PREDOCTORAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE NEUROSCIENCES

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议培训计划的长期目标是提高下一代神经科学家的研究效率。神经科学正在解决大脑和行为之间关系的最基本问题。这对健康以及对人类本性的理解都有着深远的影响。为了在这个快速发展的领域有效地工作，学生们有必要学习高度专业化的研究技术。然而，越来越多的人认识到，教育学生认识到重大进步取决于用多层次的专业化来解决问题，这是很有价值的。在前两年的培训中，为博士生提供一个项目，以确保他们广泛接触神经科学的各个领域，同时提供一个重点研究项目的培训。通过让学生在加入项目后立即进入与他们的职业兴趣相关的实验室，可以实现重点。广度是通过课程要求和参与大量项目范围内的活动来实现的。在前两年的培训中，课程要求包括神经科学基础课程（神经生理学；神经解剖学），一门探索神经科学分析的全方位课程（“从分子到行为”），除家庭实验室外的两个实验室的一学期轮转，负责任的研究行为指导，以及选择以生理学和行为学为主题的选修课程。整个计划的活动包括参加每周的活动（讨论会；研究研讨会）和年度活动（一个杰出的系列讲座及其相关的研讨会）。在前两年的培训计划中，重点和广泛地接触神经科学，特别旨在为学生在论文和博士后工作中的创新研究做好准备，并为他们在涉及健康相关问题的研究和教学生涯中取得成功做好准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of the proposed training program is to enhance research effectiveness in the next generation of neuroscientists. Neuroscience is addressing the most fundamental questions on the relationship between brain and behavior. The implications for health, as well as for understanding human nature, are profound. To work effectively in this fast-expanding field, it is necessary that students learn highly specialized research techniques. It is, however, increasingly recognized that there is great value in teaching students to appreciate that significant advances can depend on approaching problems with multiple levels of specialization. A program is proposed for predoctoral students in their first two years of training that will insure broad exposure to the varied fields of neuroscience while simultaneously providing training with a focused research project. Focus is achieved by having the students enter a lab associated with their career interests as soon as they join the program. Breadth is achieved through curriculum requirements and through involvement in a large number of program-wide activities. In the first two years of training, the curriculum requirements include courses in the fundamentals of neuroscience (neurophysiology; neuroanatomy), a course exploring the full range of levels of analysis in neuroscience ("from molecules to behavior"), 1-term rotations to two laboratories other than the home lab, instruction in the responsible conduct of research, and selection of elective courses with a theme in physiology and with a theme in behavior. Program-wide activities include attendance at weekly events (colloquium; research seminars) and annual events (a distinguished lecture series with its associated seminar). The focused and broad exposure to neuroscience achieved in the first two years of the training program is especially intended to prepare students for innovative research in their thesis and postdoctoral work, and for later success in their research and teaching careers involving health-related problems.