Nov. 14, 2014 – This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
What’s in Store for New Senate? Much of the Same Gridlock and Grind.
Nov. 4, 2014 | The Washington Post
The power in the Senate flipped from Democrat to Republican after this year’s midterm elections. Their win was based heavily on stopping President Obama’s agenda, but now they need to take the reins and govern. This article looks at what may or may not get done in the next two years.
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U.S. Senate Science Panels Will Have New Leadership in Wake of Republican Takeover
Nov. 5, 2014 | Science Insider
This article takes a look at the Republican Senators likely to take leadership of the committees most important to SfN and the rest of the science community.
- Find out which Congressional Committees are the most relevant to scientific research.
NIH Awards Initial $46 Million for BRAIN Initiative Research
Sept. 30, 2014 | NIH Press Release
More than 100 investigators in 15 states and several countries will use the money awarded in fiscal year 2014 to develop new tools and technologies to understand neural circuit function and capture a dynamic view of the brain in action.
- Get a primer on the BRAIN Initiative at BrainFacts.org.
Ministers Promise Basket of Gifts for German Science
Oct. 31, 2014 | Nature
Germany is the fourth-highest science spender worldwide, behind the United States, China, and Japan, and political leaders there will attempt to keep it that way by pledging €25.3 billion (US $31.6 billion) over the next six years to cover the growing student bodies and guarantee a three percent annual boost in the budgets of major research institutions.
- Sources of funding vary in different countries. Read about some of the funding sources people in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom can access.
Articles of Interest
This is What Your Brain Looks Like on Magic Mushrooms
Oct. 31, 2014 | Wired
A new study in PNAS reports that participants given psilocybin had significantly more “cross-linking” between brain networks during a “resting state” scan than those given a placebo. This paper also describes a new way of representing and summarizing the organizational state of the brain.
- Learn about hallucinations at BrainFacts.org.
What Is It Like to Control a Robotic Arm with a Brain Implant?
Nov. 3, 2014 | Scientific American
An interview with one of the most famous people with a brain-machine interface, Jan Scheuermann, who has been featured in several papers and on shows like 60 Minutes. The article discusses her experiences with learning to control the robotic arm.
- Read about brain-machine interfaces at BrainFacts.org.
Tracking PhD Career Paths
Oct. 27, 2014 | Inside Higher Ed
This article summarizes the efforts of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) on project called “Understanding Ph.D. Career Pathways for Program Improvement,” which includes a survey of graduate school deans and a white paper on PhD career outcomes. CGS recently convened several groups of stakeholders for a “workshop addressing data around Ph.D. career outcomes and considering potential next steps.”
- Learn about scientific careers and training at the NeuroJobs Career Center.
Journals Unite for Reproducibility
Nov. 5, 2014 | Nature
Editors representing more than 30 journals met with scientific leaders and representatives from U.S. funding agencies to outline guidelines for published preclinical biomedical research. The guidelines and reporting standards, released on November 5, are based partly on a paper co-authored by former NINDS Director Story Landis.
- Learn more about reproducibility at policy events at Neuroscience 2014.
Could Digital Badges Clarify the Roles of Co-Authors?
Nov. 3, 2014 | ScienceInsider
A group of organizations from science, publishing, and software development is developing a set of standards and accompanying “badges” to identify author contributions to scientific papers. Similar to efforts such as ORCID or the Resource Identification Initiative, the effort aims to be more transparent about author contributions and give appropriate credit to those other than the first and last authors.
Opinion
What Neuro-Revolution? The Public Find Brain Science Irrelevant and Anxiety-Provoking
Nov. 5, 2014 | Wired
Author Christian Jarrett discusses how despite apparent interest in neuroscience, research seems to indicate that the public may not find neuroscience relevant to their lives. He discusses research by O’Connor and Joffe about how the public may perceive neuroscience and what it may mean for the marketing of the field.
Academic Science Isn’t Sexist
Oct. 31, 2014 | The New York Times
Authors Williams and Ceci discuss that underrepresentation of women in science and math-intensive fields is not due to discrimination, but due to women’s “occupational and lifestyle preferences.” The authors discuss their recent research examining hiring, productivity, promotions, and other measures in science fields at American universities.
New Paper Asserting That Sexism in Science is Over Stirs the Pot
Nov. 3, 2014 | Science News
In response to The New York Times editorial on sexism in science, this article discusses the results of the study, and also introduces other individuals who are critical of the findings.
Science Research Needs an Overhaul
Nov. 3, 2014 | Scientific American
John Ioannidis discusses current issues in scientific research and publishing, including how the “current incentive structure often leads to dead-end studies.” He mentions studies showing treatments for diseases that work in animal models, but not in humans and discusses solutions that may help improve these issues.
