University of Michigan Neuroscience

NeuronsVolume 1 Number 1 February 21, 2005

Promoting Synaptogenesis and PreventingApoptosis in Graduate Students

Editorial

Using Our New JournalOkay, so we’re all here to learn about neuroscience andto gain the skills and training necessary to becomeprofessional scientists. There’s a lot that we have tolearn along the way: how to review the literature, howto write grants, how to present our information, how todo the science and ask the questions. The academictraining here is of course set up to help you becomeproficient in all of these areas, but there’s a lot ofmystery surrounding much of it: prelim exams, NS 700talks, being a GSI, the grant writing class. We thoughtthat it might be helpful to lay down the basics from themouths of students past – from our own perspective.

Along with our training we also want to enjoyour lives in Ann Arbor. It is a fine college town withmuch to offer. So this guide also represents the pooledknowledge of the students of the neuroscience programabout what to do, what to see, where to eat and how totake advantage of all that this city and the surroundingareas have to offer. And hopefully the guide willchange and grow as the program does. It isn’tcomplete. It isn’t comprehensive. But at least it’s astarting point. So whether you are brand new to theprogram and are hungry for any hints at all, or whetheryou’re an old hand who wants to match the names withthe faces of incoming students or get an idea ofsomething new to do in town, open up to the table ofcontents and flip through the book. You might even besurprised… We hope that it gives you some guidance,provides some insight or allows you to remain in closecontact with the community. Enjoy!

Da editors.

Neurons, Vol. 1, February 14, 2005 Copyright by the NGSO press Neurons, Vol. 1, February 14, 2005 Copyright by the NGSO press

Preventing Global Excitotoxicity in Naive GraduateLevel Subjects by Inducing Comprehensive Novel

Semantic Knowledge of Neuroscientifically-RelatedLife Experience

Freely I.P., Munny I.O.U.,, Uglee U.R. Problem B.O., Tabooger L.E., and Kandel E.R.

Global excitoxicity is a grave risk faced by hundreds of patients undergoing a real life to gradstudent transplant procedure each year. We hypothesized that this global excitotoxicity maybe due, in part, to oxidative stress, enhanced calcium influx caused by metabotropicmodification of NMDA channel permeability, and a chronic state of not knowing What TheHell Is Going On (WTHIGO). In this paper, we examined the role of WTHIGO in graduatestudent excitotoxicity, whereas the role of oxidative stress and calcium influx are examined in apaper published contiguously in this issue (see "Calcium influx, oxidative stress, and gradstudent apoptosis", pp. 101-113). We tested our hypothesis by down-regulating WTHIGO inthe naive graduate-level subject by novel Whole Subject Molecular Mumbo-Jumbo techniques(WsmMJ). We transfected subjects with mutant transcripts of two components of the semanticknowledge involved in the neuroscience graduate student cycle (NGSC), skinny (skin1) andlow-down (low2), both cross-repressors of WTHIGO. 48-hours post-transfection, we found asignificant decrease in blood levels of the stress-hormone cortisol, as well as WTHIGO-catalyzed financial and curricular dysregulation. A trend towards increased interpersonallinking was also observed, but was found to be insignificant (p=.06). Most importantly, gradstudent apoptosis declined by over 500%, which is nice since cleaning this up is gross. Weconclude that WTHIGO down-regulation may serve in the future as a strong prophylacticagainst the excitotoxicity caused by future real-life to grad school transplant procedures.

All Things Academic(how to become a neuroscientist)

(courses to take – precandidate/candidate)(journal clubs)

(NS 700)(posters)

(GSI)(grants)

(prelims)(choosing a lab – rotation list)

All Things Financial(how to make money and keep it)

(grants) (grading)

(GSI)

The Map(food, living and fun)

How to Enjoy Ann Arbor(where to live)

(how to get around – maps)(where to eat - and when )

(gettin’ some… culture)(where to play – IMs, club sports, biking, running, frolicking…)

(outdoors in and around ann arbor – map)(community involvement – calendar)

(all about you – services recommended)

Who to Enjoy Ann Arbor With(who’s who)


All Things Academic

In comparison to the requirements for an undergrad degree, there’s nota whole lot that’s superfluous in graduate school. Most of the information andskills you learn are those that you absolutely need as a professional scientist. Atthe end of grad school you should be able to critically review and research theliterature, determine what questions have not been answered, understand theexperimental tools available to answer the questions and be comfortable withthem, devise original experiments, do the experiments, interpret the data, presentthe data to colleagues in written and visual and spoken formats (papers, posters,presentations), and write grants to get funded. You should also possess generalliteracy in the field of neuroscience. Even though it often feels at the beginninglike this is way beyond reach, the program is a good one and you will be able todo all of these things at the end of it (and feel pretty comfortable with most of itafter only a couple of years, even if you had no previous training). Keep inmind that all of the activities/exams required by the program (see below) trainyou in one or many of these aspects. So the goal is no longer to get good grades,but to become proficient neuroscientists.

Courses: (knowledge)

We’ve all been to undergrad, so we all know pretty much how thiswhole thing works. There are some things that are different in grad school,though:

The policy:Pre-candidate (before prelims): have to take 36 units in 4 semesters

and have to take 9 units/semester minimum. You cannot take courses in thespring/summer.

Candidates (after prelims): take “research neurosci 995” each semesterfor 8 units. You can take one other course of your choosing each semester. Thiscan be basket weaving, introductory Hungarian, public policy in sub-saharanAfrica or signal transduction in yeast. Any class, any number of units/hours.Only one course per semester, though. And you still can’t take any classes inthe spring/summer terms.

Since grad students teach many of the courses we’d want to take, youcan always try to sweet-talk a fellow grad student into letting you audit theircourse. This often works.

Grades: they really don’t matter that much. Some grants may takethem into account, but it doesn’t seem to weigh much, if at all. Unless you are aslacker. What matters more are recommendations. And professors have a toughtime writing a flattering recommendation for a grade-grubber. So just ask aboutwhat you’re interested in and learn.

You’ll hear about neuroscience elective courses, but some coursesdirectly related to professional development are:

Grant writing class - winterScience writing class - winterGraduate student writing class – variable


Journal Clubs: (knowledge/presenting)

Nothing like reading papers to help you understand a neurosciencetopic more fully, particularly when you have an outline of that topic fromcoursework. There are a number of thematic journal clubs that happen duringthe year. Typically these groups meet once a week for an hour or an hour and ahalf and one person prepares a presentation on a paper of their choosing, as longas it’s in the theme. This is a great chance to practice presentation skills, butyou can also just sit in on the journal clubs without having to present. They canall be taken for 1 unit, and after your 1st year that usually means that you have toattend all/most sessions and present once. Some examples:

NGSO Review journal club – review papers, more of a discussionformat led by a candidate-level grad student who chooses a review articlerelating to their research. Very relaxed and basic questions are encouraged. Tobegin in 2005.

Synaptic Plasticity (fall) – meets for an hour and a half. Run by a fewprofessors and the discussions tend to be very good with much time allowed forbasic questions. A bit more relaxed of an environment than most other journalclubs.

Ion Channels (fall) – sounds specific and it is. There are manyprofessors in this journal club so it tends to be a bit intellectually intimidating ifyou plan on presenting or speaking up, unless you are comfortable with thematerial. It’s a good one to sit in on, though, even if you aren’t involved inelectrophysiology just to hear the discussions.

Synaptic Plasticity (winter) – in Nat. Sci. on Friday afternoons, so ithas beer and is a bit more relaxed, though the presentations are still prettyformal. More of a molecular focus on plasticity.

NS 700: (presenting)

This is the course that allows us to practice our presentation skills.Groups are established based on general themes, and then each person in thegroup of four 2nd year students gives a 45-minute presentation on a Mondayafternoon in fall or winter. You meet with your group led by a faculty advisorbefore your presentation to determine your specific topic and again to practiceyour talk. This experience varies tremendously with the faculty advisor incharge of the group. There really is no standard by which the professors instructabout presentation skills, and they seem to have no training in how to guide us.So you are left to determine if their ideas are good ones or not. All of them havea lot of experience, though, so much of the advice seems to be very good.

Start early and practice often. If you are not used to makingpresentations, you should really practice, timed, as much as you can so that youcan adjust your talk appropriately. Present to as many people as you can. Oftenpeople will ask

their lab to listen to the presentation, present to a small group of friends, presentto their 700 group, and present on their own. You really can’t do it too much.Remember that the grade matters basically for squat – presenting is really animportant skill and this is the best time you will ever have to become better at itif you work at it. If you take the process seriously it can help you tremendouslyin your professional development.

After the presentation you will sit down with the professors whoattended your talk to receive their feedback. This is very helpful and it is goodto have many professors there. Likely you’ll have about 4-6. It might be a goodidea to send invitations out to professors whom you would like to get feedbackfrom. It may seem like it would be bad to have more people there making younervous, but it will help you in the future (like on prelims, your defense, yourcareer…). And unlike prelims all the professors are very nice to you here.

Posters: (presenting)

Posters are a major method of presenting information to each other. The majorvenue for this is the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. If you’re lookingfor general advice on how to set up a poster, this can be found outside of theTosney lab in Nat Sci. (she has some demo posters of “Do’s and Don’t’s” in thehall outside. She also teaches a class in the winter that addresses science writingin general, and posters in particular.If you’re planning on making a poster, there are a few printing places listed inthe spreadsheet below. If you’re in MHRI, use MHRI. Otherwise, studentsseem pretty split between the Media Union (less expensive, variable quality) andSurgery Graphics/Kinko’s (more expensive, consistent). At any place youshould be able to get the poster printed the same day you bring it in to them.

A few notes/words of caution:

U of M Logo: https://www.logos.umich.edu/toolkit/downloads.html#downloadsSize: SFN recommends posters 44” x 68” or smaller. This rounds down to 3’ x5’.Color: If color doesn’t matter much, then posters can be made in powerpoint.Illustrator: It is recommended that posters be made in Illustrator for accuratecolor. Save as .pdf and/or .eps files.

- All images that are placed in the poster should be in CMYK format(under “mode” in photoshop). If the images are RGB, your postercolor may be very different from your screen color (like red convertingto puke green).

