Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
6 were from NIH/NSF, 1 from a foundation, & 2 from OVPR REP.
A total of 16 active grants in our current portfolio at BIRC.
10 more NSF/NIH grants are pending (Goal is to get 3-4 more funded in FY21/22, totaling 10M, with 3M+ in IDC).
Revenue up again,
despite COVID
FY19 was 700% of FY18.
FY20 was another solid year where ”true” revenue was 134% of FY19 despite COVID, and despite already a good year in FY19.
80% of total expenses were covered by revenue in FY20. Without COVID, we were projected to break even. We are still on target to break even by the summer of 2022 (end of FY22). Plus, with the IDC our grants brought in (see below), we believe we are on track.
Post COVID (Jul-Oct, 2020), we have only been down 6% compared to pre-COVID (FY20 Jul-Oct, 2019). Projected to catch up in the spring (pending no more shutdown).
Funded-users up 50%
in FY20/21
Sustainable target is to be up in NIH/NSF funded-PIs by 100% (20-30 total).
The 50% increase is in comparison to FY19 but includes Co-Is.
While the trend is optimistic, BIRC needs more funded PIs.
We are closely working with 5-13 more potential users.
BIRC-trained IBRAiN student team
publishes in Nature
Botvinik-Nezer, et al. Nature. 2020 Jun;582(7810):84-88. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2314-9
BIRC connects 65 neuroimaging centers
around the US
Through email list-serv, conducting COVID surveys, etc
h3 Seminars serve 130 universities &
over 2,600 academics world-wide
Started April 2020.
600 subscribed to our list-serv from around the world.
“Ask A Brain Scientist” Series
connects 300 kids around the US
Started late Oct/Nov 2020 with a franchise now in Israel.
20 partner organizations including UConn Psych Sci, InCHIP & Ballard Institute supporting our mission.