EXPIRED Announcements - 2005
(an attempt at archiving our e-history!)

The announcements posted on this page are for archive purposes only.
To review current FUN announcements, please go to: http://funfaculty.org/announcements.html .

Thanks to those of you who have already sent comments and words of encouragement as we move towards establishing an undergraduate neuroscience honor society. Andy Mickley has posted 3 new pieces of information that may be reviewed along with the documents posted in December: (see next announcement )

New Nu Rho Psi materials:

1) A DRAFT of a ceremony template that will be used by Nu Rho Psi chapters as they induct new members.

2) A DRAFT of an application package that will be submitted to the National Council by candidate chapters of Nu Rho Psi.

3) DRAFT designs for Nu Rho Psi insignias/pins .

Please send your comments and suggestions to amickley@bw.edu or post them publicly on the FUN Hot Topics Blog (http://funtopics.blogspot.com ). All comments made before 31 Jan 06 will be taken into account as final versions of these documents are assembled.

The Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience is in the process of establishing an honor society (Nu Rho Psi) to recognize professional excellence in neuroscience scholarship. Through the initial work of Dr. L. Joseph Achor and neuroscience students at Baylor University and Johns Hopkins University and also the more recent contributions of Dr. G. Andrew Mickley and the neuroscience students at Baldwin-Wallace College, we have developed a set of DRAFT seminal documents that will provide a framework for the society.

The FUN membership is invited to read and provide comments on these documents:

(1) DRAFT Nu Rho Psi Constitution and Bylaws (dated 27 Nov 05) http://funfaculty.org/projects/NuRhoPsi/National Constitution - 27 Nov 05.pdf ;

(2) DRAFT Nu Rho Psi Model Chapter Bylaws (dated 27 Nov 05) http://funfaculty.org/projects/NuRhoPsi/Model Chapter Bylaws - 27 Nov 05.pdf ; and

(3) DRAFT Nu Rho Psi Transition Plan (dated 27 Nov 05) http://funfaculty.org/projects/NuRhoPsi/Transition Plan - 27 Nov 05.pdf

There are particular portions of the DRAFT plans that would benefit from your good ideas. For example, we have not settled on an insignia, induction ritual, or even some of the criteria for membership. These issues are posted on a FUN blog site; please go to http://funtopics.blogspot.com to comment on the basic questions posted there. Everyone can comments on the issues posted on the site. (If you would like to “post” issues, please send an e-mail to Andy Mickley <mailto:amickley@bw.edu > or Zen Faulkes <mailto:zfaulkes@utpa.edu >.

We expect to adhere to the following schedule in our endeavor to establish the Nu Rho Psi honor society:

31 Jan 06: Prepare and post the first complete DRAFTS of the seminal documents based in FUN membership feedback regarding the 27 Nov 05 DRAFTS.

1 Mar 06: Prepare the final DRAFTS of the seminal documents for review by the FUN Council.

31 Mar 06: Solicit approval of Nu Rho Psi from the FUN membership.

Before 28 Apr 06: Decision to approve seminal documents and establish Nu Rho Psi.

Thank you very much in advance for your participation in this effort!

Keynote Speaker: Ron Hoy (Cornell)
"Hearing on the Fly: Basic to Translational Research in Auditory Neuroscience."

SYNAPSE is a one-day regional undergraduate neuroscience conference that was inspired by NEURON in the Northeast. A very successful first SYNAPSE meeting at James Madison University demonstrated interest and demand for this regional undergraduate neuroscience symposium. SYNAPSE provides opportunities for students to present their research results and obtain feedback from neuroscientists at other institutions via poster presentations, discuss important issues in neuroscience training via workshops and panel discussions, learn about cutting-edge research via a keynote speaker, form and strengthen connections with other neuroscientists in the region. Information on registration, abstract submission, event schedule, travel, etc. will be posted at: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/synapse .

To encourage undergraduates to attend, registrations costs will be kept low (est. $25) and the abstract submission deadline will be shortly before the meeting (est. 3/15/06). Davidson College is located just north of Charlotte, NC. A block of rooms at a nearby hotel will be reserved for SYNAPSE attendees.

