Post on 16-Jul-2020
NeuroscienceSpecialMajor
CatherineJ.NorrisPsychology
KathleenSiwickiBiology
WhystudyNeuroscience?
• Inherentinterestintherelationshipsbetweenbody,brain&behavior
• Consideringmedicalschoolorgraduatestudiesinarelatedfield
• Can’tdecidebetweenPsychologyandBiology?• …afundamentalcuriosityaboutthemysteriesofthebrain
Now,ashumans,wecanidentifygalaxieslightyearsaway.Wecanstudyparticlessmallerthananatom,butwestillhaven'tunlockedthemysteryofthethreepoundsofmatterthatsitsbetweenourears.Buttoday,scientistspossessthecapabilitytostudyindividualneuronsandfigureoutthemainfunctionsofcertainareasofthebrain.Butahumanbraincontainsalmost100billionneurons,makingtrillionsofconnections.SoDr.Collinssaysit'slikelisteningtothestringssectionandtryingtofigureoutwhatthewholeorchestrasoundslike.Soasaresult,we'restillunabletocurediseaseslikeAlzheimer'sorautism,orfullyreversetheeffectsofastroke.Andthemostpowerfulcomputerintheworldisn'tnearlyasintuitiveastheonewe'rebornwith.
- PresidentBarackObamaontheBRAINInitiative
WhatcanyoudowithNeuroscience?
• MedicalSchool– UniversityofChicago– …many,manyothers!
• GraduateSchoolinNeuroscience– UPenn– Princeton– BostonUniversity– …many,manyothers!
• Positionsthatrequireanalyticalproblemsolvingskillsandanaturalcuriosity!
GeneralInfo
• TwoDepartments:– Biology– Psychology
• TwoOptions:– CourseSpecialMajor– HonorsMajor
…prereqscomefromBOTHdepartments,applicationstothemajoraresubmittedtoBOTHdepartments,youwillbeassigned(orcan
request)anadvisorintheDep’tthatbestreflectsyourplanofstudy
• Three“tracks”:– Bio-heavy– Psych-heavy– Prettyequal
Pre-requisites
BAver
BAver
BAver
AllprereqsMUSTbecompleted&GPArequirementsmetBEFOREbeingadmittedtotheNeuroscienceSpecialMajor.BUT:• Ifyouhaven’tcompletedall,youcanapplyandbedeferreduntil theyarecomplete• There’ssomeleniencyingrades,especiallyduring yourfirstterm
InadditiontoPrereqs…
• Atleast8electivecredits• …IncludingaComprehensiveRequirement
…foratotalofaminimumof10creditsforthemajor
GroupA:NeuroscienceElectivesatleast5credits
• (atleast)1FoundationCourse– PSYC030:BehavioralNeuroscience– BIOL022:Neurobiology
• CoreCourses– BIOL:020,029,030– PSYC:031,031a,032,091
• (atleast)1Seminar:– BIOL:121,123,124,131,134(eachis2credits)– PSYC:130,131,131a,132(eachis1credit)
…othercoursesmayalsoqualifyasGroupAelectives
GroupA:NeuroscienceElectives
GroupBElectives:CoursesinRelated/OverlappingAreas
• BIOL:Genetics,CellBiology,Omics,DevelBio,SystemsBio,Evolution,andmanyBioseminars
• CHEM038:BioChem• COGS001:IntrotoCognitiveScience• CPSC:Intro,Bioinformatics• MATH056:Modeling• PSYC:
CogPsych,PsychofLanguage,SocialPsych,ClinicalPsych,DevPsych,andseveralPsychseminars
GroupC:ResearchElectives
• BIOL098:NeuroscienceThesisResearch• PSYC096/097:SeniorThesis• PSYC099:SeniorNeuroscienceThesis• PSYC:ResearchPracticum
Perception&Cognition,BehavioralNeuropharmacol,Mind&Language,Psych&Neuroscience,CogNeuro
ComprehensiveRequirement
ThecomprehensiverequirementisaNeuroscienceResearchThesis,acompletescientificpaperbasedonaresearchprojectconductedinBiologyorPsychologyorsomeotherarearelatedtoneuroscience.Typicallycompletedby:
1. GroupCElective,or2. SeparateResearchProject(e.g.,completedoverthe
summeroraspartofaBIOLseminar)
ComprehensiveRequirement(Ex.)
ResearchPractica:Perception&Cognition(PSYC102,Durgin):
ComparingERPsformetaphorsandsimiles (turnedintoaneuroscience thesis)
BehavioralNeuropharmacology(PSYC103,Schneider):Propranololasapotentialadjuncttoexposuretherapyinthetreatmentofpathological fearmemory:ananimalmodelPreventingrecoveryoffearmemoryfollowingexposuretherapy:reconsolidationversuspredictionerror
Psychology&Neuroscience(PSYC105,Norris):TheRoleofIntergroupBiasinVisualPerspectiveTakingGaitSynchrony&SocialCooperationImitationFailstoImproveEmotionRecognitionTheEffectsofPostureandMimicryonPerceptionsofWarmth&Competence
ComprehensiveRequirement(Ex.)