- Media Union is usually fine (and by far the cheapest), but there areoccasional glitches and it’s mostly student-run. No problems ever seemto occur with posters printed through Surgery Graphics or Kinko’s.

https://www.logos.umich.edu/toolkit/downloads.html#downloads


UM MediaUnion

SurgeryGraphics

Kinko’s.

cost $10/lin.foot $5/sq. foot $8/sq. foot

3’ x 5’ cost $50 $75 $120

max. onedimension

36” 42” 60”

location

N. Campus,PierpointCommons647-5739

10:00-4:00pmM-F

2930 TaubmanHealth Care Ctr.

936-40218:00-5:00pm M-

F

Liberty, State andPlymouth

24hrs during theweek (State and

Plymouth)8:00-10:00pm

(Liberty)other

optionsNo glossy Glossy extra

assistance Freetroubleshooting

Cost fortroubleshooting

Professionalcustomer service

additional Website WebsiteCan send them

your file byemail

Will reprint if itain’t what you

expected

Media Union:http://www.ummu.umich.edu/facilities/groundworks/AND for downloads go tohttp://www.ummu.umich.edu/facilities/groundworks/docsystem/howto/docs/poster/illust/ai_templates/index.html

Surgery Graphics:http://surgery-graphics.med.umich.edu/ANDhttp://surgery-graphics.med.umich.edu/faq.html

GSI: (teaching)

We are all required to GSI (U of M’s term for “TA”) one course onesemester. This is almost always done in your second year. There are all sorts ofoptions (since, well, there are all sorts of courses taught) both in the biology andpsychology departments. The amount of work is reasonably variable and youjust need to ask past GSIs what the load and responsibilities were like.

Some handy things to know about being a GSI:

Money: You will get paid about $5000 during your GSI term from thedepartment that hires you with a W2 and therefore taxes deducted automatically.Your pay from the neuroscience program will decrease that entire year a little bit(about $80).

Paperwork: When your funding comes partially from the GSIappointment, your benefits switch over to them, too (so that the neuroscienceprogram can save some money). This means that you have to do the paperworkto switch over your healthcare. Do it. If you don’t you will be unhappy. Justpay attention to Charma’s emails.

Training: You will have to do a mandatory training with all the otherGSIs. The “Player’s Skit” is particularly helpful.

Future GSIing: Any teaching that you want to do outside of the onesemester GSI requirement is up to your boss. You’re on your own with this one.

Grants: (grant writing)

Write one. Write many. The benefits to you are amazing. If you getan NSF you will make $30,000 a year, and if you get any grant you will havemuch more flexibility since professors won’t have to fund you in their labs.Since it is also one of the most important things required of a professor andlooks fabulous on a CV (and since it is a big section of your prelims), it is one ofthose essential skills that we should learn as grad students. There are two main grant funding agencies for neuroscience: NSF andNIH. NSF can only be applied to in your first year. It is a short (2 page) grantapplication with a couple of short essays, and the grant section doesn’t have tobe on your future research. It doesn’t even have to be remotely related to it.The grant is given mostly on the basis of “research potential” which comes fromacademic merit and such. It can be on anything you dream up and if you getfunded you get much more money and don’t have to do the work that you wrotethe grant on. There is really no reason not to try.

NIH is a bit more involved. This grant is on what you plan to do andshould be written after you’ve chosen your lab. The best thing to do is to takeLori Isom’s grant writing class in the winter of your second year. This willprepare you for prelims and at the end of the course you will have in hand agrant that you can submit to the NIH for funding. Everyone who has taken theclass speaks very highly of it, and about 50% of neuroscience students getfunded after turning in their grants written during this course.

There are many other grant sources, too, like the DOD or NASA – bothof which are increasing their funding. One of the grants on the links to “samplegrants from U of M students that have received funding” below is from NASA.

Below are some handy links: Grant Writing: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/pharmacology.502

NIH: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/oer.htmNSF: http://www.nsf.gov/index.jspNASA: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/grants/grants.htm

http://www.ummu.umich.edu/facilities/groundworks/

http://www.ummu.umich.edu/facilities/groundworks/docsystem/howto/docs/pos

http://surgery-graphics.med.umich.edu/

http://surgery-graphics.med.umich.edu/faq.html

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/pharmacology.502

http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm

http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp

http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/grants/grants.htm


DOD: http://www.asee.org/resources/fellowships/ndseg/Other Grants: http://www.grantsnet.org/

Sample grants from U of M students that have received funding:

Tyler Brown – NRSA (NIH)http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Brown.pdf

Chris Pacheco – NRSA Minority grant (NIH)http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Pacheco.pdfRachel Tittle – NRSA (NIH)

Nicole Westphal – NRSA (NIH)http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Westphal.pdfTim Marzullo – NASAhttp://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Marzullo.pdf

PRELIM EXAM: (knowledge, grant writing, presenting)

After two years in grad school you are given an exam. It is to see if this is foryou – if you are able to do independent research, critically review that research,plan experiments to answer questions about that body of work, then write amock grant to get your research funded and orally present your proposal to asmall group of professors.

The details: You are given a list of 7-10 questions that range the entire spectrum ofneuroscience – from cognitive to development to molecular. You might berestricted from answering a question if it is too close to your research. You have3 days to choose which question you will answer, and two weeks total to dobackground research and write a mock 10 page grant (figures may be includedbut do not count in the10 pages). You may not talk to any professors or otherstudents about anything except basic techniques. After the two weeks, an oral presentation date is scheduled and you getto choose one of the three professors who will be on your prelim committee.The members of the committee read your grant proposal in the next week andthen grill you on it for a couple of hours after you’ve given them a shortpresentation. It is suggested that your presentation be short – perhaps 5-10slides that lasts maybe 15 minutes. The rest of the time will be questions. Thereare students who have prepared presentations of 30 slides and in 2 hours notgotten past slide 1. Some committees are rough. Some are much nicer. Usuallythere is one professor, at least, who really takes you to task about your proposedexperiments. It’s okay not to know everything, but when they challenge youthey want you to think about it. Many of us have stories about realizing afterturning in our written portion or during the oral exam that one of ourexperiments sucks. Many of those same terrified souls have saved themselves inthe orals by catching the mistake and proposing something that might workbetter. This seems to be precisely what they are looking for – that you can think.

At the end you are asked to leave the room, they deliberate, and you either:1. pass.2. are asked to completely redo the exam at a later date (usually a couple

of months later)3. are asked to redo a portion of the exam (usually either the written or

oral sections only, and usually within the next week)Pass rate is about 50-75%, but this varies quite a bit each year. One year only 1person passed outright.

In sum, the exam is hard. It will likely be the hardest exam you will ever take.As it should be – you are at the highest level of academics. But remember, it istesting you in those skills that are essential for a neuroscientist, and the processdoes help you be a better researcher.

Rotations/choosing a lab:

The best thing we can do here is to give you some advice and point outsome good questions to ask. Remember that the lab you finally choose is goingto be the place that you spend a lot of time in the next 4-5 years. If you haveevery worked a job in a lousy work environment you know that it can determineyour happiness. Just keep this in mind when you are rotating and trying todecide where to stay. Some questions to ask:

- Does the lab have room for you?- Does the lab have money? (If not, will you need to have your own

grant to work there?)- What are the expectations of you during a rotation? (Professors get

an email informing them to take it easy on you when your class loadis heavy in the first year when you are rotating. If might help to talkwith them more explicitly if you are concerned.)

- What is the management style of the lab? (This varies greatly fromlab to lab and is responsibly for much unhappiness if the styledoesn’t match your own.)

- What is the PI’s style? Is he/she hands on or hands off?- Is the PI tenured or is he/she as associate professor? If they are

tenured they tend to be more relaxed and hands-off. (This can begood or bad depending on what you’re looking for. Know thyself(or at least figure thyself out).)

The best resource we can give to help you find out about a lab is thefollowing list. It includes all the current students who have rotated or are nowpermanently in each lab. Feel free to contact them directly about theirexperiences. (See the “Who’s Who” section at the end of the handbook forstudent contact info.)

http://www.asee.org/resources/fellowships/ndseg/

http://www.grantsnet.org/

http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Brown.pdf

http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Pacheco.pdf

http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Westphal.pdf

http://www.umich.edu/~neurosci/students/ngso/guide/Marzullo.pdf


Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation/Dissertation List

Faculty Research Interest Lackeys (Rotationand Dissertation)

Dr. Bernard Agranoff,PhD.

[email protected]

Regeneration in the VisualSystem H. Chen

Dr. MohammedAkaaboune, PhD.

[email protected]

Synaptic Development andPlasticity at the

Neuromuscular Junction

S. DellalK. Weiss

E. Bruneau

Dr. Huda Akil [email protected] Brain Endocrine Systems

M. TorregrosaJ. Perez

D. Opland

Dr. Roger Albin [email protected]

Basal Ganglia Structure,Function and Pathology

K. KuszpitG. KingS. Batts

M. HengG. Patino

Dr. J Aldridge [email protected]

Neural Mechanisms ofSensorimotor Behavior

T.W. WangE. Kemmerer

Dr. Richard AltschulerPh.D.

[email protected]

Plasticity in the AuditoryBrain Stem

Dr. Helen BaghdoyanPh.D.

[email protected]

Regulation of Arousal StatesSuch as Sleep and

AnesthesiaE. Kemmerer

Dr. Kate Barald [email protected]

Developmental Biology ofthe Neural Crest; Gene

Expression of the Inner Ear

Dr. John Barks [email protected]

Injury in the DevelopingBrain, Development ofNeuroprotective Drugs

Dr. Scott Barolo [email protected]

Transcriptional Control bySignaling Pathways in the

Developing Nervous SystemDr. Jill Becker [email protected]

Estrogen Effects andRecovery From Injury

Dr. Joshua Berke [email protected]

Neurobiology of Learningand Decision-Making; H. Gritton

Dr. Kent BerridgePh.D.

[email protected]

Affective Neuroscience ofReward and Motivation;

Brain and Behavior

E. KemmererM. Hagenauer

Dr. Seema BhatnagarPh.D.

[email protected]

Neuroendocrine Functionsand Behavior

Dr. Sanford BledsoePh.D.

[email protected]

Neuropharmacology ofPeripheral and Central

Auditory SystemsR. Drake

Dr. Jimo Borjigin [email protected]

Molecular Mechanisms ofCircadian Rhythms

Dr. Robert BradleyPh.D.

[email protected]

Mechanisms of SensoryProcessing in the Gustatory

SystemDr. Julie Broadbent

[email protected]

Contribution of Behaviorand Neuropharmacology to

Drug Addiction

Dr. Margit BurmeisterPh.D.

[email protected]

Mouse and HumanBehavioral Genetics and

Neurogenetics

S. DellalC. Pacheco

J. PerkowskiC. Stoetzner

Dr. Sally Camper [email protected]

Development and Functionof the Neuroendrocrine

SystemDr. Kenneth Casey,

[email protected]

CNS Pathways MediatingPain in Normal andPathologic States

Dr. Jonathan DembPh.D.

