Below is a list of relevant email lists, calendars and blogs that neuroscience students (and people interested in the field) might wish to join to become integrated with the local neuroscience community. Many of the events these groups advertise or put on will count towards extra credit in various neuroscience courses.

Neuroscience Opportunities – Essentially all of the major neuroscience events at Rice University are organized via the Neuroscience Opportunities Listserv, or NEUR-OPPS. This is an email newsletter, and includes information on general advising sessions, special guest lecturers, opportunities for outreach, advertisements for labs seeking students, scholarships and grants, neuroscience related events outside of Rice, and anything else that may be useful to you.

NeuroFax – UTHealth puts together a monthly list of all the neuroscience events going on in the Texas Medical Center. If you like seeing interesting speakers, including Nobel laureates, you should check this out routinely.

UTHealth Neuroscience Journal Club – The graduate students at UTHealth have a general neuroscience journal club on the second Monday of each month at 3PM. You can simply follow the preceding link to virtually connect.

Neurotheory Journal Club – This journal club aims to bring together the all the computational/theoretical neuroscientists in the Houston area. Members read various articles in the field of theoretical neuroscience and also discuss the NeuroNex center project and new techniques in applying graphical models to the analyses of neural activity.

Rice Neuroscience Society – The Rice Neuroscience Society is dedicated to increasing interest in neuroscience at Rice University by putting together events that are educational and engaging. They have multiple initiatives and positions that any Rice undergraduate interested in neuro is welcome to get involved in. Besides their website, they have a Facebook page as well as a listserv

Speculative Neuroscience Society – Are you interested in what meditation does to the brain? What about how the brain processes ethics? What is conciousness, anyway? If those questions interest you, then the Speculative Neuroscience Society is a Rice based journal club where we attempt (and almost certainly fail) to answer those questions.

BCM Neuro Journal Club List – Baylor has compiled a list of journal clubs that routine operate in the Houston area. This is an excellent way to get involved with local labs and learn about the latest research in neuroscience.

Best Buddies – Best Buddies is the Rice chapter of an international nonprofit organization that promotes the inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships. We are dedicated to our part in the movement to end the social, economic, and physical isolation of people with IDDs. Our chapter on campus works in partnership with the HEART Program located in Houston. In addition to monthly group parties (bowling, scavenger hunts, picnics), each Buddy pair is encouraged to meet on their own time and keep close contact through letters, phone calls, and emails. You can contact Best Buddies at Rice at mv26@rice.edu.

Rice Neurotransmitter – There is a lot going on with neuroscience in Houston. To keep track of it all, Rice undergraduates have organized a newsletter. This report will come out several times per semester and includes the latest information on the neuroscience major, interviews with researchers in the medical center, and student written articles on careers, science, philosophy and anything else that may be interesting to neuroscience undergraduates at Rice.

Alzheimer’s Buddies – Students volunteer to spend one hour a week with an Ahzeheimer’s patient (their titular buddy). This helps to build social ties and reduce loneliness, which has been demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes. The group is part of a national organization, and  is a great club for future MDs who wish to build relationships with the Alzheimer’s community in the Houston area.

 

Stroke Research Assistants – A group of dedicated undergraduates looking to advance the efficiency and efficacy of clinical trial studies by helping to enhance the identification of potential candidates for clinical trial research in the field of neurology. You can find out more information here.