SeniorThesisResearchinPsychology:EliminatetheNegative,AccentuatethePositive:InvestigatingtheEffectsof
EmotionRegulationofAmbivalence(Norris)It'snotwhatyousaid,it'swhatyoudidn'tsay:Howcomprehendersuse
contexttomodelalternativespeakerutterancesinpragmaticinferencing(Grodner)
Meditation&Attention:Canasinglesessionofmindfulnessmeditationtemporarilyimproveattentionalcontrolinnaïvecollegestudents?(Norris)
Perceptualbiasesandcomparisonbiasesinnoisy2Dorientationdisplays(Durgin)
RigidityinadultswithASDwhenestablishingcommongroundduringareferentialcommunicationtask(Grodner)
There’snothingwrongwithbeingalittledense:Densitydrivesvisualaftereffectofnumber(Durgin)
ComprehensiveRequirement(Ex.)
SeniorThesisResearchinBiology:Noveltyinducesbehavioralandglucocorticoidresponsesinasongbird
artificiallyselectedfordivergentpersonalities(Baugh)Short-termchemosensory-mediatedmemorydeficitsinDrosophila
melanogasterwithtargetedmushroombodyinactivations(Siwicki)AggressioneffectsonsleepinDrosophilamelanogaster(Siwicki)Characterizationofripplingbehaviorandeffectsoflightexposurein
Drosophilamelanogasterlarvae(Siwicki)Theeffectsofcholesterolabsorptioninhibitiononthedietarypreferenceof
saturatedversuspolyunsaturatedfattyacidsinDjungarianhamsters(Phodopussungorus)(HiebertBurch)
Theeffectofcaloricrestrictionandstressonbingeeatinginestrogen-treatedDjungarianhamsters(HiebertBurch)
NeuroscienceHonorsMajor
• FulfillalltherequirementsforNeuroscience• Complete32-creditpreparations- toincludeatleast1BIOLand1PSYCprep,andatleast1GroupAseminar:• BIOL:eachseminar=2credits• PSYC:Corecourse/SeminarCombo=2credits
• Completea2-creditNeuroscienceResearchThesis
• NoHonorsMinor
NeuroscienceHonorsTheses(Ex.)
BrandonBastien(2017): TheWaitingandMatingGame:ConditionDependentMateSampling inFemaleGrayTreefrogs(Hylaversicolor)EmmaClose(2018):Dofoodstimulidistractand/orfocusattentionforchronicdieters?AnERPInvestigationAbigailDove(2016):SleepplasticityduetosexualexperienceinDrosophilamelanogasterOliviaLeventhal(2018):ERPresponsestonon-binaryusesof“they”CaelaLong(2016):Hormonalandmoleculareffectsofrestraintonformalin-induced pain-likebehaviorinmaleandfemalemiceCeciliaPaasche(2016):Metaphorsmakethebrainworkharder:Anevent-relatedpotentialstudyofextendedmetaphorssuggestsdepthofprocessingadvantagetofigurativelanguageMakaylaPortley(2018):Anewelbow inthenumberperception function:Numberprocessingchangesat20FranReckers(2018):FriendorFoe?:TheEffectsofFriendship onEmotionalResponsestoPairedGambleOutcomesRebeccaSenft(2015):DistributionandAbundanceofGlucocorticoidandMineralocorticoidReceptorsthroughout theBrainoftheGreatTit(Parusmajor)ElisabethTawa(2015):What’stheright (hemisphere) waytothinkaboutmetaphor?YuhaoXu(2017):IntuitionorDeliberation?AnERPStudyofCooperativeDecisionMaking
WhatdoYOUneedtodonow?
• GetanadvisorinBIOLorPSYC(dependingonwhattrackyouaremoreinterestedin)
• CompletethePrereqs• ThinkaboutyourSophomorePlan:
- Howdoyouplantocompletethemajor?Whenarethecoursesyouwanttotakebeingoffered?
- HowdoyouplantocompletetheComprehensiveRequirement?(IfNOTaResearchPracticum,thenstartreachingouttoprofessorsearlytotalkaboutaplanfordoingresearch.)
NeuroscienceFacultyAdvisors
AlexBaugh(abaugh1):BIOLFrankDurgin(fdurgin1):PSYCSaraHiebertBurch(shieber1):BIOLCatNorris(cnorris2):PSYCAllenSchneider(aschnei1):PSYCKathySiwicki(ksiwick1):BIOL
…KimHoang(khoang1):PSYCAcademicAdv.
NextSteps
• Monday,Feb.11@1:00PM– Deadline tosubmityourintendedprogram(majors/minors)throughmySwarthmore.
• Thursday,Feb.14– SeeSophomorePlanadvisor(s)name(s) intheMajorsandMinorssection in mySwarthmore.
• Friday, Feb.15– DeadlinetosignupforanadvisingsessionwithSophomorePlanadvisor.
• WeeksofFeb.18&Feb25.– Meetindividually(asneeded)withfacultyadvisortodevelop/reviewplan.
• Monday,Mar.4@1:00PM– Deadlinetosubmityoursophomoreplan.
Formoreinfo:
cnorris2@swarthmore.eduSlidespostedonline
https://www.swarthmore.edu/biology/neuroscience