Community
Creating “a space to be.”
InCLUDEd Faculty Writing Retreat
Bianca created and organized the InCLUDEd (Initiative Centered Learning to Unify Driven Educators) Faculty Writing Retreat, a 3-day retreat supporting NIH grant submissions from historically excluded pre-tenured faculty through professional and near-peer grant writing support, improving their chances of securing grants and being referenced in academic work.
Contact us to take part in future InCLUDEd Writing Retreats.
Parents’ Writing Retreat
Bianca hosts a Parents’ Writing Retreat for faculty with children, most recently held in Martha’s Vineyard. Attendees bring their families to write grants and manuscripts alongside childcare and near-peer writing support.
Contact us to take part in future Parents’ Writing Retreats.
Friends of, Black People Space
Bianca established Black People Space and Friends of Black People Space as places for supportive community-building at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute and the Department of Neuroscience. Black People Space is a community of Black graduate students, postdocs, and faculty; Friends of Black People Space is an affiliated community for anyone interested in combatting bias. Our goal is to increase the inclusion and retention of historically excluded individuals in academic positions. Anyone at Columbia is welcome to join either or both groups.
Contact us to join [Friends of] Black People Space.
Columbia University Neuroscience Outreach
Briana is currently Co-President of Columbia University Neuroscience Outreach (CUNO), a graduate student-led organization that organizes multiple science outreach initiatives at Columbia. Briana joined CUNO in 2020, when she began volunteering for Saturday Science and helping to translate existing curriculum from English to Spanish. She then spent 2 years as Co-Vice President of Saturday Science, and is excited to be Co-President of CUNO along with fellow graduate student Risa Kimura. Briana is passionate about outreach because events like Saturday Science were very influential in her path to becoming a scientist, and she hopes to provide such inspirational opportunities to the next generation.
Science Policy
In 2023, Briana was an Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA) with Society for Neuroscience (SfN). The ECPA program is designed to create an extensive network of neuroscience advocates. As an ECPA fellow, Briana experienced her first foray into science policy. She had the opportunity to meet with the offices of New York representatives at the federal level to discuss her research, share her experience as a graduate student, and advocate for effective and reliable federal research funding. She also attended a meeting for the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus on Capitol Hill during the 2023 SfN conference in Washington, DC. After finding her passion for science policy in the ECPA program, Briana has since gone on to pursue a certificate in science policy through the UC Irvine Science Policy & Advocacy Certificate Program.
Black in Neuro
Black in Neuro is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that started in the summer of 2020 in response to the brutal murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the prevalence of anti-Black racism in society. What started as a week-long, online campaign grew into an international organization, with now over 1,150 members from more than 50 countries, working together to uplift, empower, and build a field that truly reflects the diversity of human experiencе. Thiago was one of the original co-founders in 2020 and has since worked in Black In Neuro as an organizer. You can learn more about Black In Neuro and all their events at blackinneuro.com.
Black in Genetics
Alex founded and served as president of Black In Genetics, a nonprofit organization committed to providing support and community to Black-identifying genetics professionals and trainees. Inspired by the work of Black in Neuro, Black In Genetics also began as a week-long campaign on social media that grew into a community of genetics professionals and trainees around the world. You can learn more about this organization at blackingenetics.com.
