Popular on TelAve
- Tamira Chapman, CEO of Storehouse In A Box, Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year ® Finalist and Advisory Board Member to Forbes' ForbesBLK
- EclecticIQ launches version 3.0 of its flagship threat intelligence platform, Intelligence Center
- Job Search Trends Highlight Shift Toward Sustainability and Automation in Engineering and Manufacturing Sectors
- Extraordinary #homeforsale in @RamseyMN! #luxuryhomesforsale
- Industrial and systems engineers head to New Orleans for major international conference
- Electives, Inc. to launch Electives Membership on June 1
- Rob Adcock Tops One Million in Album Sales!
- What Donald Trump Doesn't Seem To Know About Women
- Popular Influencer and actress Briana Hampton to Host New Show Premiere "Just Being Briana" In Atlanta
- TenCate Advanced Armour Begins Manufacturing Armour for Spain's Dragon VCR Vehicle
Similar on TelAve
- Australian Battery Recycling Technology Startup Advances Its Innovative Battery Metals Recovery Process
- Registration is Now Open for the 2023 CGI Integrated Care Conference
- Studeo dévoile StudAI : l'Intelligence Artificielle au service de l'éducation
- NEMTAC® Brings Innovation to Accreditation Industry with the Launch of Collaborative Network Built on Distributed Ledger Technology
- ReadyCommunities Partnership of CCROA Announces National Service Awardees Who Helped Save Passengers from the Derailed Train Near Rural Mendon
- IntellaTriage Names Olivia Gaffney, RN as 2022 Nurse of the Year Honoree
- SafeBreak® Vascular Cleared for Pediatrics
- Resurgence Wellness Unveils Revolutionary Anti-Aging Breakthroughs by Tech Pioneer Bryan Johnson
- Telliant Systems Names Taylor Heath, Director of Business Development
- Avoiding the Summer Slide: Oakland-Based Children Rising To Provide Summer Enrichment Programming
Mensa Foundation Prize Awarded to NIH Neuroscientist
TelAve News/10790469
Dr. R. Douglas Fields is a pioneer on nervous system development, plasticity, memory
HURST, Texas - TelAve -- R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and author of numerous books and magazine articles about the brain, has been awarded the fourth Mensa Foundation Prize for his research in plasticity and active myelination in brains related to learning and intelligence.
The biennial Mensa Foundation Prize honors the best discoveries in intelligence and creativity and is endowed by the estate of Kenneth Douglas Thomson (1934-2013), a longtime Mensa member. The award, which includes a $10,000 award, will be presented at American Mensa's Annual Gathering, July 5-9, in Baltimore, and Dr. Fields will give a presentation on his work.
Dr. Fields' long-standing research interest is in how functional activity influences nervous system development and plasticity along with the cellular mechanisms of memory. He is recognized internationally for his research on glia, which are brain cells that communicate without electricity, and for his pioneering discoveries on a new cellular mechanism of learning involving glial cells that form myelin. Myelin is the electrical insulation on nerve fibers, which speeds transmission of neural impulses. Dr. Fields' research shows that the glial cells forming myelin can sense neural impulse activity and that they contribute to learning and memory by changing the speed of neural impulse transmission to optimize the synchrony of information arriving at relay points in neural networks.
More on TelAve News
"I am especially gratified by my research on how myelin contributes to learning," Dr. Fields said, "because it overturns long-standing dogma about myelin — that it is static electrical insulation — and because it is a complete departure from how neuroscientists have thought about the mechanisms of learning and memory being based only on modifying synapses."
The Mensa Foundation Prize Committee praised the impressive scientific detail of Dr. Fields' work and his creative point of view. "Each small component of the rather complex glial model is backed by numerous rigorous multidisciplinary experiments involving imaging, chemistry, actual measurement of nerve conduction speed, and correlated animal learning experiments," said Dr. Susan Stine, Mensa Foundation Prize Committee member. "I think the sheer body of work and the observations using multiple experimental designs is amazing."
