The name of the foundation, Minerva, was inspired by the Roman goddess, the Etruscan adaptation of the Greek Athena. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom and war, poetry and medicine, commerce and schools, crafts and magic.
Current Initiatives
The Golden Brain has been awarded annually since 1985 to an investigator, at the forefront of research, for original discovery of significant findings of vision and the brain. The choice of the award is based on nominations to the board from previous awardees.
Stochastic Labs brings together scientists, artists, technologists, and entrepreneurs to formulate and address big picture questions about our collective future.
The International Conference on Neuroesthetics is a gathering of cross-disciplinary scholars to speak to a particular theme related to the brain and creativity.
Since 2019, the conference has taken the form of a speakers series pairing neuroscientists with notable personalities for on-stage conversations about timely topics.
Minerva Foundation was founded in 1983 by Helen and Elwin Marg.
To read more about Elwin Marg visit: In Memorium.
“What gives humankind its wisdom? The substrate is a neural organ called the brain, which is organized to produce a mind. The greater part of conscious input to the brain is through the sense of vision. If we want to know how humans achieve sapience, we need to know more about the operation of the brain and how it uses its primary input, vision.” Elwin Marg