Currently, there is little to no platforms in New York City where students can engage directly with researchers and policymakers on these intersecting issues.
Synapse & State aim to address these gaps by hosting smaller events leading up to a 2-day forum event centered on neuroscience ethics, public funding structures, access to research opportunities, and youth agency in science. The forum will be hosted in 2026, pending venue confirmation at various universities. As more events are hosted, there will be structured panels, moderated roundtables, and workshops designed for cross-sectoral exchange and practical engagement.
Each event will produce publicly available materials including edited panel recordings and a recap report. These outputs will be distributed through partner networks and archived as open resources for students and educators. Follow-up events, including smaller forums hosted at the New York Hall of Science, will be considered based on the forum’s outcomes and ongoing community interest.
Young people are consistently excluded from formal science policy forums and advisory boards.
Black researchers continue to receive federal funding at less than half the rate of their White peers (According to NIH data).
These patterns reflect both inequity in the system and a breakdown in public trust.