The Program Committee now invites IBANGS members and non-members to submit proposals for symposia to be presented at the meeting on May 19-22, 2006. Non-member proposals should be sponsored by an IBANGS member (please contact the Chair of the Program Committee, Dan Goldowitz, mailto:dgold@utmem.edu if suggested members for sponsorship are needed). Symposium proposals will be accepted with an absolute deadline of January 20th, 2006. In addition to the date on which proposals are received, the following items will be given strong consideration in ranking the proposals (but are not required): the inclusion of (1) participants from different institutions; (2) an international representation; (3) presentations on more than one species (when possible); (4) both male and female speakers.

Symposia will include 4 speakers and will be 2 hours in length. Proposal submissions must include an overall abstract that describes the rationale and assures the Program Committee that all speakers have agreed to participate. This abstract should also list each speaker, provide a brief description of each talk, and list discussants if applicable. Proposal length should be limited to 500 words. All symposium participants must register for the meeting and pay the registration fee; funding to reimburse the registration fee (but not travel expenses) is anticipated for participants of accepted symposia. Oral presentations will be limited to one per person. At a later date, we will announce the construction of oral paper sessions that may include speakers by invitation, nomination, or proposal.

Please submit your proposals electronically to: mailto:dgold@utmem.edu . Although electronic submission is encouraged and preferred, you may also
submit your proposals to:

Dan Goldowitz, Ph.D.
Dept. Anatomy and Neurobiology
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
855 Monroe Ave.
Memphis, TN 38163;
fax 901-448-3035

If anyone has used the information and supplementary materials from my article in JUNE: Grisham, W., Jones, H. B., & Park, S. H. (2003). Sex Differences and Organizational Effects of Androgen in Spinal Cord Motor Nuclei. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 2(1) A28-A35, I would love some feedback on how well it worked and the demographics of your students. Suggestions for improvement will also be graciously accepted.

A very SHORT questionnaire regarding the usefulness of the materials is located at http://funfaculty.org/projects/Grisham/feedback1.html . In addition, if you would like to comment on the materials within a public forum, please go to the FUN Faculty Blog at http://funfaculty.blogspot.com and respond to my post at http://funfaculty.blogspot.com/2005/11/need-feedback-on-spinal-cord-article.html .

The article is located at http://www.funjournal.org/downloads/GrishamA28.pdf .
The supplementary materials are located at http://www.funjournal.org/materialsGrisham.asp

I hope to obtain funding to create additional resources like this, so feedback is crucial.

Thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,

"The URGENT MESSAGE is to potential applicants (NIH-wide), that they will need to allow extra weeks (yes, weeks!) before submission to get registered and able to do electronic submission. Here's the language in the front of the PA from the NIH website. . ."

NOMINEE STATEMENTS: http://funfaculty.org/election2005.html

VOTER ELIGIBILITY: According to FUN Bylaws, each "Regular" FUN Member and one representative from each "Organizational" Member is eligible to vote in the election. (Sorry, student members are not eligible to vote per FUN Bylaws: Article III - Membership.)

Regular Members: In light of the transition to a new dues payment schedule, ballots will be accepted from all Regular FUN members who have submitted the on-line FUN Information Form (http://funfaculty.org/infoform.htm ) AND have paid dues for 2004 ($15) and/or 2005 ($35). Information submitted via the FUN Info Form is the official source of FUN membership data and is required.

Organizational Members: Similarly, "Organizations" that have paid dues in 2004 and/or 2005 are eligible to submit an additional vote to be cast by a (non-student) representative from their institution. Organizational members may wish to designate the e-mail address from which their institutional vote will originate by completing the new "Organizational Membership Information Form" at http://funfaculty.org/org-infoform.html prior to casting their ballot. (It is not necessary to complete the 100 word description of your program at this time.)

For both Regular and Organizational members, ballots will be authenticated by matching the e-mail address on the ballot with the e-mail address listed on the previously submitted FUN Information Form.

Jean Hardwick (jhardwick@ithaca.edu), FUN President, or
Barbara Lom (balom@davidson.edu), JUNE Editor-in-Chief

Thank you for your review of these proposed changes to our Bylaws.

