Message from the FENS President

The end of the year is approaching, once again almost by surprise. I say ‘by surprise’ because, in our labs and offices, we often have the impression that there is not enough time to do everything we had hoped to finish before the year end. It is important to reflect, though, that while our drive for accomplishment is key to success, high expectations can often make us feel uncomfortably anxious. As we have been reminded recently, scientists, and in particularly early career researchers, often struggle with difficult mental health issues. Thus, I encourage us all to embrace the upcoming holidays, take a break from work and, whenever possible, apply the natural principles of neuroscience to improve brain fitness, such as being in contact with nature, exercising, following a healthy diet, and nourishing our close social relationships. We might then all better champion our goals in the New Year.

In 2019, the FENS Regional Meeting (FRM) will take place in Belgrade, jointly organised by the Serbian, Romanian and Turkish societies for neuroscience. The programme, which has just been released, includes an impressive list of plenary speakers and symposia. Registration, including a call for abstracts and travel grant applications, is currently open. I strongly advise everyone to check the programme and consider joining us in July. 

Further, FENS will aim to be present at many of its member societies’ annual events throughout the year. Our national and single discipline societies will have their respective meetings, which are a great opportunity for their members to benefit from the high-quality science presented. Some of the programmes are already online and look outstanding!

Importantly, we are already getting ready for the FENS Forum that will take place in Glasgow in July 2020. The call for submission of symposia and technical workshop proposals will be open in a few months – from 25 March 2019 to 20 May 2019. You may notice that the call is slightly delayed in comparison with previous years, which I believe will better allow scientists to present their cutting-edge research in Glasgow. It would be great if you could already mark 11-15 July 2020 in your calendars to attend the FENS Forum!

Finally, a mention to FENS journal, EJN, and its co-Editors-in-chief, who are expecting another productive and enlightening year in 2019 with several exciting Special Issues in production, including one on Parkinson’s disease (in memory of Tom Isaacs), Addiction, Circadian Rhythms and more. I am particularly pleased to announce that from 2019 FENS will offer a special rate for members choosing to publish open access in EJN. Regular publishing in EJN will naturally remain free of charge.

I would like to send you, and your families, my warmest wishes for the holiday season. I feel privileged to be part of this vibrant FENS community and look forward to working with you all towards its continued growth and success in 2019.

Prof. Carmen Sandi
FENS President