neuroscience special major - swarthmore college · 2019-01-29 · why study neuroscience? •...

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