{"id":51428,"date":"2018-11-06T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=51428"},"modified":"2025-09-30T11:28:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:28:00","slug":"neuroscience-chapter-wins-international-award","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/neuroscience-chapter-wins-international-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Neuroscience Chapter Wins International Award for Unique Public Outreach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Neuroscience Chapter Wins International Award for Unique Public Outreach\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

The Society for Neuroscience Ottawa Chapter, comprised mostly of Carleton University volunteers, has won the Society for Neuroscience\u2019s 2018 Chapter of the Year (COY) Award\u2014a prestigious recognition of its unique outreach in teaching people about the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neuroscience Prof. Alfonso Abizaid<\/a> and students with SfN<\/a> Ottawa accepted the honour at the SfN annual meeting in San Diego, California on Nov. 5, 2018, billed as the world\u2019s largest neuroscience conference with about 30,000 scientists attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa is only the second Canadian chapter to have won the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abizaid has been involved with SfN Ottawa for 10 years. It\u2019s run by volunteer staff and students, mostly from Carleton, and he was elated by the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was extremely happy and proud for the students, who do a lot of the work,” said Abizaid. “To the students, it means what they are doing is really valuable to the community and that it is recognized by others . . . not just me or colleagues in the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt does take a lot of time and dedication to do it. The people who step up to do it are really amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COY Award recognizes outstanding chapters for their efforts and accomplishments across a broad range of activities. Recipients receive a US$1,000 grant to support chapter goals and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neuroscience PhD student Gareth Rurak has been with the Ottawa chapter for five years and is currently the chapter\u2019s president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am beyond excited and filled with gratitude for us to be chosen by the Society for Neuroscience as Chapter of the Year,” he said. “It is a great honour for our hardworking volunteers.”<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Students<\/figure>\n\n\n

Boosting Involvement in Sciences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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SfN Ottawa\u2019s main focus is community education and boosting involvement in the sciences. During Brain Awareness Week each January, student volunteers present hot topics and concepts in neuroscience to Ottawa-area schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nobody who does as much as we do,\u201d said Abizaid. \u201cFor Brain Awareness Week, for instance, we visit over 40 schools every year, and that\u2019s not just one classroom at a time. When we do a school, we go and see three or four classrooms\u2014so we\u2019re looking at 2,000 kids over one week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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