Dr. Nicole Baganz, a graduate of our Neuroscience Ph.D. program, has been selected for the Society for Neuroscience’s 2015 Next Generation Award recipient.

The other recipients include Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Dr. E. Paul Zehr, and Dr. Diasynou Fioravante.

“The four winners of this year’s science education and outreach awards stand out as shining examples of neuroscience ambassadors to the public,” SfN President Steve Hyman said in a statement. “Their passion and their hard work should be celebrated by the entire neuroscience community. They help build and maintain public understanding, excitement, and support for discovery.”

Since graduating from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Dr. Baganz has been active in outreach efforts as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Among her many efforts, Dr. Baganz has forged a productive relationship with the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and she has presented neuroscience in the context of yoga, drawing on her education in Eastern medicine.

Notably, she organized an event called the Vanderbilt Music and Mind Exposition, which brought together the neuroscience community with Nashville’s thriving music industry and highlighted music as a way to better understand the workings of the brain.

She will soon join her local SfN chapter leadership committee as outreach coordinator.

Established in 2007, the Next Generation Award recognizes Society for Neuroscience‘s chapter members who have made outstanding contributions to public communication, outreach, and education about neuroscience. The award honors two individuals or teams at the pre/postdoctoral level and junior faculty level with a $300 honorarium and a $750 travel award to attend SfN’s annual meeting. Additionally, the recipients’ chapter receives $2,000 to continue outreach efforts in the coming year.

Photo Credit: Vanderbilt University/Steve Green