[email protected]

Behavior and SynapticMechanisms In

the Early Visual System

K. WeissM. Manookin

Dr. Robert DenverPh.D.

[email protected]

Neuroendocrine Control ofNeural Development

N. WestphalJ. Krupp

Dr. Cunming DuanPh.D.

[email protected]

Role of Insulin-Like GrowthFactors In Development

Dr. Keith Duncan [email protected]

Physiology of Inner EarSensory Hair Cells

Dr. Jose Esteban [email protected]

Synaptic Development andSynaptic Plasticity

T. BrownK. WeissS. Merino

A. LysholmK. Arendt

A. LamM. ManookinB. McKinney

Dr. Eva FeldmanM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

The Role of Growth FactorsIn Neuronal Growth and

DifferentiationDr. Denise Figlewicz

[email protected]

Disorders of Motor Neurons D. Gibson

mailto:[email protected]





























Dr. John Fink [email protected]

Genetics of Neurologic andPsychiatric Disorders;

Regulation of NeuronalCytoskeleton

M. HengC. Walsh

Dr. Stephen FisherPh.D.

[email protected]

Inositol Phospholipids asInterneuronal Signals H. Chen

Dr. Kirk FreyM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

Synaptic NeurochemicalMarkers and Neuroimaging E. Kemmerer

Dr. Margaret GnegyPh.D.

[email protected]

The Role of Calmodulin inIntracelllar Signal

Transduction

J. JedynakH. Brevig

Dr. Daniel GoldmanPh.D.

[email protected]

Molecular Mechanisms ofNerve Regeneration and

Synapse Formation

R. BernardosM. Veldman

A. SiehDr. Kun-Liang Guan

[email protected]

Signal Transduction inGrowth Cones A. Ward

Dr. Peter HitchcockPh.D.

[email protected]

Visual NeuronalRegeneration and

Development

M. OchocinskaM. Veldman

A. SiehDr. Ronald Holz

M.D.,[email protected]

Mechanisms of Exocytosis

Dr. Michael HortschPh.D.

[email protected]

Cell Adhesion Molecules inCNS Development,

Differentiation and Function

Dr. Richard HumePh.D.

[email protected]

Pre- and PostsynapticInteractions During the

Formation andMaintenance of Synaptic

Connections

T. BrownS. LowE. Oh

R. TittleK. ArendtE. BruneauS. Dellal

Dr. Jeffrey HutslerPh.D.

[email protected]

Organization of the CerebralCortex

Dr. Lori Isom [email protected]

Mechanism of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel

Density and Localization inmyelinated Axons

S. LowD. JonesA. Ward

Dr. John Jonides [email protected]

Anatomy and Physiology ofWorking Memory J. Chikar

Dr. Robert KennedyPh.D.

[email protected]

Chemical Detection ofNeurotransmitters

Dr. W King [email protected]

Neurophysiological Studiesof Vestibular Oculomotor

ControlDr. Daryl Kipke Ph.D.

[email protected] Interfaces,

Cortical Probe Development T. Marzullo

Dr. Catherine KrullPh.D.

[email protected]

Developmental MechanismsControlling Cell Migrations

and Axon Guidance

Dr. John Kuwada [email protected]

Molecular Genetics of CNSDevelopment and Function

S. LowT.W. Wang

J.Y. YuE. BruneauB. Johnson

C. Stoetzner

Dr. Theresa Lee [email protected]

Circadianand SeasonalRhythms and the Role of

Gonadal Hormones

J. PerrymanC. Walsh

Dr. Israel LiberzonM.D.

[email protected]

Neurobiology of Stress,Trauma and Functional

Neuroanatomy ofEmotional Responses

J. BrittonK. SudheimerM. Olivadoti

Dr. Andrew LiebermanPh.D.

[email protected]

Trinucleotide RepeatsDisorders; Niemann-Pick C

M. HengC. Pacheco

J. PlaneD. Gibson

Dr. Karley Little [email protected]

Monoamine SynapticTransporters and Altered

Mood and RewardDr. Anatoli Lopatin

[email protected]

Regulation of PotassiumChannels By Polyamines

Dr. Ralph Lydic [email protected]

Cellular and MolecularMechanisms That CauseRespiratory Depression

V. DrewsJ. Torrey

Dr. Stephen MarenPh.D.

[email protected]

Neurobiological Basis ofEmotional Learning and

Memory

T. BrownC. FerrarioJ. BrittonS. Merino

M. HagenauerL. Briand

Dr. Jeffrey MartensPh.D.

[email protected]

The Role of Protein-LipidInteractions in Ion Channel

Targeting and Function




























Dr. Donna MartinM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

Transcription FactorMediated Neuronal

Development

Dr. James Meador-Woodruff M.D.

[email protected]

Chemical Signals BetweenBrain Regions and how it is

Disruptedin Schizophrenia

A.B. SpillsonA. SteffekE. BruneauD. BauerJ. Torrey

Dr. Miriam MeislerPh.D.

[email protected]

Genetics of Sodium andCalcium Channels Expressed

in the Nervous SystemJ. Britton

Dr. Dervla Mellerick-Dressler Ph.D.

[email protected]

Neural Development InDrosophila

Dr. John MiddlebrooksPh.D.

[email protected]

Mechanisms of SoundLocalization

T. MarzulloS. Dellal

E. KemmererJ. ChikarC.C. Lee

Dr. Daniel Mikol [email protected] Myelination

Dr. Hylan Moises [email protected]

Molecular MechanismsUnderlying CalciumChannel Regulation

T. Brown

Dr. Sean MorrisonPh.D.

[email protected]

Role of Stem Cells in theDevelopment of the Nervousand Hematopoietic Systems;

Stem Cell Self-Renewal

K.H. ChungJ.Y. YuE. Oh

A. LysholmDr. Thomas Morrow,

[email protected]

Neural Pathways andMechanisms of Pain and

Somatic SensationDr. Geoffery Murphy

[email protected]

Molecular and CellularSubstrates of Learning and

Memory

J. PerkowskiB. McKinney

Dr. Martin Myers [email protected]

Molecular Mechanisms ofLeptin Action

Dr. Ruthann NicholsPh.D.

[email protected]

Effects of the Absence OrMisexpression of

Neuropeptides

R. KrugerR. Tittle

Dr. Christopher NosratPh.D.

[email protected]

Neurotrophic Factors In theGustatory System and Tooth

Innervation

S. BattsK. Kuszpit

Dr. Bennett NovitchPh.D.

[email protected]

Regulation of ProgenitorCell Proliferation and

Differentiation in the CNSC. Stoetzner

Dr. Mark Opp [email protected]

Stressor-Induced Alterationsin Arousal State M. Olivadoti

Dr. Jack Parent [email protected]

Neural Stem Cells, Plasticityand Regeneration After

Brain Injury;Epileptogenesis

C. FerrarioK.H. ChungT.W. Wang

K. WeissA. Lysholm

J.PlaneS. BattsE. Gula

K. SkaggsH. Huang

Dr. Paresh Patel [email protected]

NeurotransmittersRegulating Mood Disorders S. Dellal

Dr. Bryan Pfingst [email protected]

Perception and Processing ofAuditory Information;Auditory Prostheses(Cochlear Implants)

R. DrakeC.C. LeeJ. Chikar

Dr. Gina Poe [email protected]

Relationship of Sleep ToLearning and Memory

T. BjornessC. WalshH. Gritton

J. PerrymanC. Hart

Dr. Thaddeus PolkPh.D.

[email protected]

FMRI and ComputationalStudies of Cognitive

Architecture

R. DrakeT. Love

Dr. Donald PuroM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

Ion Channels in thePhysiology and

Pathophysiology of GliaDr. Yehoash Raphael

[email protected]

Regeneration in the InnerEar

T. MarzulloE. Kemmerer

S. BattsDr. Pamela Raymond

[email protected]

Patterning of ZebrafishRetina; Retinal Stem Cellsand Retinal Regeneration

R. BernardosJ. Perkowski

Dr. Patricia Reuter-Lorenz Ph.D.

[email protected]

Cognitive Neuroscience ofAttention and Working

Memory

J. BrittonD. Bauer

Dr. Rudy RichardsonScD

[email protected]

Molecular Mechanisms ofNeurodegeneration in

NeurologicalDisorders and Stroke



























Dr. Terry RobinsonPh.D.

[email protected]

Neuropsychopharamacology;The Psychology and the

Neurobiologyof Addiction.

C. FerrarioJ. JedynakL. Briand

D. OplandK. Wakabayashi

Dr. Gabrielle RudenkoPh.D.

[email protected]

The CAM Neurexin and atranscription factor

DeltaFosB

Dr. James Russell [email protected]

Neurotrophin Signaling inNeuronal Apoptosis and

MyelinationA.B. Spillson

Dr. Martin Sarter [email protected]

Regulation and Function ofthe Cortical

Cholinergic Input SystemDr. Jochen Schacht

[email protected]

Auditory Processing;Mechanisms of Drug-Induced Hearing Loss

Dr. Audrey SeasholtzPh.D.

[email protected]

Molecular Mediators of theMammalian Stress Response

N. WestphalJ. PerezA. Chen

K. SkaggsB. McKinney

Dr. Rachael SeidlerPh.D.

[email protected]

Motor Performance, MotorLearning

C. WalshD. Bauer

Dr. Susan Shore [email protected] Auditory Physiology

Dr. Faye SilversteinPh.D.

[email protected]

Neurochemical MechanismsContributing to Pathogenesis

of Perinatal Brain InjuryDr. Edward Stuenkel

[email protected]

Molecular Regulation ofExocytosis At Central

SynapsesA. Lam

Dr. Anand SwaroopPh.D.

[email protected]

Retinal Gene ExpressionDuring Development and

Aging

H. ChenE. Oh

Dr. Robert ThompsonPh.D.

[email protected]

Antidepressant Action andNutritional Regulation

of Reproductive Functions

J. PerkowskiA. Chen

Dr. Kathryn TosneyPh.D.

[email protected]

Navigation of EmbryonicNeurons

Dr. David Turner [email protected]

Molecular Regulation ofVertebrate Neurogenesis

K.H. ChungJ.Y. Yu

K. SkaggsC. Hart

Dr. R TurnerM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

ProgressiveNeurodegenerative Disorders

T. BrownS. Batts

Dr. Tetsufumi UedaPh.D.

[email protected]

Biochemistry and Functionof Synaptic Vesicles

Dr. Michael UhlerPh.D.

[email protected]

Cyclic Nucleotides in theSignal Transduction

Mechanismsthat Mediate Neuronal

Plasticity

S. LowJ. JedynakG. PatinoH. Huang

Dr. Delia VazquezM.D.

