International Partnership to Launch New Scialog: Molecular Basis of Cognition
Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation and the Canada-based global research organization CIFAR will co-sponsor a new, three-year initiative to advance fundamental understanding of how memory, thought, perception and cognition work in brains at the molecular and system level.
Scialog: Molecular Basis of Cognition, set to begin in October 2022, will bring together a cross-disciplinary group including neuroscientists, chemists, physicists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists and psychologists to devise new ways to probe the molecular processes that underlie memory and cognition, in both biological and abiological contexts.
This research could lead to new developments in how we recover from brain injury, how we prevent or moderate the effects of neurodegenerative disease, and even how we learn and teach. These advances might also enhance how we design, use and interface with electronic devices.
“Now is a perfect time to bring together rising stars in research across multiple disciplines to gain a deeper understanding of molecular processes that underlie memory, learning, and decision making, not only to improve human health but also to allow better understanding and use of cognitive processes in computers and robots,” said RCSA Senior Program Director Richard Wiener, who is leading the initiative.
Scialog is short for “science + dialog.” Each multi-year initiative engages a diverse cohort of exemplary early career scientists from multiple disciplines and institutions across the U.S. and Canada to identify challenges and opportunities in an area of global significance, and to propose collaborative research with the potential for high impact.
A group of senior scientists will serve as facilitators to frame the large questions under consideration, to guide discussions, and to evaluate proposals for novel, high-risk research that can best be explored in a collaborative, multidisciplinary way. A committee of these facilitators will then recommend seed funding to catalyze the most promising of those team projects.
“This initiative will explore what remains a great frontier in biology, and more specifically neurobiology – the unraveling of how cells are intelligent,” said Shaun Kirkpatrick of Research Corporation Technologies’ Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation. “We look forward to supporting this important Scialog as it brings together some of the best young minds in chemistry, biology, physics, and computational science to look at not only how cells create memory, but how they think.”
Molecular Basis of Cognition will be the third Scialog series co-sponsored with the Frederic Gardner Cottrell Foundation and the first with CIFAR.
"CIFAR is committed to providing support for long-term interdisciplinary dialog and collaboration,” said Rachel Parker, CIFAR’s Senior Director, Research. “We are delighted to broaden our community of partners and to offer unparalleled opportunities for early career researchers in the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program to explore new areas of inquiry as Fellows of this initiative."
RCSA will hold six Scialog meetings in 2022: Microbiome, Neurobiology and Disease in April, Advancing BioImaging in May, Signatures of Life in the Universe in June, Mitigating Zoonotic Threats in September, Molecular Basis of Cognition in October, and Negative Emissions Science in November.
About the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: CIFAR is a global research organization that convenes extraordinary minds to address the most important questions facing science and humanity. The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program supports outstanding early career researchers through mentorship, a global network, professional skills development, and $100,000 in unrestricted research support for two years.
About the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation: Research Corporation Technologies established the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation in 1998 to provide financial support for scientific research and educational programs at qualified nonprofit organizations.
About Research Corporation for Science Advancement: RCSA is a private foundation that funds basic research in the physical sciences (astronomy, chemistry, physics, and related fields) at U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities. Since 1912, it has supported research independently proposed by college and university faculty members, convened conferences, and actively advocated for science advancement. RCSA is a strong advocate for improvements in science education.
