Interdisciplinary Vision Training Program

描述(由申请者提供)：我们建议在布朗大学设立一个跨学科的视觉博士前培训项目。这一培训计划将构成布朗新的视觉研究中心的一个关键组成部分，该中心由跨学科的脑科学计划赞助。这一视觉培训计划(VTP)的中心目标是为已经在神经科学或认知和语言科学研究生课程中入学的研究生提供视觉方面的专门培训。我们建议每年资助3名学生；学生将从他们的第二个研究生学年开始接受VTP支持。VTP将补充和补充研究生项目的基本课程要求，每个学生都来自这些项目。我们将在所有级别提供广泛的、多学科的培训，并在核心概念、技能、方法和对科学文献的高级理解方面奠定坚实的基础。总体而言，我们营造了一个不受传统学科界限限制的环境，鼓励研究生在这些学科的交界处工作。在教学的所有阶段，我们将整合被认为对视觉研究中成功的、独立的研究生涯至关重要的技能。这些包括批判性思维和推理，有效的科学写作和口头陈述，科学审查过程的知识，以及伦理培训。学生将参与确保研究生接触临床和疾病概念的新倡议；这些经验将帮助学生识别与改善人类健康最相关的科学问题。拟议的培训计划有10名参与培训的教员，他们来自5个系。这些教员目前指导着22名从事视觉研究的研究生。总体而言，布朗大学的视觉研究包括9个系的27名教职员工；研究兴趣包括生物视觉、机器视觉和计算。为了确保培训计划的成功，我们挑选了一支从事生物视觉研究的核心培训教师，他们有很强的培训记录。然而，学员将从与布朗的整个愿景社区的互动中受益。相关性：根据最近的估计，2680万40岁及以上的美国人患有眼疾，随着人口老龄化，这个数字还会增加。在理解人类视觉系统的生物学以及设计预防、治疗或补偿视力丧失的新策略方面的创新将来自新一代研究人员，他们接受过培训，以综合从各种方法和学科收集的信息。我们的目标是培养这类研究人员，并为布朗大学的多元化视野研究社区带来进一步的凝聚力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Pre-doctoral Training Program in Vision at Brown University. This training program will constitute a key component of the Brown's new Center for Vision Research, under the auspices of the interdisciplinary Brain Science Program. The central objective of this Vision Training Program (VTP) is to provide specialized training in vision to graduate students already matriculating in the Neuroscience or Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences graduate programs. We propose supporting 3 students per year; students will receive VTP support starting in their 2nd graduate year. The VTP will complement and supplement the basic course requirements of the graduate programs from which individual students come. We will provide broad, multi-disciplinary training at all levels with a strong foundation in core concepts, skills, methodologies, and advanced comprehension of the scientific literature. In general, we foster an environment unconstrained by traditional discipline boundaries and where graduate students are encouraged to work at the interfaces of these disciplines. At all stages of instruction, we will integrate skills considered essential for successful, independent research careers in vision research. These include critical thinking and reasoning, effective science writing and oral presentation, knowledge of scientific review processes, and training in ethics. Students will participate in new initiatives to ensure exposure of graduate students to clinical and disease concepts; these experiences will help students identify the scientific problems that are most relevant to improving human health. The proposed training program has 10 participating faculty members, drawn from 5 departments. These faculty members currently mentor 22 graduate students engaged in vision research. Overall, vision research at Brown includes 27 faculty members in 9 departments; research interests include biological vision, machine vision, and computation. To ensure a successful training program, we have selected a core training faculty engaged in the study of biological vision with a strong training record. However, trainees will benefit from interactions with the entire vision community at Brown. Relevance: Eye diseases afflict 26.8 million Americans age 40 and older, according to recent estimates, and that number will grow as the population ages. Innovations in understanding the biology of the human visual system and devising novel strategies to prevent, treat, or compensate for vision loss will come from a new generation of researchers trained to synthesize information gleaned from a variety of approaches and disciplines. We aim to train this kind of researcher and bring further cohesion to the diverse vision research community at Brown.