Neuroscience

Department Overview

Neuroscience is the scientific community’s effort to understand the mechanisms that give rise to thoughts, motives, and behavior. The central mechanism of behavior is the brain, and exploring it is a fascinating odyssey in natural science. Neuroscientists investigate the connections between events that occur at the subcellular level and the behavior of the whole organism. Addressing the fundamental questions of neuroscience requires the collaboration of specialists in diverse fields. Thus, although neuroscientists specialize in one particular discipline, they need to be cognizant of many related areas. The neuroscience major is cross-disciplinary and taught primarily by professors in the biology and psychology departments; however, students desiring to do advanced work may choose to work with faculty from a wide variety of departments.

As neuroscience majors, students will engage in broadly based study of the nervous system. This study will be multidisciplinary, integrating the perspectives of biology, psychology, and related sciences. Students will develop a foundation in concepts, issues, discoveries, and methodological approaches to the interdisciplinary endeavor of neuroscience. Students will discover how approaches from various neuroscience subdisciplines complement one another and how the findings can be integrated to provide a more global understanding of the functioning of the nervous system. Students will gather, analyze, and interpret scientific data and summarize and communicate empirical results; this process will enhance their familiarity and facility with scientific methodology. Students will develop their verbal, quantitative, and writing skills. Students may focus in a subfield of neuroscience and may conduct research with faculty members. Students will gain experience in integrating and synthesizing data, develop a broad background in the sciences and humanities, and acquire skills adaptable to a wide variety of areas and interests. The major will prepare students for career paths that include graduate school, the health professions, research, and clinical work.

Nu Rho Psi

Nu Rho Psi is the national honor society in neuroscience, founded in 2006 for the purpose of encouraging professional interest and excellence in scholarship in neuroscience. Eligibility requirements include declaration of a major in neuroscience, completion of at least three semesters of courses towards the neuroscience major, a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher in courses required for the neuroscience major, and a grade-point average of 3.4 in all college courses.

Director of the Neuroscience Program: Christopher Vecsey

Associate Director of the Neuroscience Program: Hassan Lopez

Associate Professor: Sarita Lagalwar, Christopher Vecsey

Visiting Assistant Professor: Tatiana Schnieder

Administrative Assistant: Carolyn Lundy

Affiliated Faculty

Biology: Jennifer Bonner, Jason Breves, David Domozych, Corey Freeman-Gallant, Bernard Possidente, Monica Raveret-Richter

Computer Science: Tom O’Connell

Mathematics: Lucy Oremland

Psychology: Denise Evert; Susan Kettering Williamson ’59 Chair in Neuroscience, Rebecca Johnson, Hassan Lopez, Dominique Vuvan

Neuroscience B.A.

To fulfill the major, students must complete the following (48 minimum credits):

¹

If a course is taken to satisfy the Advanced Research Methods requirement, it cannot also be used to fulfill one of the elective requirements listed below, or as a core course.

²

With approval of faculty member

Recommendations and Advice

Senior Coda

Students wishing to complete the Senior Coda requirement by enrolling in a Neuroscience course should take NS 377 Senior Coda in Neuroscience during the fall semester of their senior year.

Tutorial Project

Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in Introduction to Neuroscience Research (NS 275 Introduction to Neuroscience Research) and Research Experience in Neuroscience (NS 371 Research Experience in Neuroscience) prior to completion of the neuroscience major. These courses allow students to obtain valuable research experience by working directly with neuroscience faculty. Highly motivated students may wish to pursue a senior tutorial project (NS 376 Senior Research Project II), which is a yearlong, intensive research thesis conducted in collaboration with a neuroscience faculty member. Generally speaking, majors should consider taking NS 275 Introduction to Neuroscience Research in their sophomore and/or junior year, and NS 371 Research Experience in Neuroscience in their junior year as a prelude to senior research.

Advice on Choosing Electives

Students’ choices of electives (both within and beyond the requirements specified by the neuroscience major) may be guided by interests as well as professional goals. For example, in the core course Principles of Chemistry (CH 125 Principles of Chemistry), students are introduced to fundamental concepts of chemistry that are necessary for understanding basic mechanisms in the neurosciences; students wishing to deepen this understanding are encouraged to take additional courses in chemistry, including organic chemistry and biochemistry. Examples of projected paths through the major are intended as illustrations of groupings of electives informed by different kinds of interests and goals. For each illustration, suggestions are offered for electives within and beyond the major.

Core Courses

Students are strongly encouraged to complete the six lab-based core courses by the end of their sophomore year in preparation for their upper level courses.

Projected Paths Through the Major

Path 1: A Biobehavioral Neuroscience Focus

Within Major

Beyond Major

Additional electives from psychology (e.g., PS 223 Evolutionary Psychology) and biology (e.g.,BI 302 Behavioral Ecology, BI 324 , BI 370 Computer Modeling of Biological Systems).

Path 2: A Cellular/Molecular Focus

Within Major

Beyond Major

Path 3: A Cognitive Neuroscience Focus

Within Major

Beyond Major

Additional courses from computer science (e.g., CS 206 Introduction to Computer Science II).

Path 4: A Cognitive Science Focus

Within Major

Beyond Major

Additional courses from computer science (e.g., CS 206 Introduction to Computer Science II, CS 306 Computability, Complexity, and Heuristics) and philosophy (e.g., PH 241 Philosophy of Mind Mind, Thought, and Consciousness).

Path 5: A Health Professions Focus

Within Major

Beyond Major

Notes:

- Those students interested in pre-med and other health professions should consult with the  Health Professions Advisory Committee for guidance in selecting courses;
- None of the courses that count toward the major may be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.

Honors

To be eligible for honors in neuroscience, a student must meet the requisite grade-point average¹ and complete two semesters of 300-level research related to neuroscience (summer research conducted either at Skidmore or at another institution will be considered). Students must also complete an honors application by the withdrawal deadline of the spring semester of the senior year. Within this application, students must briefly describe their research experiences and explain why these experiences should qualify them for honors in neuroscience.

¹

Note: To be considered for honors, the College requires a GPA of 3.500 or higher for work in the major, and a GPA of 3.000 or higher based on all work taken at Skidmore.

Course Listing