CNS News

The work of CNS Associate Director Stephen Morse will be the focus of a neurolaw meeting this June in Florence, Italy.  The two-day meeting will bring together scholars in law, philosophy and psychiatry to discuss and celebrate Stephen's influential work on responsibility and criminal law.  For more information, see http://neurolawconference.com.

Penn's new certificate program in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) will enable graduate and professional students preparing for a wide range of careers to work knowledgeably with neuroscience. Rather than training future neuroscientists, the program’s aim is to supplement the education of people with expertise in other areas, enabling them to incorporate some of the concepts and methods of neuroscience into their work. The curriculum will focus on the aspects of neuroscience that have the most direct application to the understanding of human behavior, specifically cognitive and affective neuroscience. For more information, visit the SCAN information page or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For their Summer 2012 installment, The Journal of Psychiatry and Law has published a special tribute issue to CNS faculty member Bob Sadoff, leader in forensic psychiatry, teacher to many and inspiration to all! Articles address issues including forcible medication, capacity assessment and ethics, all key issues for neuroscience and society.

CNS Director Martha Farah offers a neurological perspective on the effects of poverty on the developing brain at a recent Capitol Hill briefing co-sponsored by AAAS and the Dana Foundation. To watch the video of her presentation, follow this link.

Jason Karlawish argues for the advantages of public ownership and public-private partnerships for the development of biomarkers in his new NEJM piece"Biomarkers Unbound."  Penn faculty have been pioneers in the development of predictive biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease. 

Coursera, the new online consortium that brings free education to hundreds of thousands of students worldwide, will offer a course on Neuroethics taught by Penn CNS's own Jonathan Moreno. Watch this course preview video, then sign up here.

CNS Director Martha Farah presented "Twenty-first Century Neuroscience: From Lab and Clinic to Home, School and Office," for the NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series on May 2, 2012. To view the lecture, please visit http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?Live=10522

Abstract submission for the 2012 International Neuroethics Society meeting in New Orleans is now open.

 

Abstracts should be up to 500 words (including title, author names and affiliations and references if applicable). At least one author must be an INS member and register for the Annual Meeting. Abstracts will be reviewed by the INS Program Committee. Work presented in abstracts must be in compliance with local IRB governance and comply with INS the Abstract Submission and Disclosure Statement at www.neuroethicssociety.org

 

Five submissions will be selected for Oral Presentations. Two submissions will receive a $250 Travel Award. Twenty-five abstracts will be published in the online version of AJOB- Neuroscience.

FORMAT your abstract as follows: (1) All text left justified; (2) Title in capitals; (3) Authors' initials and surnames, with superscripts for institutional affiliations if more than one; (4) General question or issue being addressed should be stated at outset; (5) References optional and no more than 5, formatted for AJOB-N.

 

The deadline is 5:00 p.m. EDT on JULY 2, 2012. Submit your abstract to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Presenting authors will receive notification about submission by August 1.

 

POSTER SPECIFICATIONS: When preparing your poster for the meeting, please keep the dimensions within 4 ft x 4 ft or 1.1 m x 1.1 m. The title should be large enough to read from several yards away. Other suggestions: include figures if applicable, use bulleted points as much as possible and avoid long sections of text.

 

The International Neuroethics Society is an interdisciplinary group of scholars, scientists, clinicians and other professionals who share an interest in the social, legal, ethical and policy implications of advances in neuroscience. Our mission is to promote the development and responsible application of neuroscience through interdisciplinary and international research, education, outreach and public engagement for the benefit of people of all nations, ethnicities, and cultures.

CNS faculty member Jonathan Moreno has been invited to join UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee. UNESCO’s mission is to encourage peace and security through the promotion of education and international collaboration. In the field of bioethics, the organization has become a leading forum for trans-disciplinary and multicultural debate and reflection on advancement in the life sciences. For more information, click here.

Ever wonder about Penn's Law & Brain Student Group? Check out this terrific interview with Gabriel Lázaro, the student group's lead organizer: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/penn-s-law-and-brain-student-group-mines-intersection-neuroscience-society-and-courts