FUN faculty, if you have an undergraduate who is attending the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC, PLEASE encourage them to participate in the FUN student stipend program. This opportunity is limited to one stipend per morning or afternoon session. As with the travel award, only dues-paying members of FUN may sponsor nominees. If you're not a member, become one today! Regular Member Dues are only $35. . . money well spent! We will also need faculty volunteers to help staff the booth. Do you have an afternoon or morning free to help out? Perhaps you'd like to volunteer during your student's shift? This is your chance to help FUN raise money and recruit new members. We need your help!

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (simple!):

Send an email to Jean Hardwick (jhardwick@ithaca.edu ) ASAP with the following information:

FROM THE STUDENT: The student's name, email address, and which sessions (a.m. or p.m.) on which days of the meeting that they are available to staff the booth.

FROM THE FUN MEMBER: A statement of sponsorship from a dues-paying member of FUN, stating simply that: 1) the member supports the student's application for the stipend, and 2) that the member has verified that the student will be attending the Neuroscience Meeting (members may support more than one entry, and the sponsor can be the student's advisor).

Students will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis, so apply early! Students will not be eligible for multiple stipends except in the event that sessions remain unstaffed after all applicants have been assigned to a session. Students can also elect to split a single stipend in order to "share" staffing for a session (allowing one student to attend presentations for part of the session, while their "partner" staffs the booth), or choose to donate their stipend to their school department, neuroscience club, etc.

Any other questions? email: jhardwick@ithaca.edu

This is the second call for abstracts to be submitted for the 2005 FUN Undergraduate Poster Session, to be held during the SFN annual meeting on Monday evening, November 14, 5:30-7:30 pm in Room 103 of the Washington Convention Center.

As in the past, any undergraduates who will be presenting posters at the SFN poster sessions, and any undergraduates who will be attending the meeting and have a poster to present that is not included in the SFN meeting are welcome to present their work at this session.

To present at the FUN Undergraduate Research Poster Session, students must email one copy of their abstract and a short letter of support from a sponsoring FUN faculty member no later than October 28 to Eric Wiertelak at wiertelak@macalester.edu or by regular mail to the address below. Email submissions are preferred.

See you in Washington!

Best, Julio Ramirez
juramirez@davidson.edu

http://www.survival.pitt.edu/events/workshops_society.asp

Organized by University of Pittsburgh Survival Skills and Ethics Program
Beth A. Fischer and Michael J. Zigmond, Co-directors
Sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience
Support contributed by the National Institutes of Health (NS46740)

These two half-day workshops will provide participants with instruction in a range of professional skills that are necessary for a successful career. The workshops are designed to be independent of each other; participants may choose to attend either or both days.

Day 1 will assist participants in selecting careers and finding employment. Sessions will detail the process of looking for a job, including information on networking and developing an effective "package" (i.e., CV or resume, cover letter, statement of interests). Individuals from colleges, industry, publishing, and research administration will participate in a panel discussion of career options, which will be followed by a reception designed to facilitate further discussion. In addition, we are offering a session for undergraduates about graduate school applications and the graduate school experience.

Day 2 is designed for faculty, postdoctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduates. Individuals may choose from sessions on grant writing, keys to getting promoted in academia and industry, and strategies for attending the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Registration: To register for this event please download and complete a registration form or contact organizers at survival@pitt.edu , 412-578-3716. The registration fee is $20/day in advance or $30/day at the door, payable by check. (We cannot accept credit card payments.) Workshop fee includes handouts and coffee breaks. Registration is limited.

Contact:
Survival Skills and Ethics Program
University of Pittsburgh
Hieber Building, Suite 202
3500 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-578-3716, E-mail:survival@pitt.edu
http://www.survival.pitt.edu/

For the past year, FUN has wanted to establish a blog mechanism for discussing topics of interest and importance to FUN faculty and their students. I am asking all of you (e.g., faculty, students, research associates, administrators) who are interested in helping to establish this mode of on-line communication, to start contacting me by phone or e-mail this Labor Day weekend (contact info below). Whether or not I know you personally, if you have an interest in participating in this project, I would like for you to contact me. Faculty, please pass this information on to individuals in your classes or laboratories you think would benefit from this cooperative, authentic learning experience.

