WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) today announced Mea O. Songco-Casey of the University of Oregon (UO) as the winner of its fourth-annual Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge. Students currently enrolled at TSC member institutions were asked to create a video explaining their personal connection to fundamental research and why Congress should continue to invest in the partnership between federal research agencies and their university counterparts. The winning video can be viewed here.
“It is with pleasure that I congratulate Mea Songo-Casey on taking first place in this year’s Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge,” said Anshuman “AR” Razdan, vice president for research and innovation at the University of Oregon. “Mea’s research is an example of the many ways students and faculty impact lives and advance world-class research and innovation at the University of Oregon. I also share my thanks to The Science Coalition for honoring Mea’s compelling video and recognizing the value of sharing thorough storytelling and why federal funding for science matters.”
“Congratulations to Mea for being honored for her video about research she is conducting in the Niell Lab in the Institute of Neuroscience,” said Chris Poulsen, Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon. “Her video beautifully and clearly explains why understanding the octopus visual system matters and the essential role that federal funding plays in supporting it and other groundbreaking research being conducted across the UO’s College of Arts and Sciences.”
“The next generation of U.S. science and research is brimming with forward-thinking, creative talent, and we are proud to count Mea, TSC’s 2022 Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge winner, among them,” said TSC President Peter DeYoe. “As she notes in her winning submission, when the federal government invests in research, it enables bright, diverse minds in STEM to pursue solutions to some of our greatest challenges. Congress has made their appetite for innovative research clear this year through the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act. Now, it’s time for legislators to heed Mea’s call by providing robust, predictable, and consistent funding for the fundamental research that will unlock the next chapter of American discovery. I want to thank and congratulate all the students who entered this year on a fantastic job.”
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About the Science Coalition
Established in 1994, The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness.