Activities
Faculty Collaboration on Projects and Grants
The HNRC fosters interdisciplinary research involving HNRC faculty, trainees and laboratories across the university.
Training of High Quality Personnel
The HNRC supports trainee co-supervision and access to functional brain imaging resources and technical expertise that ensures that students receive training and experience that is state-of-the art and will position them for success in science or other chosen professions. Collaboration with trainees from other labs enhances co-operation, learning and research capacity.
One of the challenges for many trainees in human neuroscience is a lack of opportunities to discover and appraise national and international research in this area. In 2020, HNRC launched the Human Neuroscience Journal Club. This monthly meeting is an opportunity for members and students to meet and have an in-depth discussion and critique of refereed articles in human neuroscience. This journal club helps students learn about the broader field of human neuroscience, and about rapidly evolving research techniques in human neuroscience. The journal club is student led, and therefore provides leadership opportunities for students in our programs.
Internal Review for Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships & Manuscripts
Faculty and trainee members of the HNRC provide scientific review of grant applications and manuscripts before submission. The goal of this review process is to increase the quality of our grant proposals and manuscripts, increasing the likelihood of grant success and manuscript acceptance into high impact refereed journals. For trainees, this is an opportunity to get feedback about their work.
Retreats/Professional development seminars
The HNRC hosts workshops and retreats aimed at developing skills in areas such as academic writing, grant writing, knowledge dissemination, data analysis, or using various techniques in human neuroscience (e.g., EEG, TMS, etc.).
One of the major activities of the HNRC is the annual conference, first held in 2022. The goal of this conference is to bring together trainees and researchers from across the campus, and members of the public, to share the cutting edge research that is being produced here at Memorial.
The members of the HNRC engage with the public to highlight its unique focus on human neuroscience research at Memorial University. We host a social media presence on X/Twitter with @MUNneuro, which celebrates the successes of our students and faculty. HNRC members serve as board members of key provincial organizations that help serve people with disorders of the human central nervous system, such as the Spinal Cord Injury NL and the Heart and Stroke Foundation NL. They work with patient advisory committees and health authorities and provide seminars and public lectures for agencies and groups like insurance companies and patient organizations. These connections help expand access and understanding between groups which ultimately strengthens the training environment and the research undertaken at the HNRC.
The HNRC has begun the work to develop a graduate level reading course in human neuroscience-focused research and techniques to expand the scope of training of future human neuroscientists.