Reeve Irvine Research Center (UCI)

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Reeve Irvine Research Center (UCI)

The RIRC is devoted to the study of repair, regeneration, and recovery of function after spinal cord injury.

The Reeve-Irvine Research Center (RIRC) is a basic science research facility devoted to the study of repair, regeneration, and recovery of function after spinal cord injury. We depend greatly on your generous donations, which help enable our research. Your contributions will be used to advance research that is targeted to new treatments for spinal cord injury.

09/26/2026

A Week To Remember.

This September, Dr. Oswald Steward joined fellow scientists from around the world in Oslo, Norway, for Kavli Prize Week 2026—a celebration of discovery, curiosity, and the research that continues to expand our understanding of the world.

Dr. Steward was honored alongside Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman with the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for discovering local protein translation in neurons and establishing its importance for brain development and plasticity.

For Dr. Steward, the week included the Neuroscience Laureate Lectures, conversations with fellow researchers and laureates, and the Kavli Prize Award Ceremony at Oslo Concert Hall.

These photographs offer a glimpse into an extraordinary week—and a milestone that represents decades of scientific curiosity, discovery, and dedication.

Our sincere thanks to The Kavli Prize for recognizing this body of work and bringing together a remarkable international community to celebrate science.

09/23/2026

A major victory for spinal cord injury research in California.

After years of determined advocacy, Roman Reed helped bring about a new opportunity for Californians to support spinal cord injury research. On September 15, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 611, creating a permanent voluntary contribution option on California state income tax returns.

Funds raised through the program will support University of California research grants focused on spinal cord injury treatments.

For the SCI community, this is more than a legislative milestone—it reflects persistence, advocacy, and a long-standing commitment to advancing research.

Congratulations, Roman, and thank you for never giving up.

Read the full story from the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
https://www.reeve.uci.edu/news/a-major-victory-for-spinal-cord-injury-research-roman-reeds-advocacy-leads-to-new-california-law

07/21/2026

Thank You For Celebrating With Us

Over the past four weeks, we've shared the incredible journey and scientific discoveries that earned Dr. Oswald Steward the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience alongside Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman.

A heartfelt thank you to The Kavli Prize for recognizing discoveries that advance our understanding of the brain and for shining a global spotlight on scientific excellence.

Thank you to everyone who watched the videos, read the stories, shared the posts, and celebrated this historic achievement with us. Your support has helped us honor not only an extraordinary scientific discovery, but also the people whose dedication continues to advance neuroscience.

Congratulations once again to Dr. Oswald Steward and his fellow Kavli laureates.

The future of neuroscience is brighter because of discoveries like these.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

07/16/2026

The A-Ha Moment.

Every scientist remembers the moment something suddenly made sense.

For Dr. Oswald Steward, that moment came while studying neurons through an electron microscope. What he observed challenged conventional thinking and opened the door to an entirely new understanding of how neurons make proteins where they are needed.

That insight became the foundation for decades of research into learning, memory, and brain plasticity—work that has now been recognized with the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

Behind every scientific breakthrough is a person willing to look a little closer, ask a difficult question, and follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Congratulations to Dr. Oswald Steward and fellow laureates Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman on this remarkable achievement.

Read the OC Register article: https://www.ocregister.com/2026/06/24/oswald-steward-had-his-a-ha-moment-in-1981-now-hes-won-the-prestigious-kavli-prize/

07/15/2026

Great discoveries often begin with someone noticing what everyone else overlooked.

In 1982, Oswald Steward used an electron microscope to discover that polyribosomes—the machinery that enables protein synthesis—existed within dendrites, the branching structures of neurons.

This unexpected finding challenged long-held assumptions about where proteins are made inside nerve cells. It suggested that neurons could produce proteins much closer to synapses, where communication between brain cells occurs.

That discovery helped lay the scientific foundation for our modern understanding of learning, memory, and brain plasticity.

🏆 Oswald Steward was awarded the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, together with Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman, for discoveries that transformed our understanding of how the brain develops and adapts.

07/14/2026

Every great journey begins with a single step.

Long before receiving the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, Oswald Steward was a student searching for his path. He has shared that he struggled academically in high school before discovering a passion for understanding the brain.

Os's curiosity carried him from the University of Colorado to UC Irvine, the University of Virginia, and ultimately back to UC Irvine, where he founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.

Along the way came a discovery that changed neuroscience and helped reshape how scientists understand learning, memory, and brain plasticity.

His story reminds us that success isn't defined by where we begin—but by the questions we're willing to keep asking.

Congratulations, Dr. Steward, on this extraordinary recognition.

07/07/2026

Behind every great scientist is a story.

Before becoming a 2026 Kavli Prize Laureate, Dr. Oswald Steward admits he wasn't always an exceptional student.

In fact, he says he nearly failed his first year of high school.

Everything changed after meeting the woman who would become his wife.

Together they recently celebrated 59 years of marriage—a partnership that began long before groundbreaking discoveries in neuroscience and continues today.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs don't begin in a laboratory.

Sometimes they begin with someone who believes in you.

Congratulations to Dr. Oswald Steward on both an extraordinary scientific career and a remarkable life shared with his wife.

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07/02/2026

Behind every groundbreaking discovery is a story.

When we celebrate scientific achievements, we often focus on the moment of discovery. But behind every breakthrough is a lifetime of curiosity, perseverance, unexpected turns, and people who believed in the journey.

Dr. Oswald Steward's path to the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience wasn't a straight line. In his own words, it was shaped by good luck, second chances, and being a second choice.

From childhood curiosity to pioneering discoveries that transformed our understanding of learning, memory, and brain plasticity, his career reminds us that great science begins with asking questions—and never stops.

As Founding Director of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, Dr. Steward continues to inspire the next generation of neuroscientists while advancing research that offers hope for people living with spinal cord injuries.

Congratulations to Dr. Oswald Steward on being awarded the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, alongside Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman.

We invite you to read the full autobiography of Oswald Steward here: https://www.kavliprize.org/oswald-steward-autobiography

07/01/2026

Behind every scientific discovery is a curious mind.

As we celebrate Dr. Oswald Steward's recognition as a recipient of the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, we'd like to share a glimpse of the scientist behind the breakthrough.

Dr. Steward has a gift for distilling complex neuroscience into elegant verse. This quatrain reflects the discovery that transformed our understanding of how neurons make proteins precisely where they're needed—one of the foundational advances recognized by this year's Kavli Prize.

"In dendrites, lie the sites where memories spawn
Near the structures towards which one's eyes are drawn
Small spots that line the message, plain to see
Beneath the synapse, proteins soon to be."

— Dr. Oswald Steward

Science and creativity often walk hand in hand. This quatrain reminds us that discovery is as much about imagination as it is about observation.

Congratulations, Dr. Steward, on this well-deserved recognition.

06/30/2026

The moment they found out. 🏆

Behind every scientific breakthrough are years—often decades—of curiosity, perseverance, collaboration, and discovery.

This video captures the genuine moment when Oswald Steward, along with Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, and Erin Schuman, learned they had been awarded the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for discoveries that transformed our understanding of how the brain develops, adapts, and supports learning and memory.

It's a reminder that great science is built one question, one experiment, and one discovery at a time.

Please join us in congratulating these remarkable scientists on this well-deserved honor.

🎥 Watch their authentic reaction.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6z6fa1XUrc

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