Joining Dr. Stine on the Mensa Foundation Prize Committee are:
Dr. Fields is Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institutes of Health, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and University of Maryland adjunct professor. He received advanced degrees at U.C. Berkeley, San Jose State University, and U.C. San Diego and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and Yale universities and at the NIH prior to starting his own NIH lab in 1994.
More on TelAve News
Outside the lab, he writes about science for Scientific American, Quanta, Outside Magazine, Huffington Post, Undark Magazine, Psychology Today, and many others. His neuroscience research has been featured on national television, radio, NPR, the National Geographic, and other media, and he speaks about neuroscience for the general public on NPR, World Science Festival, TEDex, Google Talks, and others.
The first Mensa Foundation Prize was awarded in 2017 to Dr. David Silver, who led Google's efforts to develop the first computer program to defeat the world's best Go players. In 2019 neuroscientist Dr. Aron K. Barbey was recognized for significantly advancing the neuroscience of brain connectivity with his innovative research applying functional magnetic resonance imaging to the mapping of brain lesions and measuring their effects on raw intelligence. And in 2021, statistical geneticist Dr. Danielle Posthuma of the Netherlands was awarded the third Mensa Foundation Prize for her research directly identifying, for the first time, hundreds of human genes highly correlated to variations in intelligence.
"This award is such a great honor," Dr. Fields said, "because it comes from a group of people from all walks of life in an organization that values and supports science and creativity for the simple reason that human beings are deeply curious about the natural world and driven to explore and understand it."
The biennial Mensa Foundation Prize honors the best discoveries in intelligence and creativity and is endowed by the estate of Kenneth Douglas Thomson (1934-2013), a longtime Mensa member. The award, which includes a $10,000 award, will be presented at American Mensa's Annual Gathering, July 5-9, in Baltimore, and Dr. Fields will give a presentation on his work.
Dr. Fields' long-standing research interest is in how functional activity influences nervous system development and plasticity along with the cellular mechanisms of memory. He is recognized internationally for his research on glia, which are brain cells that communicate without electricity, and for his pioneering discoveries on a new cellular mechanism of learning involving glial cells that form myelin. Myelin is the electrical insulation on nerve fibers, which speeds transmission of neural impulses. Dr. Fields' research shows that the glial cells forming myelin can sense neural impulse activity and that they contribute to learning and memory by changing the speed of neural impulse transmission to optimize the synchrony of information arriving at relay points in neural networks.
More on TelAve News
- INshed Now Offers Nationwide Shipping of Fully-Assembled, Eco-Friendly Backyard Offices
- Entrinsik Appoints Madhavi W. Chandra as Chief Product Officer
- Golden Ticket Productions Launches New Website
- Perfect Ffit: the new mobile game that puts your timing and strategy skills to the test. Can you get a Perfect Fit?
- Aquia Launches Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Security Assessment Offering, Pairing Automation With Deep Cloud Security Expertise
"I am especially gratified by my research on how myelin contributes to learning," Dr. Fields said, "because it overturns long-standing dogma about myelin — that it is static electrical insulation — and because it is a complete departure from how neuroscientists have thought about the mechanisms of learning and memory being based only on modifying synapses."
The Mensa Foundation Prize Committee praised the impressive scientific detail of Dr. Fields' work and his creative point of view. "Each small component of the rather complex glial model is backed by numerous rigorous multidisciplinary experiments involving imaging, chemistry, actual measurement of nerve conduction speed, and correlated animal learning experiments," said Dr. Susan Stine, Mensa Foundation Prize Committee member. "I think the sheer body of work and the observations using multiple experimental designs is amazing."
Joining Dr. Stine on the Mensa Foundation Prize Committee are:
- Dr. Harry Ringermacher, Ph.D., physics, the committee chair and a Mensa member.
- Dr. Ivar Giaever, Ph.D., physics, microbiologist, and winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- Dr. Steven Maranz, Ph.D., plant science, microbiologist, and a Mensa member.
