Visual Neuroscience Training Program

描述(由申请者提供)：明尼苏达大学的一个由15名视觉科学家组成的小组请求继续支持每年最多培养7名博士前学生。学生来自神经科学研究生课程或相关领域，辅修神经科学。有资格获得资助的受训者至少已完成第一年的研究生院学业，并已开始在其中一名视力训练师的实验室进行论文研究。实习生获得博士或医学博士/博士学位。并可以在他们的论文研究期间获得支持，通常不到四年。明尼苏达大学的神经科学课程具有独特的优势，可以提供广泛的神经科学培训，以及与视觉相关的领域的专门培训。该大学的视觉研究社区正在发展壮大，目前包括该领域许多备受尊敬的研究人员。这群科学家的研究兴趣广泛，从分子生物学到视觉感知。这个群体，再加上明尼苏达大学许多其他国家公认的神经科学家，使这里成为视觉神经科学培训计划的自然中心。由这些研究人员领导的培训计划正在为视觉科学家培养接受应对未来挑战所需的多学科教育。相关性：视网膜和中央视觉通路在发育、组织和功能方面与神经系统的其他部分有许多共同的特征。视觉系统也与神经系统其他部分发现的疾病相同，共同的主题可能最终解释看似不同的疾病状态，最终导致共同的治疗方法。这表明，迫切需要培训具有神经系统知识的未来愿景科学家。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A group of 15 vision scientists at the University of Minnesota request continued support for training up to seven predoctoral students a year. Students come from the Graduate Program in Neuroscience or a related field with a minor in neuroscience. Trainees eligible for support have completed at least their first year of graduate school and have begun their thesis research in a laboratory of one of the vision training faculty. Trainees earn a Ph.D. or M.D./PhD. and can receive support through the duration of their thesis research, typically less than four years. The Neuroscience Program at the University of Minnesota is uniquely positioned to provide broad training in neuroscience, together with specialized training in areas related to vision. The vision research community at the University is growing and currently includes many highly respected investigators in the field. The diverse research interests of this group of scientists range from molecular biology to visual perception. This group, coupled with the many other nationally recognized neuroscientists at the University of Minnesota, makes this a natural place to center a training program in the neuroscience of vision. The training program led by those investigators is preparing vision scientists with the multi-disciplinary education needed to meet the challenges of the future. Relevance: The retina and central visual pathways share many common features in terms of development, organization and function with the rest of the nervous system. The visual system also shares in the spectrum of disorders found in other parts of the nervous system, and common themes may eventually explain seemingly diverse disease states ultimately leading to common cures. This points to a critical need for training future vision scientists with a knowledge of the nervous system.