Reminder: IBACS Publication Awards Available

A reminder that The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) launched the new IBACS Publication Award this Fall for faculty, graduate students, and post-docs. This award will provide a lump-sum payment up to $1.5K to cover all publication costs, or, up to 50% of the costs with a $3K cap on IBACS contribution. 
 
We are aware that publication costs are sometimes very high and are only increasing. Our goal is to help get work published into journals that the PI would otherwise not be able to publish in. The Institute’s ability to offer these awards is not guaranteed and will be reviewed on an annual basis. Any costs over the award are the responsibility of the recipient. 
 

The application process is rolling and will close once funds are exhausted. Please visit our award page for more information, including eligibility requirements and the form to apply!

New undergraduate course offering: COGS Language and Racism

New undergraduate course offering from Cog Sci:  COGS Language and Racism
We invite you to register for “COGS 2345, Language and Racism”,  Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:30-1:45pm, co-sponsored by the Cognitive Science Program and co-taught by Dr. Letty Naigles and Dr. Bede Agocha. This course examines the relationships between language use, both historically and across the lifespan, and the social construction of race, racism, and racial identity, with particular emphasis on racial politics in the United States.
Prerequisites: Open to sophomores or higher. Recommended preparation: One course in AFRA or COGS.
Course overview:  LANGUAGE plays an immense, though often underrated role in nearly every domain of students’ lives, including where they live, who they love, what they learn, and whether and how they get and keep a job. Relatedly, then, language can also prevent all of the above. Language is a vehicle of racism because the language used by those in the majority or in power is artfully constructed to categorize people according to race and to place groups in deeply hierarchical relationships to one another.
Our course on Language and Racism deploys tools of the cognitive and psychological sciences to both illuminate and illustrate potential interventions for language racism.
  • We examine the linguistics and sociolinguistics of the language(s) used by Black communities in the U.S., including their origins, creolization, complex linguistic structure, and issues of stigma versus pride.
  • We examine the language of racism, including the types of discourse that construct Whiteness as dominant over Color, the processes of language standardization, and the ideologies of language and their interaction with group identity at both the local and national community levels.
  • We consider antiracism interventions that are language-based.
  • The course is project-based, with students learning to understand how language is used in their various social contexts as well as in contexts they can access via stored content. Students will learn to analyze their own and others’, famous and commonplace, racist and antiracist linguistic output/texts, using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) computational tool, which analyzes texts as manifesting properties such as anger, authority, in-group, out-group, and fairness.

IBACS Summer Graduate Student Fellowship Applications Due 12/2

The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (CT IBACS) is inviting applications to its Graduate Fellowship Program.

These summer fellowships are intended for graduate students working on topics with relevance (broadly construed) to the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. IBACS Graduate Fellows attend a short grant-writing workshop and will be expected to submit an application to the NSF GRFP, NRSA (pre- or post-doctoral fellowship), or equivalent.

Deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, December 2nd, 2022.

Graduate students who are not US citizens are eligible to apply and are expected to work with their advisor to develop an external research proposal if they are not eligible for graduate fellowships. Students who were fellows in summer 2021 may apply if they submitted the external grant proposal they developed last year and it was not funded, with the expectation that they will revise their previous grant or develop a new one.

Please refer to the full details here before you apply. If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu

10/24: Student Abroad Program in Tel Aviv, Israel Info Session

UConn Brain and Behavior Student Abroad Program in Tel Aviv, Israel
Information Session on Monday, Oct. 24th at 5pm in Psychology (Bousfield) room A101

http://www.tausummerneuroscience.uconn.edu/

This year there will be two UCONN classes to choose from – both giving Honor’s credit

·        PSYC2209 Learning and Memory: From Brain to Behavior

Students can also choose a second class offered by Tel Aviv university.

This program is eligible for the COGS Study Abroad Travel Award !

Loader Loading...
EAD Logo Taking too long?

Reload Reload document
| Open Open in new tab

Cognitive Science Study Abroad Travel Award

The Cognitive Science Program is excited to announce that it will be continuing the Cognitive Science Study Abroad Travel Award Program for another year! 

