Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
Hate COMPETES? With New Bill, Rep. Smith Doubles Down on Pending NSF Legislation
July 31, 2015 | Science Insider
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced a part of the COMPETES bill as standalone legislation. The bill would require NSF to tell the public why every grant is “in the national interest.”
- Read about the impact of NSF funding at SfN.org.
New York Judge Denies Request to Extend Legal Rights to 2 Chimps
July 30, 2015 | The New York Times
A New York Supreme Court judge denied a request to free a pair of chimpanzees from a university. The original petition sought to establish legal personhood for chimps through a writ of habeas corpus.
- Find information about the use of animals in research at SfN.org.
Minister Knows Importance of Research Goes Beyond Economic Benefits
August 4, 2015 | The Irish Times
Irish scientists brought concerns about research funding cuts to a forum with Damien English, the Minister of State for Skills, Research and Innovation. English says a strategy for science, technology and innovation will be complete by October.
- Read more about global advocacy programs at SfN.org.
Articles of Interest
Tiny Section of Mouse Neocortex Fully Reconstructed in 3D
July 30, 2015 | Nature
A research group succeeded in scanning a minute section of mouse somatosensory cortex in order to create the first ever fully reconstructed 3D map of mammalian neocortical tissue.
- Read more about the technologies used in neuroscience research at BrainFacts.org.
How the Brain Purges 'Bad' Memories
July 31, 2015 | Scientific American
Using optogenetics, researchers were able to visually follow the communication between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex during fear extinction experiments in mice. This research might shed light on how the equivalent human circuit can go wrong, such as in PTSD.
- Learn more about PTSD at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
In Defence of the Research Excellence Framework
July 27, 2015 | The Guardian
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a yearly assessment of qualities and impacts of UK research that is used to allocate £1.6 billion of public funding. The REF has been widely criticized, but this opinion piece discussed the positives of the framework.
- Read more about neuroscience funding globally at SfN.org.
