Who Are We?
SYNAPSE is the undergraduate-led neuroscience club based at the University of Toronto Scarborough. It was founded in the Fall of 2016 by Malak Abuzgaya and Mudi Zhao, and has successfully grown ever since. The club hosts events throughout the school year, such as seminars, panels, networking sessions, and review sessions, in addition to communicating science un engaging ways on social media. Our mission is to promote discussion of, inspire interest in, and bring awareness in the field of neuroscience.
What Is Neuroscience?
n. | nu̇r-ō-ˈsī-ən(t)s
A branch of the life sciences that deals with the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, or molecular biology of nerves and nervous tissue, and especially with their relation to behaviour and learning.
Source: Merriam Webster
Our Values
- To disseminate relevant information about neuroscience in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner to the general public, regardless of educational pursuits
- To encourage interaction and exchange of ideas about neuroscience between students, faculty, and professionals in the field
- To highlight the diversity of professionals and careers in the field of neuroscience
- To provide academic and research resources and support students pursuing studies in neuroscience
- To promote scientific discussion and evidence-based inquiry outside the classroom
- To advocate for mental health, disability, social justice, and nervous system disorders through a unique and interdisciplinary neuroscience lens
Discover
Whether you’re an aspiring neuroscientist, a life science student interested in the field, or someone who is simply curious as to what neuroscience is, our events are for you! SYNAPSE strives to encourage discovery in the field among students of all disciplines, so don’t be intimidated! We acknowledge that the world of science is riddled with jargon and complicated terms, so our team does our best to make events and social media accessible to people of all different reaches.
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
SYNAPSE is committed to upholding the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization. All students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Toronto are welcome to join our executive and volunteer teams. Our science communication efforts extend to the entire public, as we are committed to making neuroscience accessible to all. Specifically, we aim to represent the beautiful diversity in the field of science, by inviting researchers from all backgrounds to speak at our seminars. In addition, we aim to make our content more accessible, by including alt text in our social media posts and providing closed captioning during our events. We know that there is always room for improvement, so please let us know in our feedback form what we can do to be more inclusive.
Awards & Testimonials
SYNAPSE has been recognized by the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) for delivering high-quality events for the student community, and we are honoured to have received SCSU’s Most Creative Events Award in 2021.