This award was offered for the first time last year. The Cognitive Science Program’s mission is to prepare students to tackle global and multicultural challenges. A study abroad experience is vital to this preparation. Yet students majoring in Cognitive Science and related-STEM fields are generally less likely to participate in study abroad programs than other students.

These awards are available to UConn undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Cognitive Science. Priority will be given to students attending the Interdisciplinary Ethnography FieldSummer School in Mauritiusthe Neuroscience Study Abroad Summer Program in Salamanca, Spain, and UConn Brain & Behavior in Tel Aviv, Israel (flyer for Summer 2023 attached). Courses taken through these summer programs can be counted towards the Cognitive Science degree.

More details on the travel award program, including program deadlines, will be shared soon! 

Reminder: IBACS Undergraduate Research Awards

The application period for the Fall 2022/Spring 2023 research grant program opens today, September 1st, 2022, and the deadline for applications will be 11:59 pm on February 202023The academic year applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and awards will be made until funds are exhausted, or up until the application deadline. 

It is expected that applicants will be conducting research with IBACS faculty members, focusing on any research area associated with the IBACS mission.  Faculty sponsors will need to supply a letter of recommendation. Once the applicant lists the faculty advisor of the project in the form, an email will be sent to the faculty member with directions for how to submit the letter.  Applicants must fill out the online application, and also submit via the online application, a relatively short research plan (maximum of 6,000 characters, approximately 3 pages) and a budget that explains in detail how the funds will be spent. The application link is listed below. It is recommended that the student first compose the research plan and budget using a word processing program, and then upload the final versions on to the website.

This program is not meant to provide direct financial support to students. Instead, it is meant to provide support for the research. The account will be set up with the faculty sponsor after the award is given. The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures.

 Recipients cannot apply for another grant within the same academic year, however, are eligible for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time. Please note that the application period for the summer research grant program will open on February 20, 2023, and the deadline for applications will be 11:59 pm on March 13, 2023

The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • The project description is well written and clearly explains the project.
  • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
  • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
  • The advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly. 
  • Where project applications are equally meritorious, the reviewers will take note of how the student’s project will contribute to the advisor’s research goals.
  • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
  • The student has secured research compliance approval(s) if necessary for the project. No award will be issued until documentation of approval(s) is received.

       

      IBACS Fall 2022/Spring 2023 Application: https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/ibacs_undergraduate_research_grant_-_fall_2022spring_2023/

      Please visit our website for more information and contact our Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu or (860) 486-4937 if you have any questions. 

      Undergraduate Research Grant Program Now Open

      IBACS is happy to announce another year of the undergraduate research grant program! Please share with the undergraduate students in your labs.

      The application period for the Fall 2022/Spring 2023 research grant program opens today, September 1st, 2022, and the deadline for applications will be 11:59 pm on February 202023The academic year applications are reviewed on arolling basis and awards will be made until funds are exhausted, or up until the application deadline. 

      It is expected that applicants will be conducting research with IBACS faculty members, focusing on any research area associated with the IBACS mission.  Faculty sponsors will need to supply a letter of recommendation. Once the applicant lists the faculty advisor of the project in the form, an email will be sent to the faculty member with directions for how to submit the letter.  Applicants must fill out the online application, and also submit via the online application, a relatively short research plan (maximum of 6,000 characters, approximately 3 pages) and a budget that explains in detail how the funds will be spent. The application link is listed below. It is recommended that the student first compose the research plan and budget using a word processing program, and then upload the final versions on to the website.

      This program is not meant to provide direct financial support to students. Instead, it is meant to provide support for the research. The account will be set up with the faculty sponsor after the award is given. The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures.

       Recipients cannot apply for another grant within the same academic year, however, are eligible for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time. Please note that the application period for the summer research grant program will open on February 20, 2023, and the deadline for applications will be 11:59 pm on March 13, 2023

      The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:

      • The project description is well written and clearly explains the project.
      • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
      • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
      • The advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly. 
      • Where project applications are equally meritorious, the reviewers will take note of how the student’s project will contribute to the advisor’s research goals.
      • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
      • The student has secured research compliance approval(s) if necessary for the project. No award will be issued until documentation of approval(s) is received.

           

          IBACS Fall 2022/Spring 2023 Application: https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/ibacs_undergraduate_research_grant_-_fall_2022spring_2023/

          Please visit our website for more information and contact our Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu or (860) 486-4937 if you have any questions

          New Call for IBACS Seed Grant Application

          The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (CT IBACS) is pleased to announce a new call for applications to its seed grant fund.

           

          The seed grant program is intended to fund research consistent with the IBACS mission. Large Seed Grant applications (>$10,000 but <$25,000) are time-limited to accommodate GA assignment; the Fall deadline is October 1st, 2022Please submit letters of intent as soon as possible, but at least 2 weeks prior to the seed grant application deadline (by 9/16/22), to allow time for review and feedback prior to submission of the full proposal.

          A reminder that our Spring deadline will be April 1st, 2023Small Seed Grant applications (<$10,000) are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

          Seed funding is intended to support direct research costs such as supplies, participant fees, animal costs, and student support. Review criteria seek innovative, novel, and collaborative projects in the field of brain and cognitive sciences.  Postdocs can also apply, with a faculty mentor as co-PI. Undergraduates are directed to separate academic/summer funding. Full details on the seed grant program, including applications (letter of intent and full seed app) and allowable costs, please check our website.

          The Institute also invites applications for affiliate memberships.

          Any questions should be directed to the Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu or (860) 486-4937.

          Reminder: Register for the IBACS Meet & Speak on 4/29

          A reminder that registration is open for the IBACS Meet & Speak on 4/29! Details can be found below, including the talk title and abstract for our keynote talk by Dr. Takao Hensch at Harvard University. We hope you can join us!

          Dear IBACS community,

          We are excited to officially invite you to attend the IBACS 2022 Meet and Speak event on Friday, April 29th from 2-6pm.This event will be in-person in Bousfield A106.

          Affiliated faculty will give 10-minute talks, most of which are on the research they have carried out, or propose carrying out, with seed funding previously awarded by IBACS. Affiliated graduate students who have received IBACS funding will be presenting 5-minute “datablitz” style talks.

          The IBACS Meet & Speak will provide an opportunity to learn more about the diverse research that IBACS affiliates are engaged in, and will provide a forum for cross-disciplinary networking. We hope you can join us, please register here for all or part of the event.

          Schedule

          2:00PM – Introduction

          2:10PM – Faculty Talks (10 minutes each)

          3:00PM – Graduate Student Data Blitz (5 minutes each)

          3:30PM – Keynote Speaker: Dr. Takao Hensch, Harvard University

          Talk Title: Balancing Brain Plasticity/Stability

          Abstract: Brain function is largely shaped by experience in early life, creating windows of both great opportunity and vulnerability. Our work has focused on the biological basis for such critical periods, identifying both “triggers” and “brakes” on plasticity. Strikingly, the maturation of particular inhibitory circuits is pivotal for the onset timing of these windows. Manipulations of their emergence can either accelerate or delay developmental trajectories regardless of chronological age. Notably, many neurodevelopmental disorders are linked to alterations in excitatory-inhibitory balance, suggesting shifted critical period timing as part of their etiology. Closure of critical periods in turn reflects an active process, rather than a purely passive loss of plasticity factors. Lifting these brakes allows the reopening of plastic windows later in life, but may also underlie instability in disease states. Thus, understanding how brain plasticity and stability are balanced throughout life offers new insight into mental illness and novel therapeutic strategies for recovery of function in adulthood.

          4:30PM – Panel Discussion: Featuring Takao Hensch, Erika Skoe, and Natale Sciolino

          Innovations and the intersections of technology in Neuro/Cognitive Science

          5:00PM – Wine and Cheese Social in Atrium

          A more detailed program including speaker names and talk titles will be shared soon.

          Best,

          Holly Fitch, IBACS Director

          Crystal Mills, IBACS Coordinator