Developmental Psychobiology & Neurobiology Training

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This program is designed to train 5 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral trainees, at anyone time, for research and training careers in developmental psychobiology and neurobiology. It is our belief that, since behavioral development rests upon the development of the nervous system, an understanding of the psychological development process requires an integrated knowledge of both behavioral and neural development. Thus an integrated interdisciplinary training program is proposed. Trainees will be admitted via one of two degree-granting units: the Neuroscience Program (NP) and the Biological Psychology Division of the Department of Psychology. In conjunction with the College of Medicine (Urbana-Champaign) a joint MD/PhD degree is also offered through both Programs. The philosophy underlying the design of this program includes the following: 1) because "chance favors the mind prepared", scientists can be more productive if their perspective is broadly interdisciplinary; 2) because the primary goal of this training program is development of research skills, students should be immersed, with strong mentor support, in research throughout their graduate training; 3) the ability to learn and develop critical new methodologies is important, and research training must prepare one for new skills as well as hone those current; 4) presentation skills, communicating ideas to students, colleagues, evaluative arenas and the public is a crucial part of being a good scientist, and 5) good professional ethics requires judgment asmuch as knowledge of the rules, which must be learned both through formal example and through in-laboratory experience with good mentors. Faculty range from behaviorally-oriented psychologists to molecularly-oriented biologists. Members of this group have proven themselves exceptionally capable of cooperation and collaboration, despite their diversity of background. This broad buffet of knowledge allows for a unique program of training that can equip its product to deal with the broad range of phenomena that fall under the heading "neuroscience". Careful attention to a core set of concepts, breadth of knowledge, centered appropriately around the trainee's focus of interest, and productive interactions among trainees and multiple faculty in multiple disciplines characterize our training.