activism

  • Example of a successful NSF GRFP application

    The other day, I posted a tweet offering to share my old National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program application materials with anyone who was planning to apply this year. Dozens of people have messaged me asking for a copy, and it has become clear to me that there is huge demand for examples of…

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  • The Science of Students Swapping Sections

    The Problem This semester, I am responsible for leading discussion sections for an undergraduate cognitive neuroscience course. These sections consist of ~30-40 students at a time, and are in addition to two weekly faculty lectures attended by the entire class. Smaller groups give students a chance to interact with the course material more directly than…

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  • Crossing into the US on your way to (or from) OHBM 2017? Know your rights.

    I seem to be developing a habit of only writing blog posts related to conferences I travel to. It’s not that I don’t have other things I want to write about; I’ve got a whole list of ideas. It’s more that it can feel hard to justify time spent writing for enjoyment when I have…

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  • I Brain NY – Part 2: Eat, Drink, and See

    Welcome to Part 2 of my NYC guide for attendees of the 2016 Cognitive Neuroscience Society annual meeting. Part 1 introduced the guide and covered subways, busses, taxis, and getting to/from the airports. Part 2 is going to focus heavily on food, with some additional advice about sightseeing thrown in at the end. Please note…

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  • I Brain NY – Part 1: Getting Around

    There are three things in life that I love orders of magnitude more than everything else. My wife Theresa, my science, and New York City. As such, I was thrilled when I heard that this year’s Cognitive Neuroscience Society annual meeting would be held in Midtown Manhattan, just blocks away from my old lab. When…

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  • Cal should be a safe place for everybody.

    Below is the text of an email I sent to University of California President Janet Napolitano and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, in response to the complete and utter failure of the University to respond appropriately to repeated incidents of sexual assault and harassment by Astronomy professor Geoffrey Marcy. Dear President Napolitano and Chancellor Dirks, On most…

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