Media Advisory 15-011

Capitol Hill briefing on mysteries of the brain: Frontiers in neuroscience

Media are invited to a briefing on new, cutting-edge technologies and research that are advancing the frontiers of neuroscience

A neuron is turned on by light

A neuron is activated by light.


July 6, 2015

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The most mysterious biological organ on Earth is lodged right between your ears: your brain.

Members of the news media are invited to join the National Science Foundation, the Society for Neuroscience and The Optical Society for a noontime lunch briefing on Thursday, July 9, as experts discuss how new technologies and multidisciplinary research, beyond the reach of scientists until very recently, are advancing our understanding of the brain.

This briefing will be held at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B338 on Capitol Hill. Panelists will discuss some of the ways researchers are prying open the black box of the brain and will share some important recent discoveries. This briefing will be particularly timely in light of the two-year anniversary of the White House Brain Initiative, which is receiving about $200 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2015.

What:

A briefing about frontiers in neuroscience

Featuring:

The Honorable Chaka Fattah
Ranking Member House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science

Jim Olds
Assistant Director for Biological Sciences,
National Science Foundation

Scott Thompson
Chair and Professor, Department of Physiology, University of Maryland
Society for Neuroscience

Gary Lynch
Professor, School of Medicine,
University of California, Irvine

Spencer Smith
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hil

Aude Oliva
Principal Research Scientist, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory,
Massachusetts Institute of Technologyl

Where:

Rayburn House Office Building, Room B338

When:

Thursday, July 9, 2015, 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

RSVP:

Please contact Lily Whiteman at lwhitema@nsf.gov for more information and/or to reserve a spot.

Note: This event is open to members of the media. Reservations are required and must be received by 5 p.m. on July 8.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Lily Whiteman, National Science Foundation, (703) 292-8310, email: lwhitema@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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