The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is urging neuroscientists to apply for a range of prizes that recognise, promote and support neuroscientific excellence.
Each year, BNA awards prizes to UK neuroscientists in the following categories:
- Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience
- Public Engagement of Neuroscience
- Postgraduate Prize
- Undergraduate Prize
If you know someone that is deserving of a neuroscience prize nomination, please submit an application to office@bna.org.uk before Tuesday 31 October.
For more details about each award, please visit www.bna.org.uk/about/our-prizes.
A creative engagement activity developed by the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit has won the Best Interactive Stand award at this year’s Health and Care Research Wales Conference.
The success marks the second year running that the BRAIN Unit has claimed this particular accolade for their engagement initiatives, with their ‘Splodge on the Brain’ art project similarly receiving the most votes from delegates at last year’s event.
Operation Brain game
‘Ataxia and Me’ Alan tries his hand at Operation Brain
‘Operation Brain’, which was presented by the BRAIN Unit at the full-day annual conference at Cardiff’s SWALEC Cricket Stadium on Thursday 5 October, is a quirky take on the mainstream board-game ‘Operation’. Participants were invited to try their hand at brain surgery by removing all parts of the ‘brain’ structure to learn how each area controls different functions within the body.
But there’s a catch! The task must be completed in under 30 seconds while the participant endeavours to cause minimal brain trauma by not allowing their metal tweezers to touch the sides of the holes, which would trigger vibrations and a light to appear, signalling brain injury had been caused and points lost.
The competition got heated at the event, which attracted health professionals, academics and lay representatives from across Wales, as participants battled it out on the leader board to win chocolate brains and foam brain prizes.
Steady-handed winner, Kirsty, took home the top prize (a custom brain mug!) by being the only budding ‘neurosurgeon’ out of 37 participants to remove all seven brain pieces without causing any unnecessary ‘trauma’.
Operation Brain winner Kirsty collects her custom mug and prizes at the BRAIN Unit stand
“We are absolutely delighted to win the Best Interactive Stand award two years running,” said Manager of the BRAIN Unit Dr Laura Bunting, who delivered a talk at the conference celebrating the importance of public involvement in research.
“The conference is a fantastic opportunity to get delegates thinking about how the brain areas control different parts of the body, and how our lives can be significantly challenged if our brain is injured or the system goes awry.
“Whether it be frontal lobe damage affecting a person’s executive functions or neuro-disorders such as Parkinson’s disease impacting movement – it is our aim to stress the importance of research in finding more effective therapies for these conditions.
“It is so rewarding to see our fun and competitive Operation Brain game helping people engage and understand more about our most vital organ – bring on next year’s competition!”
Find out more about the BRAIN Unit here: https://brainwalesprd.wpengine.com/
A neurosciences doctor based at the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit has won the National Anatomical Society’s Postgraduate Neuroanatomy Competition 2017.
Ronak Ved, a Neurosciences Doctor at Cardiff and Vale Neurosciences Directorate in the University Hospital of Wales, was awarded first prize after competing in the UK-wide event hosted at The University Hospital of Southampton.
The competition saw doctors representing neuroscience departments from across the country compete across three examinations. Participants took on a neuroimaging assessment, a challenge involving dissected brain specimens and a clinical-based written exam.
Top accolade
As the only entrant representing a Welsh Hospital, Ronak did the region proud and claimed the top accolade after securing the highest score in every component of the contest.
“It is a real privilege to be recognised for this national honour,” said Ronak, whose role is funded by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
“In my job, it is essential to integrate neuroscience knowledge with effective clinical care to deliver high quality treatment and instil confidence in our patients.
“This competition put all of these skills to the test, and I’m delighted to help place a spotlight on the BRAIN Unit as a centre of excellence in neurosurgery and neuro-therapeutic development, both on a local and national level.”
Well-respected
Jessica Castle, Director of Operations for the Specialist Services Clinical Board said: “We were really pleased to learn that Ronak won this national event and we would all like to congratulate him on this fantastic achievement.
“He is a well-respected and valued member of the Neurosciences team who has worked for the department for some time and has recently taken up the post of Neurology Teaching Fellow with us.”
For more information about the NRU and the (BRAIN) Unit, based at Cardiff University, please visit: https://brainwalesprd.wpengine.com/neuroscience-research-unit/