[email protected]

Early Life Stress andDevelopment of HPA Axis;

Growth and SerotoninK. Sudheimer

Dr. Michael WangPh.D.

[email protected]

Molecular Basis of NeuronalInjury and Protection

Dr. Stan WatsonM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

Opiate Peptides; Serotonin,Dopamine and OpiateReceptors; Depression

E. Gula

Dr. Gisela WilsonPh.D.

[email protected]

Electrophysiology of K+Channels; Modulation of

LearningK. Arendt

Dr. James Woods [email protected]

Mechanisms of Toleranceand Dependence and Self-Administration of Drugs

S. KennedyM. Torregrosa

D. ScottB. Johnson

K. WakabayashiDr. Elizabeth Young

[email protected]

Negative Feedback in theHPA Axis and Steroid

ModulationDr. Michal Zochowski

[email protected]

Experimental andTheoretical Studies on

Dynamics of Brain FunctionB. Singer

Dr. Jon-Kar ZubietaM.D.,Ph.D.

[email protected]

Functional Brain Imaging inMood Disorders and

Substance Abuse

S. KennedyD. ScottT. Love



























All Things Financial

How am I Paid?The precise method that the Neuroscience program uses to pay us

varies dramatically between students. Some of us will get a standard monthlycheck. Some of us will get large lump sums. A large source of confusion is thechanges that occur in the amount we are paid before, during, and after the yearthat we are GSIs (“Graduate Student Instructors” - U of M’s word for TAs).

A large source of the Neuroscience Program funds for training studentscomes from training grants. The US Government determines how much isreasonable to pay a student and factors that into the amount of money it gives tothe Neuroscience Program (blue bars). Lucky for us the Neuroscience Programbelieves that the US government figure is a little low for the standards of livingin Ann Arbor and for attracting the kind of student that they are interested in.Therefore, through various methods the program supplements the standard grantstipend with a bit of extra money (maroon bars).

During the year that we GSI the Neuroscience program feels as thoughwe are making so much extra money (ivory bars) that supplementing this stipendis overkill. Therefore, you will notice that your check from the neurosciencedecreases in the year that you GSI. The whole year – not just the time duringwhich you are a GSI. This can cause a bit of an unexpected strain for peopleliving on a tight budget. But fear not. The amount of money you make frombeing a GSI far outweighs the payment reduction from Neuroscience. Most ofus make around $5,000 extra in the year that we GSI.

Taxes:If we owe income tax or not on the money that we are paid through theNeuroscience program or our mentor is hotly debated. Depending on whom youask you will get vastly different answers. Many graduate students, faculty, andeven tax lawyers will tell you that money that you earn as a graduate student is


not taxable. The belief that graduate students do not need to pay income tax isoften derived from the fact that no W-2 tax form is usually generated forstudents when they are paid via scholarships and fellowships. Howeveraccording to the IRS income taxes do apply to the money that is paid directly toyou.

The IRS Says: “Pay Me.”According to the IRS publication number 970 entitled “Scholarships,Fellowships, Grants, and Tuition Reductions” depending on what yourscholarship or fellowship is used for determines if it is subject to income tax ornot. If the money is used for “Qualified educational expenses” it is tax-free.This includes tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment that is officiallyrequired (as listed in the syllabus) for our courses but that is all that it includes.If the money is used for non-Qualified education expenses such as rent (roomand board), beer, travel, food, padding your checking account, or anything else itis NOT tax-free.

The W-2 and the Normal 2-Step Process of Collecting Money from theMassesStep 1Normally employers estimate how much money you will be paid over the courseof the year and then withhold some of the money that you earn for the purposeof paying those taxes on your behalf. The W-2 is the form that an employerprovides to the IRS and the employee reporting how much money you were paidand how much is withheld from their paycheck for the purpose of paying taxes.

Step 2At the end of the year, employees use this form in submitting their tax return.This process corrects the amount that is paid to the IRS by subtracting from theamount you should have paid to the IRS depending on what tax deductions orcredits you qualify for. This usually means that the employee gets money back.However, this process also corrects for the amount that is to be paid to the IRSdepending on if you earned any extra money from another source such as a 2nd

job, or interest from a savings account.

This 2-step process seems overly complicated. However, it proves to be anefficient way of operating for the IRS when you compare it to a simpler 1-stepprocess where people would just get paid all of the money they earn and thenpay their taxes at the end of the year. If you did not withhold money beforepeople get their hot little hands on it they tend to spend it all and then they areunable to pay their taxes at the end of the year... and then everyone inWashington D.C. shrivels up and dies.

W-2 Confusion and Paying Graduate Students on the 1-Step ProcessBecause of a strange set of legal precedents regarding tax procedures forscholarships and fellowships the University is not obligated to go through the

whole process of estimating how much you have earned and withholding theappropriate amount. Therefore, none of your income is withheld and no W-2 isreported for you ::wink:: Since no money is withheld from your checks but youstill owe taxes on the money that you are paid… you are on the 1-step processand must be sure to not spend all of your money so that you can pay your taxesat the end of the year and prevent stiff penalties and widespread shriveling inWashington. Grad students here seem to be pretty split in their desire to live onthe edge and tempt fate (not pay taxes in the first two years) and actually begood and safe and responsible (pay). Your GSI money and the funding you getonce you are a candidate have W2’s and taxes are taken out automatically, so allof this applies only to your first two years in the program.

Tax Credits and DeductionsYou may want to check out the Homestead Property Tax Credit:It looks like some of us may qualify:1) if we own our residence2) if we live in a co-op (although the procedure for this seems a little tricky)2) if we have lived in MI for over 6 months3) and it looks like we may need to have a MI driver's license. Maybe.http://www.ci.eaton-rapids.mi.us/documents/assess_miguidehomeexemp.pdf

Other Potential Ways to Get Money (Maybe)

GrantsFor many years there has been a suggestion to the faculty to reward studentgrants by offering them either a one-time or annual $5000 bonus after they areawarded a grant. Makes sense because they no longer have to pay for you withtheir money, saving them $20,000 per year. This is not policy, however, so ifyour boss does grant you this, consider yourself lucky. You might also want tosit down with your PI before writing the grant to see if they subscribe to thisidea. Up to you.

GradingThere are options to be a grader for a course. You sit and proctor exams often,and then grade them. You get a bit of cash for doing this. Keep your eyes openfor these announcements via email.

GSI (again)It is possible to GSI for more than one term. You would have to work out thefinancial repercussions of this with your PI.

Other than these options, you are not technically allowed to hold any other jobduring grad school.

http://www.ci.eaton-rapids.mi.us/documents/assess_miguidehomeexemp.pdf


How to Enjoy Ann Arbor

WHERE TO LIVE

In general: Within walking distance of campus in every direction the living areasare saturated mostly with undergrads. This means that they are often noisy, andthe places tend to be dirtier with smaller spaces (closets are converted intorooms to pack as many people into the house as possible). There are manynotable exceptions, but this is the general rule. Outside of that ring are very niceresidential areas in every direction. These tend to give you more (and cleaner)space and are often cheaper, and definitely quieter. The problem istransportation. Parking on campus is a nightmare. And the parking cops arenasty – if you park in a tow zone you will be towed. Immediately. So mostpeople who live farther afield either use the buses (see “getting around AnnArbor”) or drive to commuter lots dotted all around and take the free shuttles in.Wherever you live expect to spend between $450-800.

North Campus A good option if you’re over in the med center area (chances are yourlab will be). Problem is that it’s a bit tougher to find a place that’s walkingdistance from State St./downtown. There are a few coveted places near thecorner of Fuller and Huron (like the place above Damato’s) that are perfect, andthere are the Island Drive Apartments which are about a 10 minute walk fromthe neuroscience office. Island Drive can be pricey, though – approx. $800 for a1 bdrm. (utilities inc). Some other smaller and cheaper apartment complexes area bit further away on Plymouth, putting you about a 30 minute walk from theneuroscience office. Any other place north of campus will be in a niceresidential area but will require a bus (at least in the winter). The same can besaid about residential areas south of downtown towards the stadium (“The BigHouse”).

“Greek” Town (South U area, South and East of campus) This is the part of campus that houses most of the sororities andfraternities. It is often noisy, but has a lot of energy and is in a great location. S.University is the undergrad’s main drag – cheap eats, cheesy bars, some funkyshops. A good place to find a large house to share with many people. Butconsider yourselves warned.

Kerrytown (NorthWest of downtown) Just as State Street is a toned-down S. University Street, so Kerrytownis a toned down version of “Greek” town on the other side of campus. Ingeneral, as you move West in this area you get places that are quieter with fewerundergrads. The houses also get nicer, in general. Be careful about renting aplace site-unseen in the region directly north of campus as many are nice homesthat have been chopped up to pack as many people in as possible and can bepretty grungy.


Downtown (West of campus) Great if you like living in the middle of it all. Places are few and farbetween. Good luck.

Co-ops Co-ops are dotted around campus and provide a good place to live andeat if you’re into the communal thing. It is easy to get your own room with foodincluded for less than $700. There is a range of dining options andgrad/undergrad ratios. These seem like good places to start out since they oftenoffer short leases – then you can get the lay of the land and figure out where tolive more permanently. Pretty much every other place in Ann Arbor requires a1-year lease. To peruse the coops and locations, check them out onlinehttp://www.icc.coop/ and see the map in the middle of the handbook on whichwe’ve put the north campus co-op, which has a relatively large grad student mix.

Student Housing There are a few student housing complexes that are grad studentfriendly on campus. The location is great, but they seem to be like undergraddorms without the great social atmosphere. Seem to be okay for the first year,though. Might want to ask Holly, Christine and Ed about their experiences.Wolverine Towers is marked on the map.

Ypsi Ann Arbor’s neighboring city. Although there’s a smooth transitionbetween the two cities, Ypsilanti is much poorer and more working class.Housing is much cheaper than Ann Arbor. But then you’re not in Ann Arbor.And while Ypsi does have some interesting areas (i.e. Depot Town), mostpeople in the grad programs hang out in Ann Arbor. You will either need to livenear a bus line or have a car to drive to a commuter lot.

Should I buy a House? Why not? If you’ve got money for a down payment and you’re goingto be here for 5 years or more it seems like a good idea. A number of students inthe program have done this, or have relatives who have done it for them, so itwould be good to talk with them before forging ahead. You’re home willprobably be in the residential areas outside of the ring of walking distancehomes – these require you to have a car or take the bus (in the winter, at least),but the neighborhoods in general are fabulous in Ann Arbor: safe, clean andwith many parks. Some good folk to talk to about this: Mary Heng, Chris Pacheco, Nicole Westphal

GETTING AROUND ANN ARBOR

Commuter Shuttles/ Campus Buses Free shuttles from all commuter lots around campus and betweencentral and north campuses. Drops you off right in front of the North CampusMedia Union if you’re going to print out a poster there. Run every 10 minutesor so throughout the day and late into the night.

