Karl Deisseroth receives first HFSP Nakasone Award

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The Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) has announced that they have conferred the first HFSP Nakasone Award upon Stanford's own Karl Deisseroth for his work developing optogenetic techniques. Winners of the prize receive an unrestricted research grant of $10,000, a medal and a personalised certificate. According to the HFSPO's press release, "the HFSP Nakasone Award has been established to honour scientists who have made key breakthroughs in fields at the forefront of the life sciences. It recognizes the vision of former Prime Minister Nakasone of Japan in the creation of the Human Frontier Science Program."

The HFSPO is an organization founded in 1989 to support international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences and on creating opportunities for young scientists. Its funding pool is supplied by contributions from multiple nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Commission.

See the official press release for a brief history about Karl's pioneering work.

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Astra Bryant

Astra Bryant is a graduate of the Stanford Neuroscience PhD program in the labs of Drs. Eric Knudsen and John Huguenard. She used in vitro slice electrophysiology to study the cellular and synaptic mechanisms linking cholinergic signaling and gamma oscillations – two processes critical for the control of gaze and attention, which are disrupted in many psychiatric disorders. She is a senior editor and the webmaster of the NeuWrite West Neuroblog