The FABBS Foundation is eager to advance the public’s understanding of the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior. Science can inform many of the issues and problems of the day, and our goal is to make this research widely available and accessible to public audiences, teachers, and young people.
Announcing the FABBS Foundation Early Career Investigator Award
The FABBS Foundation Early Career Investigator Award honors scientists who have made major research contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior within ten years of completing their post-doctoral position and have increased awareness of their research through media and public outreach.
See the winners of this year's award »
Our Scientists at Work
The FABBS Foundation Science Communications program furthers the mission of advancing the public's understanding of the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior by sharing the contributions of these sciences to individuals and society.
Featured Article
- A Better Way to Plan for Retirement (4/10/2013) »
When it comes to planning for your retirement, you should have a laser-like focus on saving money, right? Wrong, says organizational psychologist Mo Wang. According to Wang, most Americans aren't focusing on the real keys to health and happiness in retirement.
Our Scientists at Work
The FABBS Foundation Science Communications program furthers the mission of advancing the public's understanding of the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior by sharing the contributions of these sciences to individuals and society.
Most Recent Our Scientists at Work Articles
- Making Surgery Safer (3/19/2013) »
If you’re about to have heart surgery, the last thing you want to hear is that the operating room is unsafe. But that’s exactly what researcher Ayse Gurses has found – and many of the hazards aren't caused by doctors or nurses. FABBS Foundation Early Career Investigator Award winner Ayse Gurses focuses on making surgeries safer for patients by identifying and mitigating these hazards before they affect your health. - Words Help Infants Categorize Objects, Key to Learning (1/2/2013) »
Long before they learn to stand, walk, or talk, babies are busy developing their cognitive acumen through language acquisition. Language deeply affects infants’ cognitive development, specifically, their ability to form object categories. Cognitive psychologist Sandra Waxman, an expert on how language affects infants’ development, talks about how our early propensity for noticing commonalities about things and experiences is a key component to learning. - Listen Up: That Birdsong You’re Enjoying Is Courtesy of Estrogens (12/17/12) »
Estrogens are often thought of as a female hormone, but that concept is incomplete. It’s true that estrogens are produced in the ovaries, but they’re also produced in the adrenal glands, liver, and the brain, in both males and females. Estrogens are produced in songbirds’ brains and may help them learn to sing and respond to song. Luke Remage-Healey, a behavioral physiologist, strongly suspects that estrogens can enhance learning-related cognitive functions, including singing. - When Cognitive Decline Comes Up In Conversation (11/16/12) »
Meaningful conversation hinges not just on the words or ideas we string together to explain ourselves and the world, it also hinges on our awareness of whom we’re speaking with. But as we enter old age, our conversational capability declines. Yet, we’ve become experts at discourse. And what’s more, we’re driven to connect with others. Cognitive psychologist William Horton, PhD, discusses how this expertise and drive to communicate fare in the face of cognitive decline. - Researchers Searching for Ways to Prevent Mysterious Form of Dementia (11/5/12) »
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, is a neurodegenerative disease set in motion by a history of repetitive brain trauma, such as concussions and subconcussive blows that occur early in life. To date, scientists know relatively little about the disease. But what is known is that CTE is a progressive brain disorder similar to Alzheimer’s and other related neurodegenerative diseases. Neuropsychologist Robert Stern studies CTE and reveals what he and his collaborators are learning from their research.
See a complete list of stories about "Our Scientists at Work" »
Go to the FABBS Foundation Science Communication Toolkit for guidence on how scientists can communicate research to the media and the public »
A collection of brief, personal, original essays in which leading academic psychologists describe what their area of research has contributed to society. All grants, advances, royalties, and other earnings from this volume go to the FABBS Foundation to support our educational mission.