CNS News

Applications for CNS Undergraduate Fellows 2020-21 now open

The Undergraduate Fellows Program at the Center for Neuroscience & Society at the University of Pennsylvania is made up of juniors and seniors from any school or department who have identified an interest in exploring the intersection of neuroscience and society. Fellows receive access to faculty, distinguished visitors, and special [...]

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Educational Resources for Middle and High Schoolers

For those of you home schooling high schoolers or advanced middle schoolers, the CNS developed a high school curriculum on neuroscience with our friends at the Franklin Institute, which has been taught for several years now in Philly public schools.  Some of the activities need a classroom, but many do [...]

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Opportunities to help launch an Engineering Ethics program at Penn

The School of Engineering & Applied Science is piloting an Engineering Ethics educational program, they need grad students and postdocs with background in bioengineering and/or technology ethics to help develop curriculum materials.  For more information or to apply, contact Brit Shields, Ph.D. at bshields@seas.upenn.edu.  Applications should include a CV and a [...]

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Neuroethics Essay Contest

The International Neuroethics Society (INS) and the International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) are pleased to announce a call for submissions for the Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2020. Now in its seventh year, the contest aims to promote interest in neuroethics among students and trainees around the world. Participating authors can [...]

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CNS talks and events canceled through April 17

CNS is following the Penn Provost’s recommendation to cancel gatherings through April 17 due to COVID-19 risk.  This includes the April 2 Public Talk by Anna Wexler and the April 8th Lunchtime Conversation with Zab Johnson.  Stay tuned for announcements regarding events after the 17th.  Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Emily Falk’s Public Talk Featured in the Daily Pennsylvanian

The CNS's first public talk of the academic year (2019-20) by professor Emily Falk was featured in the Daily Pennsylvanian. Dr. Falk discussed her research on how ideas and behaviors spread, particularly in regards to public health advertising. You can read the full article here: https://www.thedp.com/article/2019/10/center-for-neuroscience-society-public-health-penn        

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Center for Neuroscience & Society celebrates 10 years

The CNS turns 10 this year and we invited alumni from Neuroscience Boot Camp, Neuroethics Teaching Fellowships, SCAN Graduate Certificate, and Visiting Scholars to celebrate and to discuss what progress we have made in understanding the relation of neuroscience to law, business, the arts, the humanities, and other fields. We [...]

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Brain Space Impact Forum: Your guide to the fun!

This coming Wed and Thur we will celebrate the official opening of our National Historic Landmark facility dedicated to brain research.  As you’ll see from the schedule below, this will be a lively two days of talks and activities, so please swing by for some or all of the program [...]

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NIH solicits comments on “Neuroethics Roadmap”

The BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group at NIH has drafted a document to “characterize the neuroethical implications that may arise as BRAIN Initiative investments produce new tool/neurotechnologies, and/or those tools/neurotechnologies are applied to advancing the goals of the NIH BRAIN Initiative.”  They have posted it here and are requesting public feedback [...]

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Joint neuroethics seminar on brains and iPhones

The CNS and the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy will host Dr. Peter Reiner of the University of British Columbia, speaking on his current research project: “The mind in your pocket: On the neuroethical implications of smartphones as extensions of our minds."  Tuesday, May 7, noon at the [...]

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Become a Neuroscience & Society Undergrad Fellow for 2019-2020!

Deadline has been extended to May 3rd! BECOME A NEUROSCIENCE & SOCIETY UNDERGRAD FELLOW FOR 2019-2020! The Center for Neuroscience & Society at the University of Pennsylvania is seeking applications from rising Penn juniors and seniors for its new group of CNS Undergraduate Fellows for 2019-20. This program is intended [...]

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CNS collaboration on neurocriminology

CNS faculty Roy Hamilton and Adrian Raine filmed a segment of Nova yesterday, featuring their research using non-invasive brain stimulation to shift people toward more ethical behavior.  Here they are with producer and cameraman over at Goddard!

