Loyola University Chicago 

This grant supports Loyola University Chicago’s two-year project-based grant through the Dana Center Initiative. Loyola University’s two-year plan for advancing Neuroscience & Society leverages their commitment to imbuing discovery, creation, and education with social value and connecting it with outreach to promote equity and advancement.  

Loyola’s Ethics-based Teaching Helps Optimize STEM (ETHOS) program works with minoritized high school students to position them for careers in neuroscience by immersing them in classroom and lab training that helps develop their STEM identity and desire to purse STEM careers. Summer professional development seminars prepare them to support STEM identity development of middle school students through near-peer mentoring at Neuroscience & Society Day. 

Expanding to undergraduates and the broader community, competitions are held to incentivize exploration of linkages between neuroscience, ethics, art, business, and community aspirations. The five competitions include 1) Neuroethics; 2) Neuroscience and Journalism; 3) Neuroscience and Arts; 4) Neuroscience and Business; and 5) Community Microgrants. 

This grant supports the Dana Education objective to engage K-12 students in learning about neuroscience and its relevance to society through structured education opportunities (formal and non-formal) that integrate relevant, real-world topics and issues to capture their interest and inspire continued study. 

This grant also supports the Dana NextGen objective to prepare trainees at early career stages to think critically and reflexively about the ethical, legal, and societal implications raised by real-world neuroscience applications through experiential learning and innovative curricula.