Because time is such a precious commodity, especially at the start of a new academic year, we need widespread participation by a broad cross-section of members to help establish a FUN blog site (i.e., implementing the "many hands make light work" principle). The idea is to develop this site, and rules for participation, in a manner that plays a meaningful and fundamental role in the communication between various members of our community. We need to establish TEAMS of people who can act as "administrators/facilitators" on various topics. You DO NOT need any experience as a "blogger" to participate in this project. You just need to be willing to engage in an active discussion on the characteristics of a site that will benefit all of our constituents and the world community at large; remember, the internet is a very public forum.

I am certain, working together, we will establish a system of communication that is honest, intelligent, instructive, compassionate and inclusive.

Peace, hope, and loving thoughts for all of you, your happiness, and your safety,

Debbie

The FUN Business Meeting will be held in Room 15 of the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel on Monday, November 14 from 7:00 - 8:00 AM. Continental breakfast will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Information about the workshop and application procedure can be found at: http://erris.med.virginia.edu/news/workshops/2006/index.html

Send your nominations electronically, "postmarked" no later than October 7, 2005, to:
Eric P. Wiertelak, Ph.D.
Chair, FUN Faculty Awards Committee
wiertelak@macalester.edu

All awards are presented at the FUN Social during the annual SFN meeting. Additional questions? Direct them toward Eric Wiertelak wiertelak@macalester.edu or Jean Hardwick jhardwick@ithaca.edu

Eric P. Wiertelak Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology; Director, Neuroscience Studies Program
Macalester College
1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105
Office: 651-696-6111, Fax: 651-696-6348

Remember, as with other FUN awards, only dues-paying members of FUN can sponsor nominations, and self-nominations aren't allowed. Nominees for the Lifetime/Career Achievement Award need not be members of FUN to be eligible.

How to nominate: It's still simple! Write a letter of nomination, stating the reasons why the individual should be considered for the Lifetime/Career Achievement Award. Make sure that your letter provides detail on the accomplishment that you feel reflects the mission of FUN. Additional letters or other materials in support of the nomination are welcome, but not a requirement for consideration.

Send your nominations electronically, postmarked no later than October 7, 2005, to:

Eric P. Wiertelak
Chair, FUN Faculty Awards Committee
wiertelak@macalester.edu

All awards are presented at the FUN Social during the annual SFN meeting. Additional questions? Direct them towards Eric Wiertelak wiertelak@macalester.edu or Jean Hardwick mailto: jhardwick@ithaca.edu

Eric P. Wiertelak Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology; Director, Neuroscience Studies Program
Macalester College
1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105
Office: 651-696-6111, Fax: 651-696-6348

We invite you to consider the recent announcement from Project Kaleidoscope about the National Colloquium to be held in Kansas City, September 30 - October 2, 2005. We believe this is the first time ever that cognitive scientists, science faculty, design professionals, and other stakeholders in a strong undergraduate science (STEM) community will come together to explore the university/college of the future- one which takes seriously insights from research on how people learn.

This colloquium emerges from PKAL's conviction that advances in cognitive science about how people learn are perhaps the most significant contextual change over the past decade that Academic leaders must attend to- as they make decisions about programs, faculty, facilities, and institutional operational policies and practices. We took a first step at exploring these relationships at the 2005 PKAL Roundtable on the Future.

Please visit the PKAL website (http://www.pkal.org/ ) and contact the PKAL National Office with any questions that you may have.

Do you know someone who would be a great leader for FUN? Are you looking for a way to get more involved in FUN's activities? Now is your opportunity to nominate yourself, or someone else, for a position on FUN's executive committee. We need nominations for the following positions:

- President-Elect (1 year term, take over as President the following year)
- Secretary (2 year term)
- Councilors (3 openings, 2 year term)

To be eligible, you need to be full member of FUN (sorry, no student members).

For details on the responsibilities associated with these positions, you can check the FUN web page at http://www.funfaculty.org/mission.html#officers or email a current member of the Executive Committee http://www.funfaculty.org/officers.html .

Upon your nomination, we will ask you for a short biosketch and a photo from which we can capture a "head shot" (e.g., see http://funfaculty.org/election2004.html ). Voting will take place prior to the SfN Meeting in Washington DC.

Please send your nominations to me (casperml@udmercy.edu ) by September 1st. This is great opportunity to help determine FUN's future directions!