AATAFor an online version of this same map and info. about AATA:http://www.theride.org/SelectBidRideGuide.asp

http://www.icc.coop/

http://www.theride.org/SelectBidRideGuide.asp


The Link(ride free with your Mcard)

After Hours Transportation(Great cheap/free after-hours rides. Put the Yellow Cab phone number in yourcell phone. Be aware, though, that people have reported sometimes waiting upto 45 minutes for the after hour taxi services.)

State Street RideFree after-hours taxi service from any UM building to the South State Street

Commuter (Park and Ride) lot after buses have concluded daily service.To request a ride, phone Yellow Cab directly at 663-3355. The service isavailable Monday through Friday from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Night Ride (Ann Arbor Transportation Authority)Shared-ride taxi service within Ann Arbor (when fixed-route AATA bus service

is not available) seven days a week, Monday through Friday, 11 pm to 6am and Saturday and Sunday, 7 pm to 7:30 am. Fee is $3 per person. Call(734)528-5432 to request a trip. Available on all major Holidays.

Ride HomeFree shared-ride taxi service for students, faculty and staff to their residence

hall, parked vehicle or local residence. This service is available afterUniversity transit buses and shuttles have concluded daily service: from 2a.m. through 7 a.m., Monday night through Friday night only. On CentralCampus, rides are available from the Shapiro Undergraduate Library. Torequest a ride, phone Yellow Cab directly at 663-3355 on a phoneprovided by the Library. On North Campus, rides are available from theDuderstadt Center, where the staff books the trips for the passengers

To/From Detroit Airport

Taxis between Ann Arbor and Detroit are expensive (~$40). The best way toget there is to bum a ride off of a friend. If you have the foresight to call early,the shuttle is a good option, too.

Airport ShuttleAnn Arbor Airport Shuttle Express(394-1665)$22 ($32 for two)Must call in advance for reservation.


WHERE TO EAT (and when)

DisclosureAlright, it has to be said: in general the food in Ann Arbor ain’t that good and isway overpriced. Having said that, there are some pretty decent places out there.We have compiled an abridged list of restaurants in Ann Arbor and thesurrounding areas. The descriptions of some restaurants include specificsuggestions on what to order; they will not let you down. Aside from the shortlist of places that are on the map in the middle of the handbook, most restaurantsare listed by general location but purposely lack specific addresses and phonenumbers – go out and find them, ask fellow students, consult the internet.Explore Ann Arbor. Make it your own. Buen Provecho!

*** highly recommended, $ - cheap, $$ - reasonable, $$$ - expensive,$$$$ - outrageous

SOUTH UNIVERSITY

Red Hot Lovers ($$) ***Historically speaking, I could take or leave hot dogs, but I can’t getenough of Red Hot Lovers. This place is one of the best hot dog placesin the universe. Try the Coney Dog and the Chicago Dog, and then anangioplasty for dessert.

China Gate ($$)Most people rank this as the best Chinese in town. I haven’t developeda discriminating taste for Chinese food, but it never ceases to amaze mehow my whole meal can be prepared, boxed, and bagged within 5minutes of ordering.

Sadako ($$)Just opened in Fall of 2004. Great sushi. Great location. Greatservice. It’s my new favorite sushi restaurant.

Maize n Blue ($$)Some of the sandwiches have a fried egg and green peppers on them.It’s surprisingly good.

Rendezvous/Oasis ($) Get the falafel. Cheap.Dominicks ($$)

Dominick’s is a summer phenomenon. It’s only open during thesummer, and people flock to it. Much of its seating is outdoors.People seem to love the horrible sangria - I recommend instead the“Constant Buzz”. It’s kind of like a strawberry daiquiri. The food ain’tthat good, but it tastes much better after a couple of hours of drinks.

Panchero’s ($)Serves big fat burritos. It’s open late and right next to all of the SouthU. bars.

Amer’s ($$)A deli with enough sandwich choices to make you sick of reading.

MEDICAL CAMPUS

There is a paucity of choices for medical campus eating establishments. Mostpeople find themselves rotating amongst the first 4 places below.

Angelo’s / Angelo’s On The Side ($$)A staple eatery for those with labs on the medical campus. On TheSide serves everything that Angelo’s serves without the usually longerwait and table service. Ordering the homemade bread sliced thinmakes the sandwiches a little more manageable to eat. The reubensrival those of Zingerman’s.

Leonardo’s ($)When you get sick of Angelo’s, go get a balsamic turkey sub fromLeonardo’s.

Wendy’s / Hospital Café ($$)You’ve got some options at the café, most of which make you realizehow the new cardiovascular building is being funded.

J.J.’s ($)Get the Beach Club, the Vito with extra Italian sauce or the ItalianNight Club all on French bread.

MHRI Café ($)It’s like an exclusive country club, only open to those that are affiliatedwith the MHRI and to their guests. The food is always home cooked.There is always a main entrée and 1 or 2 types of soup available.

Casey’s Tavern ($$)A good quality bar/restaurant with good prices. Slightly out of theway, but worth it.

Gandy Dancer ($$$$)People say that the seafood entrees are excellent, however I’ve neverhad them. I can recommend to NOT go there for Sunday brunch.

STATE ST.

Pot Belly ($) ***Get the Wreck or the Italian. There is something I just love about thesesandwiches. I think it’s the price and probably also has something todo with the dressing.

For when you need that Latino taste on your lips.Zanzibar ($$$) ***

The place to go before shows at Hill Aud. Excellent food and greatservice – that you pay for.


Amer’s ($$) A menu with all of the permutations.Redhawk ($$$)

Good food. I think they make the menu and drinks a little pricey tolimit the number of student customers and appeal to a slightly moremature crowd.

Ashley’s ($$) A staple student watering hole.NYPD (NY Pizza Depot) ($$)

It get’s my vote as second best pizza place in A2.Cosi ($$$) Get the signature salad.Greek Diner ($$) Need I say more?Buffalo Wild Wings ($$)

If it’s typically a food that is fried, you’ll find it at BW3’s. It’s gotlocation, sports and trivia going for it. Look out for Bobo in trivia, he’sa quiet killer. Great place for a group.

Noodles and Company ($)Americanized noodles. Decent noodles for reasonably cheap. Extrasadd up quickly.

CROSSROADS: (downtown in the grid of streets between Main and State)

Madras Masala ($$) ***Indian again. Great food and really reasonable prices.

Arena ($$) *** Best buffalo wings in town, hands down.Jerusalem Garden ($) *** One of the few truly good, cheap eats places in Ann Arbor.Totoro ($$) Good sushi. Good location.Shalimar ($$) Indian food. Good stuff. Classy décor.Blue Nile ($$)

Ethiopian food. It’s a cool experience and very vegetarian friendly.Eat all you can eat (with your hands) for $10-12. Try the Honey Wine.

Seva ($$)Built for vegetarians. Good for dinner just before going to the Improvdownstairs.

Raja Rani ($$)Indian. I’ve never been. So, I’d probably try it if Madras Masala andShalimar were both packed to the max.

TK WU ($$)Good lunch specials and mostly Chinese clientele in the evenings – agood sign.

KERRY TOWN

Eve ($$$$) ***The best food I’ve had in Michigan was at Eve. Get the beeftenderloin, definitely. The fish also gets high ratings from a trustedfood critic friend of mine. I’m sure that everything else on the menu isheld to the same standard. Eve has a chic NYC feel to it. Be sure tobring your wallet and don’t forget to hit the ATM beforehand.

Farmer’s Market ($) ***Find all sorts of fresh food, baked goodies, flowers, honey and such inthe warmer months. Great place to browse. Is open every Saturdaymorning until noon-ish. The market next door is also good, with a cutecafé serving great quiche next to it.

Zingermans Deli/Bakery/Creamery etc. ($$$)You have to go at least once. Be sure to ask a lot of questions and for ataste of anything. The employees are trained to provide 5 star servicewith a smile. Try the reuben. Everything is good. More of a familyatmosphere, which is a nice change.

Pelagos ($$)Greek food. Cool ambiance. Nice outdoor seating when the weathercooperates. Try the Greek beer. Wonderful happy hour specials.

Mysore Woodlands ($$)Vegetarian take-out Indian food sold at a little nook near the farmer’smarket. Some dishes are excellent, others are okay.

People’s Food Coop ($$)Organic grocery store. Attached café with a lunch bar. Great for avery healthy, very homey lunch.

MAIN ST.

Soup du Jour ($$) ***There is not a bad thing on the menu. Everything is homemade. Thisplace is so good that it is only open during lunch hours on weekdays.Every day of the week has a different selection of available soups. Trythe French onion during the winter months.

Grizzly Peak ($$$) ***The Peak is unique. It brews its own beer and sells it in house or inmini kegs for home consumption. Eating anything from the menu willturn that frown upside down. Try the beer samplers.

Palio ($$$)Good Italian food. Reasonably price. Eat for free on your birthday.

D’Amato’s ($$$$) Italian again. Wait for the parents to visit and have them pay.Prickly Pear ($$)

Another unique place. Southwestern style food. Wonderful Margaritas.You’ve got to try the place at least once.


Sabor Latino ($$) Used to have a great mole sauce…Conor O’Neill’s ($$)

Get the Irish Breakfast. The only thing they forgot is the baked beans.Café Zola ($$)

They make a serious omelet, and a serious anything for that matter.Dinner is great also.

Daniel’s on Liberty ($$$$)This place apparently only serves to the general public on Saturdaysfrom 5-9pm or something like that. The rest of the time they cater toprivate parties. There are no prices on the menu, so you know what thatmeans.

Café Felix ($$)A chill place to meet up with a friend, have a date, read and do work,etc. The servings are mostly appetizer/tapas portions. They make amean margarita on the rocks.

Kai Garden ($$)In my opinion the best Chinese restaurant in town. Try the Moo Shu.

Broken Egg ($$)Go there for Sunday breakfast/brunch. Demand that you only be seatedoutside and soak in the sun while it’s still shining.

PACKARD & STATE ST. INTERSECTION

Atlanta Bread Company ($$) Get the onion soup.Mr. Spots ($$)

They will fry just about anything. I think chicken-fried grease isactually on the menu.

Big Ten Burrito ($) They serve, get this, burritos. Good and cheap.

NORTH CAMPUS

North Campus is a relatively desolate culinary place.