- Judith A. Keating, CPA, TCE-IRS, and a Mensa member.
Dr. Fields is Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institutes of Health, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and University of Maryland adjunct professor. He received advanced degrees at U.C. Berkeley, San Jose State University, and U.C. San Diego and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and Yale universities and at the NIH prior to starting his own NIH lab in 1994.
More on TelAve News
- Orbex Launches New ZERO Spread Trading Account with $1 Commission per Side
- Alpha Gold Fund Receives Recognition Of Excellence Awards
- Ohio County Commission President & Founder of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, Alicia Reece, Announces Grand Opening of New Tourism Attraction
- New York Komedians Presents an Evening of Laughs at Broadway
- Redefining Professional Spaces: The Rise of Dual-Purpose Backyard Office Sheds in America
Outside the lab, he writes about science for Scientific American, Quanta, Outside Magazine, Huffington Post, Undark Magazine, Psychology Today, and many others. His neuroscience research has been featured on national television, radio, NPR, the National Geographic, and other media, and he speaks about neuroscience for the general public on NPR, World Science Festival, TEDex, Google Talks, and others.
The first Mensa Foundation Prize was awarded in 2017 to Dr. David Silver, who led Google's efforts to develop the first computer program to defeat the world's best Go players. In 2019 neuroscientist Dr. Aron K. Barbey was recognized for significantly advancing the neuroscience of brain connectivity with his innovative research applying functional magnetic resonance imaging to the mapping of brain lesions and measuring their effects on raw intelligence. And in 2021, statistical geneticist Dr. Danielle Posthuma of the Netherlands was awarded the third Mensa Foundation Prize for her research directly identifying, for the first time, hundreds of human genes highly correlated to variations in intelligence.
"This award is such a great honor," Dr. Fields said, "because it comes from a group of people from all walks of life in an organization that values and supports science and creativity for the simple reason that human beings are deeply curious about the natural world and driven to explore and understand it."
Source: Mensa Foundation
0 Comments
Latest on TelAve News
- Ohio Pacing Stallion Catch The Fire Is Heading To Australia
- IntellaTriage Names Olivia Gaffney, RN as 2022 Nurse of the Year Honoree
- Autel Robotics Wins Prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2023 for EVO Max 4T Drone
- Launch of New Industrial Capabilities and Services Website for Argo Products in St. Louis, Missouri
- SafeBreak® Vascular Cleared for Pediatrics
- CartoVista unveils CartoVista Cloud 8.1, the latest in GIS web mapping platforms, at 2023 FCM Conference in Toronto
- CartoVista unveils CartoVista Cloud at the 2023 FCM Conference in Toronto
- Resurgence Wellness Unveils Revolutionary Anti-Aging Breakthroughs by Tech Pioneer Bryan Johnson
- Baked by Michela Announces Grand Opening of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bakery
- Senco Home Services Rebuilds Tewksbury Baseball Fields
- G. Entertainment Proudly Presents The Hip-hop 50th Anniversary Concert
- Telliant Systems Names Taylor Heath, Director of Business Development
- Sage Intact Launches Native AP Bill Automation to Cut Down on Invoice Processing Time
- Avoiding the Summer Slide: Oakland-Based Children Rising To Provide Summer Enrichment Programming
- U.S. Small Business Advocate Molly Bakewell Chamberlin Selected as Mentor for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Innovation Community Success Program
- Make your Business Stand Out with a Memorable and Relevant Name From Namify's Company Name Generator
- Engineers honored at international conference in New Orleans
- Veterans for Trump Spokesman Admiral Charles Kubic signs onto push that DEI be removed from DOD
- Black Dog Venture Partners Acquires 20% Stake in St. Petersburg based, Woman Owned Music Discovery Platform Giggidy
- We Decode DNA Kit Named One of the Top 50 Most Innovative Products of 2023 by Innovation & Tech Today