The Brooklyn College Neuroscience REU Program, supported by the National Science Foundation, provides students the opportunity to immerse in rich and innovative mentored research experiences in clinical, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. The 15-week program aims to engage students in:
●comprehensive laboratory research,
●scholarly didactics,
●research ethics training, and
●professional resea
rch dissemination. Potential mentored research projects may encompass, but are not limited to, the following topics: neuropharmacology of learned flavor preferences, neural and cognitive underpinnings of memory and language disorders, identification of biological markers for criminal behavior and schizophrenia, scientific nature of creativity, cortical systems that mediate visual perception, mechanisms of associative learning, and the mechanisms underlying steroid-induced neural plasticity and sex differences in brain and behavior. All projects will culminate in a first-authored research poster at Brooklyn College’s annual, campus-wide Science Day. Our program seeks talented undergraduate students from diverse ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to take advantage of the opportunity to gain an enhanced understanding of neuroscience and the scientific research process. Mentored research and structured laboratory experiences at the undergraduate level confer many advantages, including improvements in technical, problem-solving, written and presentation skills. In addition, engagement in scholarly didactics, such as attending scientific talks and participating in the discussion of fundamental and timely issues in research, encourages the development of academic and professional confidence. These opportunities for personal and professional growth are essential for fostering and reaching graduate school aspirations, and certainly for paving the road toward successful scientific careers. We encourage students to consider careers in clinical, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, and we provide a hands-on education on the scientific process, from idea conception to presentation of results, emphasizing key aspects of design, ethics, communication and collaboration that are necessary for success. Students receive a stipend of $3,100 to support their hours of lab research and to cover travel, project materials, general academic supplies and books. The stipend is not intended to cover housing, as our program is open only to undergraduates currently enrolled in a public college or university in the New York metropolitan area.
