1999 Special Achievement Award

Nancy Beang

Nancy Beang has been the Executive Director of the Society for Neuroscience for the past 18 years during which time it has grown from 6,000 members to more than 28,000 members today and has established itself as the world's most active and respected organization devoted to advancing the interests of the neuroscience research community. In addition to providing the primary forum for the presentation of the exchange of neuroscience research among researchers, the Society has a successful track record of informing the public and the press of the critical contributions of neuroscience over they years: of keeping the membership informed of legislative issues of importance and, in turn, taking the neuroscience community's interests in the funding and legislative arena to our lawmakers through congressional testimony and visits, and other legislative support.

Nancy has always demonstrated support and commitment to the endeavors and growth of ANDP. She saw the creation of ANDP, and in 1992, ANDP's administration was brought into the Society office, where ANDP prospered greatly through the use of many Society resources, including Nancy and her hard working staff, in particular Kelli Mills.

As evidence of this evolution, during the six years it was under the Society's roof ANDP grew from approximately 100 members to 250 members including programs abroad. ANDP has had so much success in recent years through the support of Nancy and her fine staff that in 1999, ANDP left the Society's Central Office.

Of course, ANDP continues to enjoy a close alliance with Nancy and the Society:  ANDP is represented on the Society's GPA Committee as well as the METPAC Committee dedicated to minority neuroscience education. The ANDP President has the ear of SFN's Council at its biannual meeting to discuss activities and mutual interests.

And, of course, we benefit greatly from the opportunity to present many of our programs -- including the Workshop on Job Seeking, Graduate Student Forum -- during the Society's Annual Meeting.

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