Saica ($$) ***Sushi for those who live on North Campus or god forbid have a classon North Campus. The Rainbow Roll is amazing.

Zoup ($) I can’t remember what this place serves? Near the Plymouth Kroger’s.Northside Grill ($)

On the East side of the Broadway bridge. Go there for breakfast on theweekends.

New Star ($) Chinese food for the North Campusers.Café Marie ($) Another diner-type place.

A2 other: in Ann Arbor but ouside of the areas above

Anthony’s ($$$) ***Best pizza in Ann Arbor. It’s located in the same shopping center asthe Kroger’s on Packard in the Georgetown area. Get the gourmet withgreen peppers, onions, and sausage.

Big Ten Market ($$$) ***For all of your yuppie needs: deli meat, cheese, wine, beer and finefoods. On Packard, across the street from Frasier’s. Ask forsuggestions. Ask for a taste. Get the cappuccino. Most especially donot leave without the prosciutto di parma and parmigiano-reggiano.

Lotus Thai ($$) ***Best thai food in town. Try the panang curry.

Senor Lopez ($$) A new, seemingly authentic Mexican restaurant on W. Stadium.Bev’s Caribbean Kitchen ($$)

Make sure to talk with Bev while waiting for your food. Every’ting isari’.

Bell’s Diner ($$)I can’t remember the actual name of the place, but it’s a Korean dineron W. Stadium. Get the Bee Bim Bob.

Cub’s A.C. ($$)Bowling alley bars always have great hamburgers. Don’t forget theGolden Tee.

Benny’s Diner ($) It’s close to the bowling alley and Cub’s AC.Frasier’s ($$)

A great, low key local bar that will satisfy your appetite for food anddrink and Golden Tee.

Big City Small World Café ($)The choco custard will keep you coming back for more. They’ve alsogot fresh baked goods of all kinds. Check it out. It’s a yellow buildingon the corner on the West Side of town.

Knight’s Butcher Shop ($$$)Knight’s is a steakhouse located out toward/on Jackson Rd. It’s ok, butI’m an extremely tough critic on steak. Knight’s has its own butchershop that is open to the public, right across the street from Big CitySmall World Café.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse ($$$$)Best onion rings ever, great wild mushroom soup. Excellent, qualityingredients. Seriously pricey.


Godaiko ($$)In the same plaza as Outback. For large party’s they have separateJapanese-style seating areas. I have yet to make it to that seating area,but I can’t wait. Every day of the week there is some sort of specialthat you can get two for one of. This doesn’t work if you’re taking itout, so don’t even try it. Cheapskate. A good Asian market next door.

YotsubiLocated near Washtenaw and Carpenter. Best sushi around accordingto Bret, a former Neuroscience dropout.

YPSI/OTHER

Ya Ya’s ($$) ***Herb-infused roasted chicken, salad with homemade dressing, pitabread with honey butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans.Who’s hungry?

Bennie’s Broasted Chicken ($$) ***Broasted is not a cross between broiled and roasted. It means friedunder high pressure to lock in juices. Get the chicken, potatoes and anyof the side dishes. If you don’t know already, you’ll learn what theword “hankering” means.

Tuptim ($$) ***Try the whitefish dishes, any of the specials and the ‘mango sticky rice’for dessert.

Common Grill ($$$$)It’s in Chelsea. You’ll spend a pretty penny, but you’ll go home happy– just wait till the buzz wears off. Maybe catch a play at the PurpleRose Theater, owned by Jeff Daniels, before or after dinner.

La FiestaSome Mexican place that is right next door to a strip club or porn storeor something like that. Someone recommended that it was goodenough to make the list.

Side TracksPeople comment on the fried pickles.

Smokehouse Blues BBQ ($$)There aren’t many BBQ choices in town. This will satisfy the craving.

COFFEE

Sweetwater Café ($$)Good place to study – bright, somewhat expensive with good tea anddessert. Slightly older crowd than the other cafes.

Starbuck’s ($$)Alright, it’s mainstream. But the one on sState St. has a fireplace and adownstairs area. Good place for studying.

PFC Café ($$)Attached to the People’s Food Coop in Kerrytown. Liberal, organic,activist crowd. All fair trade coffee.

Café Ambrosia ($$) Small, but a good, funky feel to it.ERC (Espresso Royale Café) ($$) Multiple locations. FREE WIRELESS at State St., but crowded there.Zingerman’s Café ($$$)

Alright, it’s expensive. But it has good stuff and the clientele actuallyincludes children. A novel sight on a college campus.

Crazy Wisdom Tea House ($$)A cozy little place above the bookstore. Very comfortable and funkierthan all the other cafes with occasional live music.

HAPPY HOUR ANN ARBOR

The Arena 203 E. Washington (corner of 4th); 222-9999 Mon.: $2 draft beers all day.

Tue-Fri: 4pm-7pm $3 drafts & $3 well drinks. Great place to watchsports. Has 4 large TV screens and 14 satellite TVs.

The Earle 121 W. Washington St.; 994-0211Everyday of the week from 5-8pm 20% off drinks and wine excludingbottles, and from 5-6:30pm $2.50 bowl of mussels with the purchase ofa full price drink. Great mussels if you’re into bivalves!

Good Time Charley’s 1140 S. University Ave.; 668-8411 Everyday of the week from 9pm-close $2.35 on 23oz. beers.

11pm-close $2.50 Margaritas, $3.50 Long Islands, $1.60 pints and$3.75 Pitchers. Very tasty margaritas but not as strong as their longislands!

Grizzly Peak 120 W. Washington St.; 741-7325Everyday of the week from 4-6pm $1 off alcoholic drinks and $1 offappetizers. Known for great beer brewed on site. Food is good andaveragely priced.

Arbor Brewing Company (ABC) 116 E. Washington St.Tues-Fri 4-7pm and Sat. 9pm-close: selected beers for $2.50 and $1well drinks. Try their stout float! Not on the menu. What bettercombination for one that likes both ice cream and beer? Delicious!

Heidelberg On N. Main close to Khana KazanaHappy Hour offers free nachos and fries.

Pelagos Kerrytown (next to farmer’s market) 303 Detroit St.; 213-9100My all time favorite place! 4:30-6:30 Happy Hour. A Greek restaurantoffering half-off all appetizers and alcohol. By 6:30 you think you’veeaten and drank at least $40 worth, and the best part is that the bill is atleast half that. Try the fried Halloumi cheese.


GETTIN SOME (CULTURE)

Current MagazineThis is an excellent monthly guide to Ann Arbor entertainment, with a calendarthat lists the events that are happening on each day with brief descriptions ofeach. A similar magazine that includes Detroit (zoos, museums, Tiger’s andPiston’s games) is the Metro-Times. You can pick either up for free in many ofthe coffee houses in town (e.g. Amer’s on State St.). If a group, poet, writer orperformer is touring across country, chances are they will stop in Ann Arbor. Soif you’re into it, keep your eyes out for some fabulous shows that you might notexpect to come to a town as small as this. Finally, you can find some goodnightlife ideas online: http://www.arborweb.com/

Ann Arbor Museum – good little museum on campus. All but thelarger traveling exhibits are free.

Movies – Quality16 and Showcase are the big commercial movietheaters in Ann Arbor, and the State and Michigan are wonderful old theatersthat tend to play more independent and foreign films. The village theater offersmainstream second run films for $2.50, and if you look a bit you can find manyfree films on campus (e.g. Japanese Foreign Film Series).

Performances – University Musical Society. Every year the UMSsponsors performances in A2. For 1 day in the Fall and 1 day in the Winter thereis a 1/2 off ticket sale for students on a first come, first serve basis. Get thereearly. Student tickets can also be purchased for half-price on the day of theperformance at the Michigan League on N. University. A marquee at The PowerCenter lists upcoming events, and you’ll get a magazine in the mail, too. Thereare some fabulous performances. www.ums.org

Folk music – The Ark is a fabulous tiny venue to see some greatperformances. It has a lot of history so draws some big names to its tinyinterior. The Folk Festival benefits this place each year and has featured suchfolk as The Indigo Girls, Ani Difranco and Taj Mahal in recent years. Anotherpopular venue is the Blind Pig.

Poetry Slam – downstairs at the Heidelburg on some Thursday nights.Local slam artists and occasional guest appearances from well-known poets.

Comedy Clubs – a few in town. Improv at “Improv. Inferno”, and acomedy club underneath Seva on Liberty.

Jazz music – The Firefly is a nice little hole in the wall. GoodnightGracie’s is also a good spot to get some music ranging from jazz to techno.

Special Annual Events: Ann Arbor Blues Festival – August. All over downtown. Ann Arbor Folk Festival – late January. At Hill Auditorium. Ann Arbor Art Festival – Spring. You won’t be able to miss it. Top of the Park – Spring/Summer. On the Power Center garage.

Oktoberfest – September. Go figure.

WHERE TO PLAY

CCRB (Central Campus Rec. Bldg.)NCRB (North Campus Rec. Bldg.)IMSB (Intramural Sports Bldg.)

These are the places on campus where people congregate to workout (see map incenter of handbook). They all have weight rooms, pools, racquetball courts,basketball courts, indoor tracks (except IMSB) and cardio exercise equipment.Some are better than others for each of these (for example the IM building hasthe best and least crowded weight facility, while its pool is smaller than CCRBand NCRB). Just check them all out to compare. CCRB also has workoutclasses and many clubs meet there (e.g. the Tae Kwon Do club).For information on pool hours, building hours, programs, IMs and club sports:http://www.recsports.umich.edu/facilities/bldghours.html

IMs - these are big at Michigan. There is a well-organized program,but you need to sign a team up early to get involved. The most common IMs arelisted below by season:Fall: One-day track meet, flag football, soccer, wallyballWinter: One-day swim meet, basketball, innertube waterpolo, mini soccer,

broomball, volleyball, quizbowlSpring/Summer: Softball

Pool/Billiards in the Student Union – pool here is relatively cheapand the pool hall is very big and very nice. All tables were resurfaced recentlyand cues are new. Monday night is ladie’s night ($1/hour).

Msalsa (The Union) – a really well-established salsa teachingprogram. You start in lower levels and when you are proficient you test up tohigher levels to learn more. Really well done and very popular. Monday nightsall through the year.

Other dance classes (The Union) – tango, ballroom dance, swingclasses are also taught. Not as well organized as Msalsa, but all are very good.

Cycling – Huron River Drive (top left of the map a couple pages back)is the main artery to a multitude of long rides. It is about 10 miles to Dexter, asmall and cute little town with a café and bakery, and rides branch off fromthere. For mountain biking, start at the Potawatomie Trail in Pinckney (See“Outdoors in and Around Ann Arbor”).

