Tackling Challenges in Scientific Rigor: The (Sometimes) Messy Reality of Science
Apr 26, 2016
Rigorous conduct of science is the cornerstone of the scientific endeavor, touching on established practices for experimental design, data analysis, and transparency, as well as other issues like publishing and funding pressures. Knowing how to address these issues is critical for a successful career in science. This workshop explores practical examples of the challenges and solutions in conducting rigorous science from the real-life examples of neuroscientists at various career stages. It focuses on development of the interpersonal, scientific, and technical skills necessary to address various issues in scientific rigor, such as what to do when you can't replicate a published result, how to get support from a mentor, and how to cope with various career pressures that might affect the quality of your science. For more information about scientific rigor, visit SfN's hub of Training Modules to Enhance Data Reproducibility.
This training module is supported by Grant Number 1R25DA041326-01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The original contents of this module are solely the responsibility of SfN and do not necessarily reflect the official views of NIDA.
Speakers
John H. Morrison, PhD
John H. Morrison, PhD, is the director of the California National Primate Research Center and Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at UC Davis. Morrison earned his bachelor’s degree and PhD from Johns Hopkins University, and completed postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Floyd E. Bloom at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Morrison’s research program focuses primarily on the neurobiology of aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, particularly as they relate to cellular and synaptic organization of cerebral cortex. Within this broad arena, his lab works specifically on the interactions between endocrine factors (e.g., estrogen, stress steroids) and aging and the synaptic determinants of cognitive aging. He has published over 300 articles on cortical organization, Alzheimer’s disease, the neurobiology of cognitive aging, and the effects of stress on cortical circuitry. Deeply committed to the public communication of neuroscience, he was a member of the BrainFacts.org Advisory Board, which helped guide the development of BrainFacts.org from its inception, prior to becoming Editor-in-Chief.
Barbara Lom, PhD
Barbara Lom, PhD, is professor and chair of biology at Davidson College where she studies the growth and elaboration of axons and dendrites in the developing nervous system. She is also the founding editor-in-chief and editorial board member of The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience. Lom has received numerous honors and awards, including the Distinguished Mentor Award from the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience and the Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award from Davidson College.
Deena Walker, PhD
Deena Walker, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Eric Nestler at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences in adolescent development, with a focus on motivation and reward. She has published extensively on how perturbations during early life influence the development of sex-specific brain regions. She plans to investigate how stress during adolescence alters sex-specific transcription, circuitry, and behavior in adulthood in her independent laboratory.
Erin McKiernan, PhD
Erin McKiernan, PhD, is a researcher at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico. She works in experimental and computational neuroscience, and is an advocate for open access, open data, and open science.
Phillip Popovich, PhD
Phillip Popovich, PhD, is a neuroscience professor and the director of Ohio State University’s Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair. His lab studies spinal cord injury (SCI) and it recently showed that SCI has significant effects on shaping the functional properties of innate (e.g., macrophages) and adaptive (T and B lymphocytes) immune cells. His research may provide new insight into novel immune-modulatory therapies.
Peter R. Rapp, PhD
Peter R. Rapp, PhD, is the chief of the Neurocognitive Aging Section in the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging and is an adjunct professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University. He also serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Neurobiology of Aging. Rapp’s laboratory focuses on the neurobiology of cognitive aging, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms that support successful neuroadaptation in aging.
