Message from CAN President Shernaz Bamji
Dear CAN members,
It is a pleasure to begin a new academic year by sharing new opportunities available to you. One of CAN’s objective is to increase awareness of the importance of basic science for all Canadians, and we share with you here many opportunities to participate in our initiatives.
We are proud to launch a new contest, the Canadian Science Discoveries Video contest, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of fundamental science by sharing Canadian science success stories. This contest is open to all, so please share widely, and consider submitting a video yourself. Get all the details below.
The federal election campaign is great opportunity to engage with candidates before their election, and to show them that science matters to their electors. You will find below a link to our election engagement toolkit. Please take a few minutes to go through its content – it contains important tips and tricks on how to engage with candidates that may come knocking at your door. CAN as a society cannot engage in the elections in any way that could be seen as promoting one party or another, however, our members, as individuals, are not restricted in that way. We invite you to use our toolkit to get a conversation started about science and research in Canada.
In the toolkit, you will also find a list of engagements, copied from each party’s electoral platform, on science and research (shorturl.at/hvyEJ). It is a convenient way to review each party’s commitment to science, and help you make an informed decision.
Finally, I want to congratulate the CAN 2021 meeting organizing team, lead by Program Chair Roger Thompson, Co-Chair Alyson Fournier and Past CAN President Charles Bourque for organizing the first CAN virtual meeting. While we held out as long as we could in the hopes of having an in person meeting, we are very happy with the success of this virtual event, and also want to thank all participants who contributed to make this a lively and interactive event. Note that recorded lectures are available for almost all live (and pre-recorded) events at the meeting. Log back in to the meeting platform to view lectures you may have missed, or to re-watch lectures of interest!
I wish you a great start to this new academic year!
Shernaz Bamji
President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Advocacy
The Canadian Science Discoveries Video contest
The Canadian Association for Neuroscience is proud to launch a video contest to promote important Canadian science discoveries!
Goal: to raise awareness of the importance of fundamental science by sharing Canadian science success stories.
- First prize: 1,500 $CAD
- Second prize: 1000 $CAD
- Third prize: 500 $CAD
Videos
- Must feature a Canadian science success story / Major discovery (does not have to be neuroscience focussed)
- Must promote basic science
- Must be short (1-3 minutes)
- Submission deadline: December 31, 2021
Please note that the contest is open to everyone.
Winning videos will be shared on the CAN website and through the CAN social media accounts, with full acknowledgement of the producers.
Videos will be used to help in CAN advocacy efforts to increase tri-council funding.
View all the details of the contest here: https://can-acn.org/canadian-science-discoveries-video-contest/
Please share widely!
Election engagement
The CAN federal election engagement toolkit
The Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN) has several priorities this Federal Election, including:
- A commitment to provide a one-time 25% increase in investment in the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for research restart and recovery from the setback of the COVID-19 pandemic to research laboratories in Canada.
- A commitment to provide robust and predictable funding for basic discovery research to sustain and grow Canada’s scientific community. Funding to the CIHR, the NSERC and the SSHRC should be increased by at least 10% yearly.
- A commitment to reinstate a dedicated Minister of Science, so that the unique needs of the scientific community may have a devoted seat at the Cabinet table.
As such, we have prepared an “Election Toolkit” for CAN Members looking to get engaged throughout the election which is available in the CAN Election Readiness Google Drive here: shorturl.at/dowzC . If you have any questions, or if you need further assistance, please feel free to contact Kristina Proulx from TSA at kproulx@tsa.ca.
What do the parties say about science and research in the electoral platform they have published?
You can find the electoral platform of all parties in the CAN election readiness google drive. We have also generated a document called “Science and Research Priorities” in which we have highlighted the main commitments made by each party related to science and research. Take a look here:
Impact of tri-council funding
CAN is working to generate and present statistics on the impact of funding by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. If this is a topic of interest for you, and you have resources to share, please get in touch with the advocacy committee advocacy@can-acn.org. We will use these numbers to show how tricouncil funding has impacts even beyond the scientific discoveries it supports, and generates jobs, spin-off companies, training for highly qualified personnel, and investments in the local economy.
