June 20, 2014 - This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
NIH Presses Journals to Focus on Reproducibility of Studies
June 6, 2014 | The Chronicle of Higher Education
NIH recently convened a group of 40 journal editors to discuss guidelines surrounding the responsibility for ensuring the reproducibility of studies published in their pages.
- Learn more about these issues at the Enhancing Reproducibility of Neuroscience Studies Theme G Symposium at Neuroscience 2014.
$140 Million Government Funding Cuts to the CSIRO Will Have Huge Impacts on Scientific Research in Australia
June 14, 2014 | News.com.au
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is facing a 20 percent budget cut, forcing the closure of eight CSIRO sites. CISRO is credited with the invention of plastic bank notes, WI-FI, and Aeroguard.
- Learn about SfN’s partnership with the International Brain Research Organization to further global scientific advocacy.
£2.3 Million to Support Science in Schools
June 16, 2014 | NewsWales
The First Minister of Wales announced £2.3 million, or £600,000 per year, to improve the quality of teaching and learning of science in Welsh schools. The funding is focused on enhancing science literacy and knowledge.
- SfN members can partner with educators, students, and members of the general public through SfN’s Find a Neuroscientist program.
Professor Colin Blakemore Receives Knighthood
June 13, 2014 | BBC News
Widely known as a champion for science and communicating both the risks and potential benefits of controversial research to the public, Professor Colin Blakemore has been knighted in the Queen's birthday honors.
- Continue your development into a champion for science by joining SfN’s Advocacy Network to stay up-to-date on advocacy news and resources from SfN.
Articles of Interest
Sophisticated Camera Captures All Firing Neurons
June 18, 2014 | Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
A new technique for imaging neuronal activity, described in the May 18 issue of Nature Methods, is at least ten times faster than other available methods. The new technique uses 3D light-field microscopy and an organism whose neurons are genetically engineered to flash when they fire to capture the firing of thousands of cells at a time.
- Read more about neurotechnologies on BrainFacts.org.
Leadership Lessons from Science
June 18, 2014 | The Washington Post
France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, is interviewed for the Washington Post’s “On Leadership” feature about challenges and lessons from a career in science.
- Learn about science careers in government at NeuroJobs Career Center.
Opinion
Your Call: Should Animals Be Used for Scientific Testing?
June 15, 2014 | KALW
Listen to a recently aired debate on the ethics of research with animals. Featured guests include Robert Jones, assistant professor of philosophy at California State University, Chico, and Michael Conn, senior vice president for research and associate provost at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and co-author of “The Animal Research War.”
- Read about SfN’s efforts in educational outreach around animal research issues on SfN.org.
Basic Neuroscience Research with Nonhuman Primates: A Small but Indispensable Component of Biomedical Research
June 18, 2014 | Neuron
Professor Stefan Treue, director of the German Primate Center in Goettingen, Germany and member of SfN’s Animals in Research Committee, published a journal article on the necessity of primates for neuroscience research. Because this research has widespread applications that are irreplaceable for insight into cognitive functions, brain disease, and therapy, it is important to make the value of this research known to the general public and policymakers.
- Use the success stories of animal research, which have led to treatments and health discoveries, for communicating about the importance of animal research.
A Tale of Two Sexes
June 18, 2014 | Neuron
Marian Joëls, president of FENS, and Carol Mason, president of SfN, discuss the challenges that women face in moving through the ranks of academia and propose ways to increase women’s representation in the field of neuroscience.
- Get resources about women in science through SfN’s Increasing Women in Neuroscience program.
