Crowdfunding Disability: Pay for the Change That You Want to See in the World

Jan 26

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Matan's Musings

From those studying the medicinal benefits of centipede venom to those researching the existence of life bearing extrasolar moons, scientists have turned to crowdfunding for issues which have captured the popular imagination but have been overlooked by a traditional grant process.  Without commenting on the value of individual projects (one questionable project has funded a review of frog sounds in the Amazon), I’m fascinated by the phenomenon of crowdfunding allowing people to put their money where their passion is.

It’s a cliché that everything in our society costs money, but that doesn’t make it less true.  Rather than lament a reality that I can’t even see a way around, (after all, whether it’s rent, utilities, food, or equipment, most money for expenses goes to people who themselves have bills to pay) I love the idea that crowdfunding gives society the opportunity to pay for the things that they deem valuable…

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About Erin Umberg

Erin Umberg was born in Vicenza, Italy to parents Thomas Umberg and Robin Umberg. In 2001, she received a Congressional nomination to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. She was medically discharged in 2003 after being diagnosed with Lupus. She was ranked First in the class and received the Star Wreath Award. After West Point, Erin attended Stanford University where she majored in Human Biology, with a concentration in Neuroscience. She continued at Stanford for graduate school and then worked at Stanford School of Medicine in Pediatric Neurology. In 2009, Erin returned to study the brain at Tufts University on a Provost's Scholars Fellowship. She entered the PhD program for Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology and studied the dopaminergic pathways involved in addiction and obesity. She co-authored a chapter in the textbook Diet, Brain, & Behavior, "The Reward Deficiency Hypothesis." She has also been published in the scientific journal, Physiology and Behavior, for her article: "The Neurobiology of Aversive States," in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, for her article:"From disordered eating to addiction: the 'food' drug," and at the Neural Control of Movement Conference Session for "Uninhibited muscle activity in children with primary dystonia." After graduate school, Erin taught at Santiago Community College and served as Assistant Director for the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California, Irvine. She created a nationally attended conference series, "Post 9/11: Science, Policy & Law" which covered topics of Interrogations & False Confessions, Security Challenges for the 21st Century, and Legal Implications for Civil Liberties. Erin Umberg is currently attending law school at UC Berkeley (Boalt) and is focusing on Intellectual Property Law. She is also interested in civil rights within the criminal justice system. In law school, Erin worked with the Anti-Defamation League to research civil rights issues and is currently a Research Fellow with the California Constitution Center. ********************************************************************************************************************* >>>THIS BLOG IS PARTY OF A THIRD-PARTY SEO SOCIAL EXPERIMENT<<<

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