Society for Neuroscience 2024 Education and Outreach Awards
UC Davis DEI leaders, CAMPOS scholar among winners
Two faculty members from the University of California, Davis who are committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education were among six scientists in the country to be awarded a 2024 Science Education and Outreach Award from the Society for Neuroscience.
Distinguished Professor George “Ron” Mangun received an Award for Education in Neuroscience and Assistant Professor Theanne Griffith received a Science Educator Award. The awards were presented during Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in November 2024.
George "Ron" Mangun, Ph.D.
Mangun, who is a distinguished professor of psychology and neurology, has shown a sincere dedication to neuroscience education at all levels throughout his career. He has trained many dozens of undergraduate, doctoral, medical, and postdoctoral trainees, and has served as the director of cognitive neuroscience doctoral programs at Dartmouth College and Duke University. He was the founding director of the Duke Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, which he continues to lead.
Mangun also coauthored the first cognitive neuroscience textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind, which across five editions has sold over 150,000 copies and continues to be the most widely adopted textbook in cognitive neuroscience today. With colleagues nationwide he chaired the founding committee of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, which has hosted 30 annual meetings since its establishment, providing many thousands of trainees with opportunities to present their work and develop their careers. For a decade, Mangun also directed the Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience, a program supported by NIMH, NIDA and the Kavli Foundation, training hundreds of doctoral and postdoctoral scholars from around the globe.
Mangun is an advocate for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). He has served on numerous university committees as a faculty member and as Dean. He is dedicated to supporting faculty, staff and student success,and is committed to DEI. He has served as a member of the Campus Council on Community and Diversity, the UC Davis NSF-supported ADVANCE Program's Internal Advisory Board, the campus Strategic Planning Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the campus Principles of Community Reaffirmation Planning Committee (as member and signatory), and the Graduate Dean's Antiracist Workgroup. He is currently a founding member of the Neuroscience Graduate Group committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Mentoring. He also is the founding co-Chair of the College of Letters and Science DEI committee, which is part of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusions’ Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism and Equity (IDARE) program.
Theanne Griffith, Ph.D.
Griffith, who is an assistant professor in the department of physiology and membrane biology at UC Davis, investigates the mechanisms underlying somatosensation in health and disease, with a focus on proprioception and pain. Assistant Professor Griffith is also a 2020-21 Faculty Scholar of the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) program within the Division of DEI.
Griffith is also an award-winning children’s book author and has written two series of science-themed books for children: The Magnificent Makers and Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files. The series are geared towards readers five to ten years old and cover a diverse array of topics, including neuroscience. Both series feature Black and brown children who love science, providing critical representation for young children from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in science. The Magnificent Makers follows two characters, Pablo and Violet, who are Puerto Rican and Black, as they complete science challenges in a magical laboratory. Two of the books, Brain Trouble and Riding Sound Waves , are neuroscience focused. The ends of the books include instructions for two hands-on activities, showing that science is not just about learning facts, but also hands-on discovery. Not only do her books promote science education, they also encourage inclusion, tolerance, kindness, and empathy featuring not just racial and ethnic diversity but also neurodivergent children and characters with disabilities as well. Griffith also co-writes Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files, which accompanies the Netflix show of the same name. The Ada Twist books have been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their superior quality and manner in which they engage children with science. In addition, Griffith speaks with children throughout the country and world through many author presentations and works as a scientific advisor for National Public Radio’s kids’ series Terrestrials. Her work invites children from all communities to feel a sense of belonging in STEM and makes science exciting, adventurous, and fun for young audiences.