addition to receiving unlimited access to the meeting's thousands of sessions and forums, the awardees have been invited to attend a number of special events. Nysse, MacNabb, and the other award recipients will also be honored at a gathering of the Society's Public Education and Communication Committee, which represents educational advocates from among the Society's membership.
The goal of the award program is to further partnerships between research and educational communities by bringing them together at a premier scientific meeting. "The travel award program is an example of the Society's commitment to explaining basic scientific processes -- how research leads to discovery and how discovery leads to treatments, cures and healthy choices at all stages in life," says Society for Neuroscience Public Education Director Colleen McNerney. "This program provides encouragement and visibility to the Society's members to embrace and contribute to this work, demonstrating the value of scientist and teachers working in partnership."
The Society for Neuroscience, with more than 37,500 members, is the largest organization of researchers and clinicians studying the brain and nervous system.
