Neuroscience: From Channels to Behavior

描述（由申请人提供）：在这个项目的14年任期内，布兰迪斯大学建立了一个多学科的项目，包括生物学、生物化学、化学和心理学。该课程教育学生全面的神经科学主题，从离子通道的分子生物学到衰老的认知效应。布兰迪斯神经科学项目的独特之处与其说是教育选择的广度，不如说是大多数学生都利用了这种广度。教员的每个成员都与多个其他成员合作，并且大多数项目涉及多个层次的分析。学生是智力和空间集成神经科学社区的一部分。由此产生的凝聚力反映在项目的各个方面：课程作业、轮换、论文监督、先进仪器的普遍可用性以及相互作用的合议性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the 14 year tenure of this Program, Brandeis University has built a multidisciplinary program encompassing faculty in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Psychology. The Program educates students in the full range of Neuroscience topics, from the molecular biology of ion channels to the cognitive effects of aging. The uniqueness of this Brandeis Neuroscience Program has less to do with the breadth of educational options than with the fact that most students actually take advantage of that breadth. Each member of the faculty collaborates with multiple others, and most projects involve several levels of analysis. Students are part of an intellectually and spatially integrated neuroscience community. The resulting cohesion is reflected in every aspect of the program: coursework, rotations, thesis supervision, the general availability of advanced instrumentation, and the collegiality of interactions. Students enter Neuroscience from a remarkably wide variety of different backgrounds (Psychology, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics). The breadth of opportunity and interaction at Brandeis University allows each student to develop according to her/his individual needs, and results in a low attrition rate. While the Program is relatively small, over the last five years it has graduated 28 students (five of whom were members of underrepresented minority groups). A strong aspect of the Program is the integration of computational and experimental neuroscience. Emphasis is placed on making sure that students gain exposure to quantitative issues. Students graduate with excellent credentials, and go on to obtain excellent positions in academia and industry. The program of course work, rotations, multiple small-group colloquia, proposition examinations, and participation in teaching necessarily consumes the bulk of a student's time during the first two years. They cannot (and would not) have their laboratory research as their sole focus prior to their third year at Brandeis University. Therefore, they are not supported on research grants in these first critical years. This Training Program provides crucial funding to support students while they develop a broad set of intellectual skills. There are 23 mentors in the Program, and funds for ten trainees per year are requested. RELEVANCE: The goal of the Neuroscience Program is to understand brain function and to provide new strategies and therapies for the treatment of diseases of the brain. Training in neuroscience is particularly challenging because of the very broad range of information required. The Training Program is designed to give young scientists the intellectual and technical depth to make major contributions to the treatment of brain disease.