Neuroscience
Major and minor
Program Committee
Judy Thorn, Biology, chair
Heather Hoffmann, Psychology
Esther Penick, Biology
Cooperating staff from other programs
John Dooley, Computer Science
Janet Kirkley, Biochemistry
James Mountjoy, Biology
Jennifer Templeton, Biology
Neuroscience is one of the most fascinating and rapidly growing fields in science today. This interdisciplinary field unites psychology, biology, and biochemistry (as well as in some instances chemistry, computer science, mathematics, philosophy, and linguistics) in the study of nervous system function. Neuroscience research spans multiple levels of analysis and includes basic and applied research problems. Just a few of the many topics addressed include the development of drug and other therapies to help people with brain injury or disease, the investigation of neural systems responsible for consciousness, and the exploration of cellular/molecular processes that underlie memory or drug addiction. Neuroscientists are employed in diverse settings including in research at universities or for pharmaceutical companies, in medicine as neurologists, clinical neurologists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists or psychiatrists, in policy-making bodies in the government and in the criminal justice system.
The departmental curriculum contributes to the College's Key Competency Requirements as follows:
- Writing Key Competency - BIOL 210 and NEUR 399 serve as writing-intensive courses for majors
- Speaking Key Competency - BIOL 210 and PSYC 282 serve as speaking-intensive courses for majors
- Information Literacy and Informed Use of Technology - Majors will learn how to use online databases (e.g. PubMed, PsycInfo) to gather neuroscience literature, how to analyze and graphically represent data (using, e.g. Excel and SPSS), and how to professionally present research projects (using, e.g. PowerPoint and Pagemaker). Key courses for acquiring these skills include the research methods courses, advanced electives, and senior research.
Departmental Learning Goals
Students completing a Neuroscience major will:
- Understand how a neuron functions and what we know (and don’t know) about how neuronal functioning contributes to behavior
- Understand the scientific method and how to critically read the neuroscience literature. They will use this knowledge to design experiments and develop an independent research project
- Select and conduct appropriate statistical analysis in research
- Understand techniques used to study the brain and behavior and gain experience in executing some of these techniques
- Communicate scientific information by delivering an effective research presentation, and by keeping a laboratory notebook, writing a manuscript and a review paper