Triathlons – A number of folk in the neuroscience program do acouple of mini-triathlons a year. A good short one to start with is the SylvaniaTriathlon in August. Ask Chris, John, Mary or Emile for details. OtherMichigan triathlons: http://www.trifind.net/nf/mi.html

Runs – The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run in the Spring is a great race alongHuron River Drive. Beautiful scenery and a ton of people. Food and a fair atthe end. 5K, 10K and half-marathon. All Michigan races:http://www.runningintheusa.com/ShowLinks.asp?LinkType=race&State=MI

http://www.arborweb.com/

http://www.ums.org

http://www.recsports.umich.edu/facilities/bldghours.html

http://www.trifind.net/nf/mi.html

http://www.runningintheusa.com/ShowLinks.asp?LinkType=race&State=MI


OUTDOORS IN AND AROUND ANN ARBOR

In Ann Arbor:

The ArbThe Nichols Arboreteum is an excellent place to take a walk, jog, play frisbee,enjoy a nice view of the Huron River, and relax. It is a big nature area thatbelongs to the University of Michigan and has a gravel path winding through itas well as many trails. This is a good place to hike in the woods if you’re scaredof getting lost or hiking alone because if you hike in one direction for longenough you’ll end up at a road or an entrance or the fence. There are fourentrances: one by the hospital, one on Geddes Road just past Observatory, oneon Washington Heights near Mary Markley dorm, and one near Fuller Roadbehind the Huron Towers apartment buildings. No bikes allowed.

Gallup ParkGallup Park is connected to the Arb by the Mitchell-Gallup mile, which is apaved trail. It is a good place to picnic, rollerblade or bike, jog, take kids to theplayground, and rent a canoe or paddleboat. There are numerous picnic sheltersand benches. It has excellent views of the Huron River. The main entrance isoff of Fuller Road.See http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/CommunityServices/Parks/ for moreinformation and maps of all of the Ann Arbor Parks.

Bird HillsBird Hills is the biggest Ann Arbor city park. It is basically a big wooded areawith trails and it’s a popular spot to take dogs and let them run around but it isnever crowded. There are entrances off of Sunset and Newport roads as well asoff of Bird Road, which is off of Huron River Drive. No bikes allowed. Seeabove link for a map.

Argo ParkArgo Park is a good place to rent a canoe if you want to take a leisurely 2-3 hourcanoe trip on the Huron River (ending up at Gallup park, where they will driveyou back to your car at Argo). There’s also a bridge that (mostly drunk) peoplejump off of for fun if you ever feel like jumping off of a bridge. Casualty rate isapproximately 50% for said activity.

Skip’s Canoe LiverySkip’s is an independent canoe livery that will rent you canoes or kayaks for 1-6hour trips on the Huron. They are located near the entrance to Delhi Park (seeabove link for map). Call Skip’s at 769-8686 for more info. They require a cashdeposit so don’t forget to bring real money with you.

Brown Park Disc Golf courseBrown Park is the closest place in town to play disc golf located on StoneSchool Rd. in between Packard and I-94 (see above link for map). There are 18holes of wooded and fairly flat but fun terrain. There is no disc rental there so ifyou don’t have a disc, go look in the woods until you find one that someone elselost or go to In Flight on State St. and Washington downtown and buy a disc forabout $7. If you have more time, go play at Hudson Mills.

Hudson Mills Disc Golf courseHudson Mills is one of the best disc golfing courses in the U.S. There are 2separate 27-hole courses. There is a concession area and disc rental available. Itis located on North Territorial Road, about 30 minutes from downtown. To getthere, take Main St. north until just before you get to the freeway, turn right ontoHuron River Dr, take this several miles until you reach N Territorial. Turn rightonto N Territorial and Hudson Mills is on your left. You could get there bytaking US-23 north but then you’d miss out on all of the beautiful views of theHuron River along Huron River Drive.Hudson Mills is also a popular rollerblading and biking spot with nice pavedtrails. They also have sweet fireworks for the 4th of July.

Planet Rock Climbing GymPlanet Rock is the only place in Ann Arbor to rock climb indoors.http://www.planet-rock.com for more info. If you want to rock climb outdoors,Grand Ledge is the coolest, closest place. Check outhttp://www.recsports.umich.edu/outdooradv/ for some U of M climbing trips.

Wilderness ArcheryWilderness Archery is an indoor archery range with bow rental (old-schoolbows too). They are located at 297 N Maple Rd. near Jackson Road. Call (734)913-6283 for more info or to find out about outdoor archery in the area.

Within 1 hour drive from Ann Arbor:

Pinckney Recreation Area (1 on map)Pinckney is the place to go if you want to mountain bike or hike or to campsomewhere close to Ann Arbor. There are 1,2,3,5, and 17 mile loop trails thatare quite hilly at times and wind around some nice little lakes. Check outhttp://www.michigan.gov/dnr for maps and information. A $4 daily pass or $20yearly pass is required for admission. It takes about 35 minutes to get therefrom downtown Ann Arbor. To get there, follow the directions to Hudson Mills(above) but keep going 1 mile past Hudson Mills and turn right onto Dexter-Townhall Road. The entrance will be on your right. There are twocampgrounds (one modern, one rustic for tent camping) and a few hike-in tentsites for camping.

http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/CommunityServices/Parks/

http://www.planet-rock.com

http://www.recsports.umich.edu/outdooradv/

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr


Waterloo Recreation Area (2 on map)Waterloo is another great place to hike and camp without having to face off withmountain bikers. It’s a few miles past Pinckney on North Territorial and M-52.See the DNR link above for a map. Watch out for hunters in the fall and winter.

Mount Brighton (3 on map)Mount Brighton is a fun place to go skiing or snowboarding if you are justlooking for a few hours’ entertainment and not any serious skiing or riding. Ifyou are a fast skier you will probably beat the chair lift back down to the bottomof the hill. They have cheap night lift tickets (10 PM to 2 AM) and the bar isopen. See http://www.mtbrighton.com/ for more info.

Mill Pond (Dog) ParkThis is a city park with a large fenced area specifically for off-leash dog playand a lovely river running through it. It is about 15-20 minutes from downtownAnn Arbor. To get there, take Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. (which is called Main St.in downtown Ann Arbor) south towards Saline. Turn right onto W. Bennett Rd.The park entrance is where Bennett Rd. dead-ends at the river.http://www.netwalk.com/~laserlab/saline.html

Within 3 hour drive from Ann Arbor:

Mount Holly (4 on map) and Alpine Valley (5 on map)These are two other ski mountains with better trails and more terrain. Check outhttp://www.onthesnow.com/MI/273/ and http://www.skialpinevalley.com/ formore info. You can actually do some serious skiing at these places and theyhave good discounts sometimes. For example, on Tuesdays at Mount Holly, lifttickets are 2 for the price of 1.

Hartwick Pines State ParkNorth and South Higgins Lake State Park

Warren Dunes State ParkLudington State ParkMuskegon State Park

These are some of the best state parks to camp at with hiking trails and lakes toswim in. FYI, Warren Dunes doesn’t allow alcohol in the campground, therangers are sneaky and will make you pour it out like you’re a highschooler.Check out http://www.michigan.gov/dnr for more information. A $4 daily or$20 yearly vehicle pass is required but camping is cheap.

Nordhouse Duneshttp://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pages/hiking_manistee.htmNordhouse Dunes Wilderness is amazing. You should go there.

Here is why you should go there:- Lake Michigan is awesome and clean and nice to look at and swim in- There are miles of secluded sandy white beaches- 140 foot tall sand dunes- The forest backs up to the beach so you can pitch your tent in the woods or onthe beach- There are already fire rings to light fires in- There will be plenty of dry firewood- You only have to hike a mile (on a really nice well-marked trail) from your carto get to beautiful isolated wilderness- There are usually not many people there but there will probably be peoplewithin a mile or two in case of emergency- There are no annoying park rangers (except sometimes in the parking lot) orrandom rulesHere’s how to get there: (The dunes are between Ludington and Manistee)Take US-23 N to I-96 W.Merge onto US-31 N toward Ludington.Turn W on Lake Michigan Recreation Road (FR 5629)Drive for about 3 milesTurn S on QuarterlineDrive for about a mile to Nurnberg Rd.Turn W on Nurnberg Rd.Drive about 6 miles to the small parking area.Pay the parking fee (3 or 4 dollars) or the ranger will give you a ticket.There are two trails leading from the parking lot. To get to the beach, take thetrail that heads west (it will be on your left if you are facing the map at the backof the parking lot). The beach is about one mile from the parking lot.

Weekend places (more than 3 hours away but worth it):

North Manitou IslandNorth Manitou Island is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeShore. It takes 4 hours to get there (plus an hour boat ride to theisland). If you're looking for near-total seclusion and hills andawesome Lake Michigan views and a more extreme backcountryexperience, this place is perfect. You could drive up Friday night,camp on the mainland (there are backcountry sites 1 or 2.5 miles fromcar in Sleeping Bear Dunes, or car-camping sites), take the boat over onSaturday morning, hike around the island (~20 miles I think), campthere that night, take the boat back Sunday afternoon and be homeSunday night...it may seem like a lot of traveling for a littlebackpacking but it's worth it… you'll see more snakes than people.http://www.nps.gov

http://www.mtbrighton.com/

http://www.netwalk.com/~laserlab/saline.html

http://www.onthesnow.com/MI/273/

http://www.skialpinevalley.com/


http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pages/hiking_manistee.htm

http://www.nps.gov


Bruce Peninsula National Park (Canada)A little further but also worth it is Bruce Peninsula National Park between LakeHuron and the Georgian Bay. Very pure and rugged- you'd think you weresomewhere way more exotic than Ontario. The chunk of park closest toTobermory, ON that's across from the Georgian Islands is the spot to camp-there's a sweet trail along the cliffs on the shore (the only trail right along theshore) with a backcountry camping spot (basically a fire ring) about 6 miles inand another one a little further. If it's too far to drive all at once the PineryProvincial park is the place to stop and camp for a night along the way. It's car-camping, but the beach on Lake Huron is nice.

Huron and Manistee National ForestsIf you're a free spirit and don’t want to have to camp in the state and nationalparks sites then check out: http://www.fs.fed.us/ and look at the Huron -Manistee area for lots of good trails and dispersed camping.

