REU in Neural Science

NSF REU Site Grant的支持将使纽约大学神经科学中心能够支持一个成熟的、成功的夏季本科生研究项目(SURP)。该方案于1990年作为示范方案建立，此后通过个人赠款和机构基金提供的资金一直处于较低水平。来自NSF REU Site Grant的支持将使该计划合法化和扩大，接触到纽约大学以外的学生，从而影响更广泛的学生群体。通过与纽约大学教师资源网络的合作，将积极争取代表人数不足的少数族裔、女性和来自资源有限、用于设备和研究机会的小型学院的本科生。该联盟由南方13所历史上的黑人学院和15所地区性文科学院组成，代表着10万多名本科生和8300多名教职员工。每年夏天，将从大约100名申请者中挑选8到10名本科生，他们大多在二年级和三年级之间，他们对基础神经科学研究表现出浓厚的兴趣，GPA最低为3.0。这些学生将通过将他们安置在CNS实验室之一来获得第一手研究经验，这些实验室的子领域从理论神经生物学、感觉生理学、情绪记忆的行为和分子研究，到大脑发育和损伤恢复的细胞和分子基础。他们的教育、培训和进步将通过一个三级系统得到促进和监测，该系统包括以下三个层次：(1)一对一的日常互动，与东道主实验室的导师和附属成员进行互动；(2)在主任的监督下，每周和每两周举行一次小组午餐会，在午餐会期间进行自我评估，并安排一系列讲座；以及(3)每周对每个学生的口头和书面陈述技能进行密切的指导，在研讨会之前，并在项目的最后一周准备一份书面报告，描述从暑期研究活动产生的数据的原理、假设、结果和解释。与以往一样，CNS Surp的系列研讨会和社会功能将与纽约大学华盛顿广场校区的社会研究领导力联盟计划和纽约大学医学院萨克拉研究所少数族裔生物医学本科生暑期研究计划一起运行。这些联合活动，以及将在午餐、晚餐、下班后和周末为CNS冲浪小组计划的各种社会和文化活动，将为学生提供机会成为一个庞大的本科生和研究生、博士后和教职员工群体的一部分。这项计划将确保CNS Surp学生对科学调查、风格的多样性有一个现实的看法，并有机会随意谈论成为一名科学家的实际问题，如计划生育、个人生活和工作环境之间的平衡、博士和医学博士的机会和选择等，同时享受纽约市丰富的文化和研究机构。

Support from the NSF REU Site Grant will enable the Center for Neural Science at New York University to support an established, successful summer undergraduate research program (SURP). SURP was founded as a model program in 1990 and has continued ever since at a reduced level through funds derived from individual grants and institutional funds. Support from the NSF REU Site Grant will make it possible to regularize and expand the program, reach out to students beyond NYU, thereby impact a broader student population. Under-represented minorities, women and undergraduates from small colleges that are limited in resources for equipment and research opportunities will be pursued actively, through collaboration with NYU's Faculty Resource Network., a consortium of 13 historically black colleges and universities in the South and 15 regional liberal arts colleges, together representing over 100,000 undergraduates and over 8,300 faculty members. Eight to ten undergraduates, mostly between their sophomore and junior years, who have demonstrated keen interest in basic neural science research and with a GPA minimum of 3.0 will be chosen every summer from a pool of approximately 100 applicants. First-hand research experience will be made available to these students by placing them in one of the CNS labs, ranging in subfields from theoretical neurobiology, sensory physiology, behavioral and molecular investigation of emotional memory, to cellular and molecular basis of brain development and recovery from injuries. Their education, training, and progress will be fostered and monitored using a three-tiered system, consisting of the following: (1) one-to-one, daily interactions with a mentor and affiliated members of the host lab; (2) weekly and bi-weekly group luncheons, overseen by the director, during which self-assessments are made and a lecture series is scheduled; and (3) close, week-by-week coaching of each student's skills in oral and written presentations, leading up to a Symposium and preparation of a written report during the last week of the program that describe the rationale, hypothesis, outcome and interpretation of data generated from the summer research activity. As in the past, the CNS SURP's seminar series and social functions will run conjointly with those of the NYU Washington Square Campus's Leadership Alliance program in Social Studies and NYU Medical School's Sacklar Institute Minority Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Biomedical Sciences. These joint functions, together with a variety of social and cultural activities that will be planned over lunches, dinners, after-hours and week-ends for the CNS SURP group, will provide students with opportunities to be part of a large group of undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, and faculty. This program will ensure that the CNS SURP students obtain a realistic view about diversity in scientific inquiries, style, and gain opportunities to chat casually about practical issues of becoming a scientist, such as family planning, balance between personal life and work environment, opportunities and options for PhDs and MD-PhDs, etc. while also enjoying York City's rich collection of culture and research institutions.