Dear Colleagues, If you were able to make an appointment with your Congressional Representat= ives while we are in DC for the upcoming SfN meeting, I would like to take = a moment on behalf of the FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Commit= tee to thank you for your advocacy efforts on behalf of science education a= nd research. Please be sure to report your experience back to me at juramir= ez365@gmail.com so I may provide some feedback to FUN for these efforts. A= s you know this is a crucial time in the life of the Nation as we make toug= h decisions about our national budget. Your input to the process is crucia= l if science education and research are to continue providing a solid found= ation for the intellectual and economic infrastructure of the Nation. Best regards and good luck, Julio J. Ramirez, Ph.D. Chair, FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Committee From: Julio J Ramirez > Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 13:59:36 -0400 To: FUN > Subject: Action Item: FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Committee Dear FUN colleagues, Because the upcoming joint meetings of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) a= nd the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) will be held in Washing= ton, D.C. this year, the FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Committ= ee is encouraging the FUN membership to take advantage of the time in D.C. = to pay a visit to your Congressional Representatives in the House and Senat= e. The budget for FY2012 is currently being drafted and your perspective a= s a constituent committed to science education and research is important to= share with your representatives. As you have seen from previous Public Po= licy and Governmental Affairs Committee postings, the budget for science ed= ucation and research has been under tremendous pressure in the last few mon= ths. For example, the American Institute of Biological Sciences recently r= eported that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved legislat= ion that would cut $120.9 million from the Research and Related Activities = account of the National Science Foundation (NSF), which includes the Biolog= ical Sciences Directorate. Overall, the FY2012 budget of the NSF would be = cut by $161.8 million, which amounts to a 2.4% reduction from FY2011. In preparation for the upcoming Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Washing= ton, D.C., the FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Committee has par= tnered with the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) to provide you with= advocacy materials to guide you in your meetings with your representatives= . Our Committee is particularly grateful to Dr. Nancy Hensel, Executive Of= ficer of CUR, for her assistance because CUR=92s =93Posters on the Hill=94 = program has been especially effective in advocating on behalf of science ed= ucation and research for many years. We have attached two sets of materials to this e-mail. The first is the =93= CUR Advocacy Toolkit for 2011=94 and the second is a summary of talking poi= nts that will be helpful when you meet with your representatives. If at al= l possible, it is particularly meaningful to introduce your students to you= r and their Congressional Representatives and staff members. Your students= are important constituents and represent the future of the Nation. We are= encouraging you to contact your representatives in the next two weeks in o= rder to make appointments for theweek of the SfN/FUN meeting. Theattached = Toolkit provides all the information you will need to make your appointment= s and to learn about the federal budget process. If you are able to meet y= our Representatives, would you kindly let the FUN Public Policy and Governm= ental Affairs Committee know so we can report on this effort to the FUN mem= bership? Please send your response to juramirez365@gmail.com. Thanks so much for your commitment to science education and research. Your= involvement in the democratic process can make a huge difference in FUN=92= s efforts to promote science education and research in the life of the Nati= on. Sincerely, Julio J. Ramirez, Ph.D. Chair, FUN Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Committee *************************** Julio J. Ramirez, Ph.D. R. Stuart Dickson Professor Director, Neuroscience Program Director, SOMAS-URM Program Department of Psychology Box 7017 Davidson College Davidson, NC 28035 Voice: 704-894-2888