European neuroscience outreach award given to Hebrew U brain sciences center

The 10th FENS Forum of Neuroscience, organized by FENS and hosted by the Danish Society for Neuroscience, attracted an estimated 6,000 international delegates.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A scientist looks through a microscope (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
A scientist looks through a microscope
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences received the European Dana Alliance for the Brain (EDAB)-Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Brain Awareness Week Excellence Award for 2016.
Celebrating special contributions to the promotion of brain awareness through continued public outreach efforts, the Neuroscience Outreach Awards were presented on Monday at FENS Forum 2016, Europe’s preeminent neuroscience meeting in Copenhagen. The honor was regarded by the university as important given anti-Israel pressures in Europe.
Safra Center executive director Dr. Rafi Aviram and events and publications coordinator Alona Shani-Narkiss accepted the award. FENS president Prof. Monica di Luca said, “The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and the Hebrew University have embraced public engagement as an integral part of their research agenda.
People of all ages are intrigued by the creative brain, and here the scientists have found imaginative ways to combine neuroscience research with the arts.”
Established in 2010, the Safra Center has a comprehensive research agenda that includes dialogue with the public. To this end, it initiated Art and the Brain Week, a series of lectures and cultural events including dance, art exhibitions and films that reveal the brain’s creative processes. Since 2011, Art and the Brain has reached more than 10,000 children and adults in Jerusalem and beyond, and thousands more through newspapers, radio and TV.
“We believe it is crucial for the public to understand that brain research affects each and every one of us in many aspects of our lives, from basic decision-making processes to complex brain diseases,” said Aviram. “Strengthening our bonds with the community, and enhancing the public’s awareness of the importance of brain sciences, are integral to the advanced research conducted at the center.”
The 10th FENS Forum of Neuroscience, the largest basic neuroscience meeting in Europe, organized by FENS and hosted by the Danish Society for Neuroscience, attracted an estimated 6,000 international delegates.