CAN Meetings
CAN 2021 meeting – lecture recordings now available
We wish to thank all participants in the first ever CAN virtual meeting. We were very happy to welcome over 600 participants, and wish to congratulate Roger Thompson (Scientific Committee Chair), Alyson Fournier (Scientific Committee Co-Chair), Past-President Charles Bourque and the rest of the team on its organisation.
Meeting attendees can log in to the underline platform to view recordings of most lectures (some presenters requested that their presentation not be recorded).
Congratulations to the winners of IBRO awards & CAN registration waivers
CAN is grateful to the IBRO-US Canada Regional Committee who provided awards for complementary registration for the CAN2021 meeting to members of underrepresented groups. Here are the IBRO award winners:
IBRO Award winners
| Elisa Gonçalves de Andrade | University of Victoria |
| Zahraa Chorghay | McGill University |
| Annika Traa | McGill University |
| Valerie Cabana | Université du Québec à Montréal |
| Vidhi Patel | McMaster University |
| Laura Medlock | University of Toronto |
| Mariana Marquez | McGill University |
| Reza Hazrati | Université Laval |
| Vidya Jadhav | Université de Montréal |
| John DeJesus | York University |
| Myriah Haggard | McGill University |
| Sorabh Sharma | University of Victoria |
| Tanya Gandhi | Louisiana State University |
| Chetan Patil | University of Manitoba |
| Alysia Ross | Carleton University |
| Savannah Lightfoot | University of Calgary |
| Catherine Hume | University of Calgary |
| Nariko Kuwahara | University of Guelph |
| Anjali Patel | University of Ottawa |
| Aline Giselle Rangel Olguin | McGill University |
| Shreya Dhume | University of Manitoba |
| Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini | University of Manitoba |
| Milad Hafezi | Simon Fraser University |
| Harashdeep Deol | University of Toronto |
| Priya Jhelum | Research Institute of MUHC |
| Jessica Ruffolo | University of Guelph |
| Juliana Herrera | Concordia University |
| Yacine Haili | Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval |
| Rania Faidi | University of Toronto |
| Fahed Abu-Hijleh | McMaster University |
| Nicolette Rigg | McMaster University |
| Mona Nazzal | University of Manitoba |
| Colleen Peterson | University of Calgary |
| Milad Hafezi | Simon Fraser University |
| Sneha Singh | University of British Columbia |
| Megan Roussy | University of Western Ontario |
| Simran Bhullar | University of Guelph |
CAN replaced the CAN Travel Awards by CAN Pandemic Relief registration waivers for the CAN2021. We are happy to have supported the participation of the following trainees:
CAN Pandemic Relief registration waiver winners
| Morgane Regniez | Université de Montréal |
| Jude Frie | University of Guelph |
| Jessica Ruffolo | University of Guelph |
| Karen Lee | Université de Montréal / CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center |
| Dilan Rasool | McGill University |
| Lidia Trzuskot | University of Manitoba |
| Haruka Mitsuhashi | McGill University |
| Maxime Teixeira | Université Laval |
| Razan Sheta | Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec à Université Laval |
| Harashdeep Deol | University of Toronto |
| Narjes Shahsavani | University of Manitoba |
| Charlotte Kruger | McGill University |
| Laura Martinez-Drudis | Université Laval |
| Raquel Rodriguez Aller | Université Laval |
| Morgan Berard | Laval University |
| Pascal Ibrahim | McGill University |
| Rida Ansari | University of Toronto Scarborough |
| Cassandra Goldfarb | Concordia University |
| Malosree Maitra | McGill University |
| Audrey Hector | Université de Montréal |
| Sanjana Chauhan | University of Manitoba |
| Julia Sunstrum | Western University |
| Tanya Leduc | Université de Montréal |
| Danie Majeur | Université de Montréal, CRCHUM |
| Hang Cheng | University of Ottawa |
| Fari Ryan | The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre |
| Karnig Kazazian | Western University |
| Margo Button | Concordia University |
| Alicyia Walczyk Mooradally | University of Guelph |
| Isabel Plasencia Fernandez | CERVO Brain Research Centre – Université Laval |
| Riya Thomas | McGill University |
| George Tomou | York University |
| Jessica Meza Resillas | University of Manitoba |
Next CAN Meeting: Toronto 2022
We look forward to welcoming you to our next meeting live in Toronto, May 12-15, 2022 – Mark your calendars!
