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SPARC News

SPARC Opens to ANS Researchers

The SPARC Data and Resource Center (DRC) welcomes researchers who would like to contribute their autonomic nervous system research to the SPARC Portal. Email [email protected] with questions about data submission. Researchers can also bring awareness to their work by participating in SPARC Success Stories and Fireside Chats.

SPARC’s Participation in NIH’s Common Fund Data Ecosystem Evolves

The Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) enables discovery of a wide range of diverse and valuable Common Fund data sets in a singular portal, available at this link, in order to help accelerate research findings. SPARC, a Common Fund program, contributes curated datasets to the ecosystem, and collaborates with other Common Fund programs to create tools and infrastructure that further integration to empower the research community. Learn more about this groundbreaking endeavor at this link.

Phase 2 Awards Announced

The SPARC DRC congratulates the recipients of the NIH Common Fund’s REVA, HORNET, and VESPA awards as SPARC enters Phase 2. Awardees’ research will help shape the success of the SPARC mission going forward. Their research will become open and FAIR datasets on the SPARC Portal in compliance with the updated NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. Visit this link for more information about the launch of SPARC’s second phase.

RE-JOIN HEAL Consortium and SPARC Begin Collaboration

SPARC will be part of the RE-JOIN HEAL Data Coordinating initiative for expanding joint health research, helping to build a FAIR data ecosystem in alignment with HEAL and NIH policies. We are working closely with the HEAL and RE-JOIN leadership and investigators to ensure that our data curation and management procedures and services are aligned and are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration. We expect RE-JOIN data to become available on the SPARC portal as we are expanding the scope of our mission.

Early Career Scientists Award Abstracts Due Soon

The SPARC DRC offers competitive awards to early career scientists interested in neuromodulation of the autonomic nervous system. Applicants must be a graduate or postdoctoral student, have first authorship of the research, and be willing to present their research at the American Physiological Society summit in April in Long Beach, CA.

Abstract submission closes Dec. 8. Learn more about acceptance criteria and how to apply at this link.

o²S²PARC Webinar on the Horizon

On Nov. 29, SPARC will host the webinar Convert Your o²S²PARC Pipelines into Guided Applications. Participants will learn how to create expert-guided workflows in o²S²PARC – the open SPARC online simulation platform for computational modeling, simulation, and data analysis. More information about o²S²PARC can be found in this document. Register for the webinar at this link.

SPARC Portal Updated

This month the SPARC Portal updated its search capabilities. The Find Data faceted browse categories have been refined to data-only, while News & Events and Tools & Resources now have their own faceted browse sections. Learn about these changes at this link.

SPARC DRC Extends Outreach at AAS Conference

The American Autonomic Society held its 33rd international symposium in Maui Nov. 3 to 5. There, SPARC program director Dr. Andrew Weitz and SPARC DRC members Drs. Sue Tappan and Anka Pilko shared information about SPARC, FAIR data, and bioelectronic medicine with attendees. SPARC community members Drs. John Osborn, Vitaly Napadow, and Kalyanam Shivkumar presented their respective research in a neuromodulation session.

A Fond Farewell to a Founding SPARC Member

The SPARC DRC thanks Dr. Charles Horn for his invaluable contributions to SPARC research and the Communications Committee over the past 5 years. Charles recently bid SPARC farewell to begin a new career chapter. His work and impact are already sorely missed.

Upcoming Conferences

We hope to see members of the SPARC community at the following meetings! Relevant meetings are listed on the SPARC News and Events page.

As always, please let us know if you’ll attend any of the conferences by emailing [email protected], or by filling out the form located here.

The American Physiological Society hosts its summit April 20-23 in Long Beach, CA. Abstract submissions are due Dec. 8. Learn more about the meeting and abstract submission requirements at this link.

The Society for Pelvic Research hosts its 7th annual main meeting in Charlotte, NC Dec. 9-10. Visit the meeting website at this link.

Registration is open for the North American Neuromodulation Society’s 26th annual meeting that runs Jan. 12-15 in Las Vegas. Find out more at this link.

The inaugural American Association for Anatomy’s stand-alone meeting, Anatomy Connected, convenes in Washington, DC March 25-27. Find out more about the conference at this link.

The SPARC DRC looks forward to the June 2023 Neural Interfaces Conference and North American Neuromodulation Society (NIC-NANS). Keep an eye out for registration information as it becomes available.

Calls for Papers

Two Frontiers in Neuroscience Research Topics Submissions Due Dec. 31

Frontiers in Neuroscience seeks manuscript submissions for its Research Topics edition Multiscale Anatomy and Biophysics of the Autonomic Nervous System: Implications for Neuromodulation. To learn more about the topic and the submission process, follow this link.

Frontiers in Neuroscience also seeks manuscript submissions for the Research Topics edition Bioelectronic Medicines – New Frontiers in Autonomic Neuromodulation, Volume II. To learn more about the topic and submission process, follow this link.

Office Hours
Join one of the SPARC Data and Resource Center team’s weekly office hours to learn more from DRC experts.