Capranica Prize

Application Deadline: April 15, 2025

2024 Capranica Prize Winner:

Marissa Applegate

Marissa Applegate earned her PhD in the lab of Dr. Dmitriy Aronov at Columbia University. There, she studied the neural mechanisms that underly episodic memory using memory-specialist food-caching birds. She is currently a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. Rui Chang, studying how the peripheral nervous system senses the body’s natural internal physiology.

The Capranica Neuroethology Prize is named in honor of Robert and Patricia Capranica to provide an annual prize for recognition of outstanding achievement or future promise in the field of neuroethology.

A prize consisting of $1,000 (US) will be awarded to a promising young investigator who is the author of a paper published online or in print during the previous calendar year, which is judged to be the most outstanding in terms of scientific significance in the field of neuroethology on the basis of criteria including: novelty of the scientific discovery, implications for scientific technical advancement, or importance for advancement of knowledge.

Application Guidelines and Eligibility

The student must be first author on the submitted paper and must have played a major role in the inception and execution of the study. A secondary consideration shall be the accomplishments of the investigator such as other papers published, awards earned, leadership in societies and student organizations.

Eligible candidates must be either graduate students or postdoctoral trainees who have received their doctoral degree within the previous five years. Either the nominee or the advisor must be a member of ISN.

The Executive Committe had decided to add a 1 year extension to the 5 year limit sure to the delays in everyone's research due to COVID.

Applicants should submit (as a single PDF document emailed to Christopher Lapine at isn.ks@kwglobal.com) a brief statement of their qualifications and the significance of their published paper, a copy of the paper, a curriculum vitae, and a letter of reference from their graduate or postdoctoral advisor that details the role of the applicant in the published study as well as the overall accomplishments of the young investigator. The cash prize will be awarded to the recipient and their name will be announced at the next International Congress of Neuroethology.

Applications for the 2017 award are no longer being accepted. The deadline for consideration for the 2018 award is April 30, 2018. All materials must reach the ISN office by April 30, 2018.

Applications for the 2017 award are no longer being accepted. The deadline for consideration for the 2018 award is April 30, 2018. All materials must reach the ISN office by April 30, 2018

Selection of the recipient of the Prize will be based entirely on scientific merit, irrespective of race, creed, sex, age, or nationality. Donations to the fund supporting this Prize are welcome; please contact the above address.

Capranica Prize Selection Committee

Past Recipients

1987: Anne M. Schneiderman

1988: William N. Frost

1989: Caroly A. Shumway

1990: Russell F. Huffman

1991: Michael S. Brainard

1992: Ginger S. Withers

1993: Laura C. Streichert

1994: Eric T. Vu

1995: Ari Berkowitz

1996: Michael B. Ferrari

1997: Christopher L. Passaglia

1998: Kenneth C. Catania

1999: John E. Lewis

2000: Anthony Leonardo

2001 Joseph A. Sisneros

2002 Daphne Soares

2003 Jörg Oestreich

2004 Claire N. Balint

2005: Mimi H. Kao

2006: DaYu Lin

2007: Kevin L. Briggman

2008: Marcos Gridi-Papp & Stanley Heinze

2009: Simon Peron & Aaron Andalman

2011: Paloma T. Gonzalez-Bellido

2012: Michael Yartsev

2013: Lauren O'Connell

2014: Josh Lillvis

2015: Arseny Finkelstein