Check out the CAN2022 meeting key dates here
CAN at the upcoming SfN Meeting
Given the COVID situation in the USA, the CAN Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel the CAN Social at the 2021 SfN meeting in Chicago. We look forward to seeing you in person at our next CAN meeting in Toronto in May.
CAN virtual booth
CAN will have a virtual exhibit booth at the SfN meeting. Please stop by to learn more about what CAN has been up to, and how you can get involved. We look forward to seeing you.
Canadian neuroscientists at SfN
This year’s SfN Program committee is chaired by Sheena Josselyn, and committee members include Canadians Shernaz Bamji, Per Jesper Sjostrom, Lynn Raymond, Lu-Yang Wang, Stephanie Borgland, Andrew Pruszynski and Roger Thompson.
If you are attending the meeting, don’t miss these plenary lectures by Canadian neuroscientists:
Freda Miller – Presidential Special Lecture — From Development to Repair — How Growth Factors and Stem Cells Build the Brain
Date & Time: Monday, November 15, 2021 5:15pm – 6:30pm – Location: Hall B1
Jaideep Bains – Special Lecture — Stress Contagion, Shadows, and Synaptic Imprinting
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 16, 2021 11am – 12pm – Location: Hall B1
Congratulations to Yves De Koninck, winner of an SfN Award for Education
We wish to congratulate Yves de Koninck, who was awarded an award for education by the SfN in 2020. Here is an excerpt from this award announcement
To support the development of new photonics-based technologies for brain research, De Koninck established the Neurophysics research training program and the Neurophotonics Centre at Laval University. He also created the International Summer School in Neurophotonics, in which students and junior scientists receive innovative, practical, and theoretical training on leading-edge neurophotonic techniques. Now in its 14th year, the summer school has provided training to over 250 students from around the world. The multiple scientific retreats, workshops, and discussion forums De Koninck organizes continue to foster new ideas and collaborations while providing training to hundreds of young scientists from Canada and abroad. De Koninck has also distinguished himself as a promoter of science organizations, as the founding director of the Quebec Pain Research Network and advisor to many funding bodies in Canada and internationally. For example, he currently leads the development of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy, in which leaders of the major neuroscience institutes across the country came together to establish a road map for neuroscience in Canada.
Read the full announcement here: https://www.sfn.org/publications/latest-news/2020/10/29/society-for-neuroscience-presents-awards-for-education-in-neuroscience
CAN committees
A call is open for applications for membership in the following CAN committees:
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee:
Advocacy Committee:
Nominations Committee:
Application deadline for all committees is September 10, 2021. Applicants must be members in good standing of CAN (dues paid)
Canadian Neuroscience Graduate Programs directory on the CAN website
The Canadian Graduate Programs in Neuroscience webpage is one of the most visited pages on the CAN website, and it attempts to list the names, website and contact information for all Neuroscience graduate programs in Canada. https://can-acn.org/canadian-graduate-programs-in-neuroscience/
We invite you to visit the page, and to send us corrections/additions about the program(s) offered at your university, if required. Note that we also share this information at the SfN meeting, as it is also information that international students often request.
Jobs & fellowships
Recently posted job and fellowship opportunities – from the #neurojobs webpage: https://can-acn.org/neuro-jobs/
- Canadian Brain Research Strategy – Indigenous Initiatives Strategic Partnership Associate 2021/09/14
- Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Molecular Neuroscience – University of Windsor 2021/09/03
- Postdoctoral Fellow identifying exosomal biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis – Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University 2021/09/03
- Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) Department of Psychiatry, Mood and Anxiety – McGill University 2021/09/01
- Postdoctoral fellowship in machine learning and human vision – York University 2021/08/30
- Tenure-Track Assistant or Associate Professor in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Music – McMaster University 2021/08/25
- New Graduate Student Positions Now Available to Study the Basic Mechanisms of Multiple Sclerosis 2021/08/25
- Assistant Professor – University of Western Ontario 2021/07/26
- Academic Neuro-Oncologist – McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences 2021/07/26
- Neurologists & Locum Neurologists – Windsor Regional Hospital 2021/07/09
- Academic Neurologist – Niagara Campus 2021/07/07
CAN membership
Please consider renewing your membership today to become a member of our vibrant community, and to help support all our activities
