2009 Cage Washer for Queen's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council-funded Research in Psychology

女王大学心理学系的六名研究人员依靠一家运转良好的动物护理机构来开展他们由美国国家科学研究委员会资助的研究。目前的设施包括一个40年的笼形洗衣机，需要更换。我们正在申请一笔赠款，以协助支付购买新笼式洗衣机的费用。nserc资助教授的研究项目包括：RJ Beninger，研究脑神经递质在大鼠行为控制中的作用；研究大鼠大脑神经元可塑性的H Dringenberg；B Frost用鸽子的单细胞记录技术来研究视觉系统；J Menard，他评估了老鼠的恐惧神经回路；研究认知和动机过程如何相互作用影响大鼠行为的MC Olmstead；以及NSERC斯泰西研究员N Troje，他的研究重点是利用鸽子进行生物运动。这些研究项目在很大程度上依赖于笼子清洗机的可用性，为动物提供卫生的居住环境。女王大学的另外两个设施也有类似的设备，但为了防止病原体传播，不鼓励设施之间的移动。由于空间限制，将六名研究人员和他们的实验室转移到另一栋可以直接使用笼式洗衣机的大楼是不可行的，而且这样的转移会导致心理学系的分裂。6名nserc资助的研究人员目前指导18名本科生和21名研究生以及1名博士后。心理学专业的本科生还会选修使用实验动物的课程。所有这些高素质的人员都依赖于一个正常运转的笼式洗衣机来完成他们的学业。依靠“笼式清洗器”的研究人员开展的研究结果对日常生活的许多方面产生了广泛的影响，包括理解和治疗脑部疾病，如吸毒成瘾，开发技术，如更有效的汽车尾灯显示，以防止碰撞，以及理解为什么电话会议系统没有得到更广泛的应用。因此，我们这个复杂社会的许多方面都依赖于我们基础研究设施的完整性。

Six researchers in the Dept, Psychology at Queen's Univ. depend on a functioning animal care facility to carry out their NSERC-funded research. The current facility includes a cage washer that is 40 yr old and needs to be replaced. We are requesting a grant to assist in covering the cost of purchasing a new cage washer. The research programs of the NSERC-funded professors include: RJ Beninger who studies the role of brain neurotransmitters in the control of behavior in rats; H Dringenberg who studies neuronal plasticity in brain recording studies in rats; B Frost who uses single cell recording techniques in pigeons to study the visual system; J Menard who evaluates the neural circuitry of fear in rats; MC Olmstead who investigates how cognitive and motivational processes interact to influence behavior in rats; and N Troje, a NSERC Steacie Fellow whose research focuses on biological motion using pigeons. These research programs depend critically on the availability of a functioning cage washer to provide a hygienic housing environment for the animals. Similar equipment is available in two other facilities at Queen's but movement between facilities is discouraged to prevent the spread of pathogens. Moving the six researchers and their labs to another building where they would have direct access to a cage washer is not feasible because of space limitations and such a move would fracture the Dept. Psychology. The six NSERC-funded researchers currently supervise 18 undergraduate and 21 graduate students and one postdoc. Additional undergraduate students in Psychology take courses that use lab animals. All of these highly qualified personnel rely on a functioning cage washer to be able to complete their studies. The findings from the research carried out by the investigators who rely on the cage washer have wide ranging influence on many aspects of day-to-day life including understanding and treating brain disorders such as drug addiction and developing technologies such as more effective tail-light displays in vehicles to prevent collisions and understanding why teleconferencing systems are not more widely used. Thus, many aspects of our complex society depend on the integrity of our basic research facilities.