Multidisciplinary Laboratory Investigations In Neurobiology

该项目的重点是为神经生物学本科生实施创新实验室，实验室练习旨在使学生熟悉神经生物学的多学科性质，但同时允许他们在整个学期专注于特定的实验主题。具体来说，在学期开始时，学生选择三个实验对象（鼻涕虫，青蛙或大鼠）之一，并在学期项目中调查几个建议的主题之一。学生们自己开发实验的一些细节，比如要研究哪些大脑区域、神经递质或行为任务。这些练习是结构化的，但开放式的，为学生提供足够的指导，使他们的努力是富有成效的，并有足够的自由来遵循自己的兴趣。拟议的实验室方法教授神经生物学，一般科学，从从业者的角度来看。 该实验室在物理上被安排在三个中心-解剖学，生理学和行为-在那里神经生物学的不同方面正在探索。相同的一般主题，如学习的机制，在每个中心的4周轮换期间进行调查，学生采用不同的技术来研究他们主题的不同方面。例如，可以在行为中心诱导和观察学习，并且分别在解剖学和生理学中心研究参与这种学习的神经元的形态学和电生理学特性。到学期结束时，学生对他们的主题有了广泛而全面的理解。他们可以获得神经生物学的广度，学习神经生物学的三种不同方法的有用性，以及科学发现的兴奋和兴奋。

This project focuses on the implementation of an innovative laboratory for undergraduate students in Neurobiology, with laboratory exercises designed to acquaint students with the multidisciplinary nature of Neurobiology but at the same time permit them to focus on a particular experimental topic throughout the semester. Specifically, at the beginning of the semester, students choose one of three experimental subjects (slug, frog, or rat) and one of several suggested topics to investigate in semester-long projects. The students themselves develop some of the details of the experiments, such as which brain areas, neurotransmitters, or behavioral tasks to investigate. The exercises are structured, but open-ended, providing students with enough guidance so that their efforts are fruitful and enough latitude to follow their own interests. The proposed laboratory approach teaches Neurobiology, and science in general, from a practitioner's perspective. The laboratory is physically arranged in three centers--anatomy, physiology, and behavior--where different aspects of Neurobiology are being explored. The same general topic, such as the mechanisms of learning, is investigated during 4-week rotations in each of these centers, where students employ different techniques to study different aspects of their topic. For example, learning can be induced and observed in the behavior center, and the morphological and electrophysiological properties of the neurons involved in this learning studied in the anatomy and physiology centers, respectively. By the end of the semester, students have a broad and comprehensive understanding of their topic. They can gain an appreciation for the breadth of Neurobiology, the usefulness of the three different approaches to studying Neurobiology, and the excitement and meticulousness of scientific discovery.