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“What makes addiction a brain disease?”

This is the title of a WHYY report this week, featuring Penn scientists Chuck O’Brien and Daniel Langleben.  https://whyy.org/segments/what-makes-addiction-a-disease/  For more on this timely topic, be sure to attend the CNS Public Talk next month by Alan Leshner, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who coined the phrase [...]

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CNS’s Diana Robertson one of the nation’s top business profs!

Poets and Quants, a business school news site, named our own Diana Robertson among the 50 top business professors nationwide!  A specialist in business ethics, who incorporates neuroimaging into her research, she has also won numerous teaching awards within Penn.  Read about her here: https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2018/11/13/2018-top-50-undergraduate-professors-diana-robertson-university-of-pennsylvania-wharton/

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Michael Gazzaniga at Penn!

One of the fathers of cognitive neuroscience will be here on Tues, October 23rd, delivering the annual Philomathean Oration at 7:30 (free but tickets required) and joining us for lunch and conversation at the CNS at noon that day.

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Drugs, the Brain and Society

This year’s talk series focuses on drug policy as it has been informed (or not informed, as the case may be!) by neuroscience.  Is the “brain to blame” for addicts’ behavior? Is vaping a kinder, gentler substitute for smoking, or a new scourge?  Should we take a fresh look at [...]

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NSO Preceptorial – “Brave Neuro World” with Martha Farah

Martha Farah will be offering her preceptorial, "Brave Neuro World," once again during New Student Orientation (NSO). Preceptorials are non-credit seminars led by faculty and the goal of Preceptorials is learning for learning's sake. Brave Neuro World: How Will Neuroscience Change Life in the 21st Century? Description: New developments in [...]

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CNS faculty collaborate on crime and brain

Adrian Raine and Roy Hamilton, along with grad student Olivia Choy, have just published a study in Journal of Neuroscience entitled "Stimulation of the Prefrontal Cortex Reduces Intentions to Commit Aggression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Stratified, Parallel-Group Trial.”  You can read veteran science writer Sharon Begley’s report here: https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/02/brain-electric-stimulation-violence/ and read the [...]

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CNS Undergraduate Fellow applies science to policy

Julia Pan, one of the outstanding Penn undergrads who participated in our Undergraduate Fellows program last year, has been actively applying her education in neuroscience and cognitive science to real world problems, including in the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office.  Read about her exciting work here. To read more about the CNS [...]

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Eric Kandel on his life in neuroscience and the arts

Join us on April 17 when Eric Kandel speaks about his life, from his Jewish roots in Vienna to his Nobel Prize winning neuroscience research in the US, with reflections on the relation between science and the arts.  Hosted by the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic studies with co-sponsorship from [...]

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Allyson Mackey receives APS award!

The Association for Psychological Science has named our own Professor Mackey a “Rising Star” for her work on early experience and brain development.  You can hear about her fascinating and important work at the final CNS monthly talk this year.  The year’s theme is Brain Development and Society - see [...]

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Critical Analysis of fMRI – suicide prediction

CNS Associate Directors, Geoff Aguirre and Stephen Morse, led a fascinating seminar today on Critical Analysis of fMRI.  A large gathering of scholars discussed the new paper by Just et al (2017) and its findings in the use of fMRI for prediction of suicide, as well as ethical considerations into [...]

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The Neuroscience of Socioeconomic Status

In this new review, published in the journal Neuron, Dr. Farah explains the concept of socioeconomic status and its possible neural and behavioral correlates in the brain.  After summarizing the substantial body of work that has shown evidence for associations between SES and brain structure and function, Dr. Farah discusses [...]

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NIH announces its latest call for neuroethics grant proposals

Part of NIH’s support for the BRAIN initiative has been devoted to working on the ethical, legal and social implications of neuroscience.  For the coming year, they have announced RFA-MH-18-500, aimed at supporting research on the ethics of brain science and neurotechnology, which will be "both complementary and integrative with the [...]

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