Locals may know Tom Slick as an oil man and adventurer, an inventor and a philanthropist. They may not know that he started the Mind Science Foundation in 1958 to fund scientific research to help explore the human mind’s potential.
Slick died in a plane crash in 1962, but the Mind Science Foundation, which he considered “the most important undertaking” of his life, continues today in the hands of CEO Meriam Musa Good and chief scientist Ben Rein.
The two joined host Robert Rivard on the latest episode of the “bigcitysmalltown” podcast to share more about their work at the foundation and why it’s important for the public to regain trust in science.
The Mind Science Foundation helps fund research for various studies on topics like morbid obesity conditions, the advancement of dementia, the effects of isolation and the effects psychedelics have on the human brain. But outside of scientific circles, the foundation is relatively unknown.
“We’re a hidden gem,” said Good. “We’re right there in Olmos Park, across from the fire department, doing our work, encouraging and funding young scientists, and also having educational outreach so that people in this room can learn about their brains.”
The foundation holds the BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition every year to fund the research of early-career scientists. Recent winners have received funding to study psychedelics and disorders, the cause of dreams and the potential to change them, and how social isolation connects to cognitive impairment.
The 2025 BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition is currently open until May 9. Interested participants can learn more about the competition and apply on the Mind Science website.
Along with supporting early-career researchers, Rein said it’s also important for scientists to better engage the general public. “I feel that we need to, as a field, as researchers, be more clear and accessible and engage the public more effectively,” said Rein, who will soon teach a science communication class at Stanford University.
Good said the skepticism in science in today’s world prohibits the growth and advancement of projects that are aimed to help people. “It’s tragic that people don’t trust science, but I think it’s because they haven’t been communicated with in a way that makes sense to them,” she said.
To hear more about the work Mind Science is funding, listen to the latest episode of the “bigcitysmalltown” podcast below.
Disclosure: Robert Rivard is the co-founder of the San Antonio Report.
