Making sense from dots of light

March 29, 2019

For Julie Golomb, it all
started with a college course in visual perception.  “I realized that all of these things I take
for granted about how I perceive the world are actually really hard challenges
for the brain to solve.”

How do we recognize our
coffee mug?  How do we pick out a
friend’s face in the crowd?  Or know that
the round, white and black thing flying at us is, in fact, a soccer ball?

This constant bombardment of
rich and usually moving

Tracking Legislation in Our Sciences

March 29, 2019

In order to advance sciences of mind, brain and behavior, in addition to the federal funding for our sciences, FABBS tracks legislation with potential impact – positive and negative – on the scientific process. Below are some examples of legislation that FABBS is currently monitoring, taking a position on, or trying to influence. Also included are several important federal agencies and acts due for reauthorization expected to be introduced this session. If you are aware of

Budget Update

March 29, 2019

The budget process is in full swing on Capitol Hill. Earlier this week, House Appropriations subcommittees held numerous hearings with federal agency leadership including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. The tone of the two hearings could not have been more different. Dr. France Cordova was warmly received when she provided testimony to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations subcommittee. Committee members from both sides of the aisle

Budget Update

On March 11 the administration delivered a “skinny budget” recommending cuts to research programs across the government. Typically shared the first Tuesday of February, the budget request was delayed and incomplete due to the 35-day partial government shutdown.

Here is what the administration requested for key agencies supporting behavioral and brain sciences:

National Institutes of Health – $34.4 billion, a $4.94 billion (12 percent) cut from fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget of $39.3