Taquamenon Falls State ParkPictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Porcupine Mountains State ParkPictured Rocks, the Porcupine Mountains, and Taquamenon Falls are in theUpper Peninsula of Michigan. It takes about eight hours to drive to GrandMarais, and from Munising to Grand Marais is definitely the most beautifulsection of the Lake Superior shore that I've seen so it's worth the drive. I wouldrecommend not driving it all in one shot, though, since you really want to bedriving through the U.P. during the daylight hours because it's so pretty. Youcould leave on a Thursday, drive up to Taquamenon Falls State Park (which isroughly on the way to Pictured Rocks...from here it's about a 4 hour drive to theMackinaw Bridge and about 1.5 - 2 hours to Taquamenon from the bridge) andcar-camp at Taquamenon Falls for the night, then drive over to Pictured Rockson Friday morning. Taquamenon Falls are sweet and it would be a shame todrive right near them without at least stopping to check them out and get abeer/lunch at the brewery right next to the falls. There are two sweetbackcountry camping spots on the North Country Trail in Pictured Rocks, one inthe forest and one on the shore, ask the ranger about them. Seehttp://www.nps.gov and http://www.michigan.gov/dnr for more info. Whateveryou do, do not swim in Little Beaver Lake!!! Leeches. Yuck.

To rent camping and outdoor gear:The U of M Outdoor Adventure Center leads day and weekend trips and rentsout camping and sporting gear such as tents, sleeping bags, skis, volleyball sets,tug-of-war ropes, etc. at pretty reasonable rates.See http://www.recsports.umich.edu/outdooradv/oarc/ for more info.

http://www.fs.fed.us/

http://www.nps.gov


http://www.recsports.umich.edu/outdooradv/oarc/


VOLUNTEERISM/OUTREACH

There are many opportunities for outreach while in grad school, though most ofthem involve teaching to various ages. Most are one-day events, and we’re inthe process of establishing loose curricula for each of the lessons allowing youto know what you’ll be teaching before getting there. New ideas are welcome.

Brain’s Rule – (Tim/Tyler/Emile/Chris/Katie/Elyse/Amy/John)Reverse science fair (we make, they judge). All day event, 8 groups of 10-127th/8th graders, each group is at your setup for 20 min. A crazy and fun event atthe Hand’s On Museum in Ann Arbor. You will be reimbursed up to ~ $150 forwhat you spend on your exhibit and there’s a chance of winning money (up to$150) for 1st-3rd place [email protected]

Pfizer competition (SAMJAM) – (Emile/Chris/Tim)Much like Brain’s Rule, though this one hasn’t been done yet.April 7th/8th all day; 8th [email protected]

Angell School – (Colin/Megan)Short lessons each week to motivated kids who give up break time in theWinter/Spring, 20 min. each week. Curriculum is already designed andactivities already established (unless you have ideas for new activities orimprovements on the old ones), so all you have to do is come along and help runthe activities. 4th/5th/6th gradersMrs. Joan Singer (734) 994-1907

Summer Science Camp – (Tim)Summer science program for motivated HS kids from underserved areas.Summer, ~1 hour class period with 20-30 kids.

U of M Drug Education in High Schools – (Keith, Carrie, Lisa)Multiple lessons that were developed by those above and have been extremelysuccessful as outreach in High Schools in Michigan.

Grade school Science Fair Judging – (Chris)A few hours in the morning – pretty straightforward and those who have done ithave enjoyed it quite a bit.

General volunteer opportunities: http://www.volunteermatch.org/Volunteering with animals, talk to Missy.Teaching reading to ESL children, talk to Rachel.

A sample calendar to give you a general idea of when volunteer activitieshappen in the year (at least those activities that happen at predictable times)



http://www.volunteermatch.org/


SELF-SERVICE

Servicing your Body: Health InsuranceHealth insurance is taken care of by the grad program. The one big catch is thatwhen you are a GSI the department that hires you as a GSI covers your medicalexpenses during that time. While your coverage doesn’t change, you must fillout paperwork to change the billing over to your GSI department and then fill itout again to change back to the neuroscience program. IF YOU DON’T FILLOUT THE PAPERWORK YOU WILL NOT BE COVERED. This hashappened to others before (hence the ominous all-caps).Some Recommended physicians:Dr. Hendrickson – sports medicine. UMHS.Dr. Cosmas van de Ven – Ob/Gyn. UMHS – Taubman.Briarwood Family Practice – all. By Briarwood Mall.

Servicing your Teeth: Dental CareIn general, dental care is not covered by the program. It is covered for some ofus once we become candidates. This is up to the PI, and sometimes you can slipit in without them really knowing. Just prepare yourself to be sneaky when thetime comes.

Dental School 1011 N University (on campus); 332-9946Cheap but it takes hours to get a cleaning or check-up and sometimes thestudents are rough.

Kyle Pullen 1211 Brooklyn Ave; 761-2629Quick appointments, very professional and nice. Checkup/cleaning isabout $70. (Multiple recommendations)

Gary Bloomfield, DDS 2301 S Huron Pkwy; 971-2310 I've gone to him since I was 3; he's a great guy.

Servicing your Car: Mechanics

Main Street Motors 906 N. MainVery honest and do great work. The downside is that they can be a littlemore expensive because they use quality parts instead of the cheapest thatthey can get. Worth talking to them though. (Multiple recommendations)

Japanese Auto Professionals 563 S. Main; 996-4606Really good but they only take care of Japanese cars. The guy is reallyhonest and the quote will never be for less than they actually charge youwhen they do the work. (Multiple recommendations)

Firestone 402 E. Huron; 769-9040When I took my car there for muffler problems, they told me theycould fix it for me, but it would cost $ and instead I should take it backto the place I got the muffler the year before and it should still be under

warranty. And they were right, so they get points for honesty. I'veheard that they tell you only what you really need to get fixed.

Steve Steib Auto Service 1237 Rosewood; 930-2277 (930-CARS)"Myself, and a few picky car people I know are faithful to an independentmechanic down on South Industrial. It's just this guy and his son-in-law,but they truly enjoy car repair, and treat all people and genders withrespect. They are not only honest, if they don't fix something, theyoccasionally refuse payment until they get it done to their satisfaction.The owner, Steve Steib, works on racecars as a hobby, and has been inthe business for a long time as a one man business. His son-in-law, Tim,worked for a couple of car dealers, and offers his own insight.If you call and get the answering machine, you will need to call back.They are often too busy to call you back unless you have an appointment.They are there from approx. 8-6pm. Be warned that these guys enjoytalking about cars and other topics.”

True Tech Auto Repair 2075 S Industrial; 668-4022 This place is pretty good for auto repair.Maple/Miller Marathon 1300 Maple Rd N; 930-9724

They are all around good people who wont rip you off and will let youknow if it doesn't need fixing or if you should take it to the dealer orwhatever.

P.A.T. 1225 Jewett; 665-9707They're not cheap but they're very good, especially on older cars. Theyalso have free shuttle service to and from the shop.

Servicing your Animal: VetsA few people in the program to talk to: Missy (cats); Chris, Tyler, Susan (dogs).

Humane Society of Huron Valley Vet Clinic 662-5585 x22Don't expect a fancy waiting room or super spiffy facilities, but they do afantastic job and charge about 1/3 less than anyone else in the area.

Ann Arbor Cat Clinic 3690 Packard; 973-9090 (Multiple recommendations)Ann Arbor Animal Hospital 2150 W Liberty; 662-4474

New facility. Completely drop-in so no need for an appointment.(Multiple recommendations)

Washtenaw Vet Hospital 4618 Packard; 434-5800Dr. Good at Dearborn Family Petcare (313) 561-5920 For superior vet care for special problems or procedures.

Vets NOT to go to: VCA Woodland ann arbor (on state/main streetsplit), Animal Kingdom (on ann arbor saline rd), or Parkway AnimalClinic (on eisenhower).

Also talk with Missy about animal-related volunteer opportunities.


Who s Who in theNeuroscience Program

Kristin Arendt (Esteban)[email protected]

Shelley Batts (Raphael)[email protected]

Deb Bauer (Meador-Woodruff)[email protected]

Alison Berent-Spillson (Russell)[email protected]

Rebecca Bernardos (Raymond)[email protected]

Theresa Bjorness (Poe)[email protected]








Lisa Briand (Robinson)[email protected]

Jennifer Britton (Liberzon)[email protected]

Tyler Brown (Esteban)[email protected]

Emile Bruneau (Akaaboune)[email protected]

Ching-nung “Ashley” Chen (Taylor)[email protected]

Hong Cheng (Swaroop)[email protected]

Jennifer [email protected]

Kwan-Ho Chung (D. Turner)[email protected]

Donna Cross Shlomo Dellal (Hume)[email protected]

678-9709

Rob Drake (Polk)[email protected]

Catherine [email protected]













Carrie Ferrario (Robinson)[email protected]

Dustin [email protected]

Howard [email protected]

Edny [email protected]

Megan [email protected]

Christopher Hart (D. Turner)[email protected]

Mary Heng (Albin)[email protected]

Holly [email protected]

Jake Jedynak (Robinson)[email protected]

Ben [email protected]

Elyse Kennerer (Frey)[email protected]

Susan Kennedy (Zubieta)[email protected]














Bob [email protected]

Alice [email protected]

Chen-Chung [email protected]

Tiffany [email protected]

Sean Low (Kuwada/Hume)[email protected]

Alana Lysholm (Morrison)[email protected]

Michael [email protected]

Tim Marzullo (Kipke)[email protected]

Brandon McKinney (Murphy)[email protected]

Steve Merino (Maren)[email protected]

Maggie Ochocinska (Hitchcock)[email protected]

Ed Oh (Swaroop)[email protected]














Missy Olivadoti (Opp)[email protected]

Darren Opland (Robinson)[email protected]

Chris Pacheco (Lieberman)[email protected]

Gustavo [email protected]

Javier Perez (Akil)[email protected]

John Perkowski (Murphy)[email protected]

Jamie Perryman (Lee)[email protected]

Jenni Plane (Parent)[email protected]

Dave Scott (Zubieta)[email protected]

Alexandra Sieh (Hitchcock)[email protected]

Benjamin Singer (Zochowski)[email protected]

Kaia [email protected]














Amy Steffek (Meador-Woodruff)[email protected]

Colin [email protected]

Keith Sudheimer (Liberzon)[email protected]

Rachel Tittle (Hume)[email protected]

Mary Torregrossa (Woods)[email protected]

Jason [email protected]

Matt Veldman (Goldman)[email protected]

Ken Wakabayashi (Robinson)[email protected]

Christine Walsh (Seidler)[email protected]

730-3379

Tsu-Wei Wang (Parent)[email protected]

213-0623

Alex [email protected]

Katie Weiss (Hughes)[email protected]














Nicole Westphal (Seasholtz)[email protected]

Jenn-Yah Yu (D. Turner)[email protected]




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andThe Neuroscience Graduate Student Organization (NGSO)

University of Michigan Neuroscience

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