About the Chapter
The Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience is a local affiliate of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) founded in 1970 and located in Washington, DC (www.sfn.org). The Society for Neuroscience is the largest professional organization dedicated to neuroscience in the world. The Philadelphia Local Chapter is composed of academic and clinical faculty, students, scientists, and physicians interested in the field of neuroscience. The local chapter is responsible for nominating graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for travel awards that are funded by the SfN in Washington, DC. In addition, the local chapter sponsors outreach activities in advancing education in the field of neuroscience at local schools in the Philadelphia area.
Mission
The mission of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience is to promote the exchange of ideas and information between students, researchers and physicians in the Philadelphia area to advance the study of neuroscience. In addition, the chapter offers educational resources to make the study of neuroscience accessible not only to the scientific community but to the general public in the Philadelphia area. One of the major activities of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience is the annual Brain Awareness Week campaign. The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives is the coordinator of these Brain Awareness Week activities, held annually in mid-March. Please visit their website at www.dana.org for more information and resources, including free publications, books, and recent neuroscience news headlines.
About the PCSFN founder
Solomon D. Erulkar
Dr. Solomon D. Erulkar (1925-1995) founded the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience and served as the Chapter’s first President. The Chapter has conducted for many years this annual lectureship in his name, which is now continued as the Solomon Erulkar Memorial Lecture.
Sol authored over 70 articles, ranging from technical reports and reviews to the “Nerves and Neurons” section of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also worked in the public interest for advancement of science. He served on the Presidential Commission on Multiple Sclerosis in 1973-1974. At the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, he served as the Chairman of the Neurological Disorders Study Section on the Program Project Review B Committee from 1983-1986.
Dr. Erulkar’s devotion to scholarship included a love of teaching. In 1971, he received the Lindback Award, an honor bestowed by the University of Pennsylvania for excellence in teaching. “He was the most effective teacher I ever knew,” said Dr. Paul Bianchi, Professor of Pharmacology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. His students and proteges, many of whom now hold chairmanships or tenured positions at other academic institutions, paid tribute to this legacy at an honorary retirement dinner in November, 1993.
To commemorate Dr. Erulkar’s contributions to science and to perpetuate Sol’s international approach, the University of Pennsylvania has established a traveling fellowship for pre- and postdoctoral students and faculty members to visit and work in laboratories abroad. Donations payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania may be sent to Mrs. Drita Taraila at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6084, USA.