Dear Colleagues,

The Manitoba Neuroscience Network is proud to unify and promote networking and outreach opportunities to the neuroscience community in Manitoba. The pandemic has limited our activities more than we’d like but we have still been busy! Led by Tabrez Siddiqui and Sari Hannila, our committed volunteers have been providing exceptional neuroscience speaker experiences and outreach initiatives, respectively. With a big thank you to Crystal Acosta for her leadership, we also recently expanded our website (www.manitobaneuroscience.ca). Built on a virtual institute model, there is an enhanced news and announcements section, an updated events calendar, information about training programs and opportunities, information about our award-winning outreach programs and MORE.

To support these and other initiatives, it’s time for a membership drive. You are invited to become a 2022 MNN member. Re-building of the membership section of the website has prevented a large-scale membership drive for quite some time, so the current membership base for 2022 is zero. We need you, please! Any member of the academic, medical, corporate or public sectors can be a member. We have 3 membership categories and a special all-inclusive lab group rate to offer, as follows:

Regular Member	$60	Academic faculty, physicians and non-trainee professionals in other industries
Associate Member	$30	Postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, research associates, emeritus academic faculty
Student Member	$15	Undergraduate and graduate students
Regular Member (All-inclusive)*	$120	Regular members who wish to pay a single price for all members of a research lab

*The all-inclusive regular membership allows laboratory leaders (PIs) to enroll entire labs for one price ($120). Regular PI members will add subaccounts for each lab member, who will then receive an email prompting them to complete their membership setup (HELP CENTRE). Membership for lab members is only active once this step is complete.

You will have an opportunity to pay for your membership by credit card or using a University of Manitoba account (FOP). If you pay by FOP, please allow 1-2 business days for processing before receiving a confirmation email.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:

· Access to local seminars, world-renowned visiting speakers, scientific conferences

· Support of innovative and award-winning neuroscience outreach and engagement

· Access to funding opportunities including SFN Chapter grants and Trainee Professional Development Awards, and MNN travel awards and lectureships

· Discounts on MNN meeting registrations

· Subscription to the MNN email list for important information and events

*New*

· Regular members can make a scientist profile featured on the MNN website (see below for more details)

· Regular members can showcase training opportunities using their scientific profile

· Comprehensive listing of trainee awards

· Submit content to be featured and help us celebrate your accomplishments

· Online calendar that you can subscribe to so you’ll never miss another event

Click HERE to become an MNN member. If you have any questions during the process, please see our HELP CENTRE or email info@manitobaneuroscience.ca.

ABOUT THE NEW SCIENTIST PROFILE FOR MEMBERS:

The expanded virtual institute website allows MNN member principal investigators to create a scientist profile that will appear in a searchable listing of all of our researchers. One of the main problems as neuroscientists in Manitoba has long been lack of an ability to showcase our research activities, accomplishments and training opportunities in a unified manner. Despite a vibrant neuroscience community more than 70 PIs strong, people from outside Manitoba haven’t been able to see this online. For the first time, this is now possible. Within the membership area of the website, after becoming a member, PIs can complete their scientist profile by entering biographical information, research description and publications, and social media links. PI members will also be able to advertise open trainee positions and provide a description of the opportunity. This will be featured in their personal profile and in a special section of the website that lists training opportunities.

Please note that to convey a professional, institute-quality aesthetic, try to avoid acronyms, abbreviations and simplifications that an international audience would not understand (e.g. PI for principal investigator, CHRIM for Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, or KIAM for Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine). Also, the photo you add should be professional quality and will need to be square in dimensions. Changes to your scientist profile will not go live to the website immediately. They will be viewed by MNN volunteers to ensure a uniform fit for all profiles. You may be asked for additional information or to make some minor changes.

Thank you for your support. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements.

The MNN Team

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