Program in Neuroscience

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Co-Director

Michael J. Berry

Elizabeth Gould

Executive Committee

Michael J. Berry, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

William Bialek, Physics and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics

David M. Blei, Computer Science

Matthew M. Botvinick, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Carlos D. Brody, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Rebecca D. Burdine, Molecular Biology

Jonathan D. Cohen, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Ingrid C. Daubechies, Mathematics, Applied and Computational Mathematics

Jonathan T. Eggenschwiler, Molecular Biology

Lynn W. Enquist, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Susan T. Fiske, Psychology

Asif A. Ghazanfar, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Elizabeth Gould, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

James L. Gould, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Michael S. Graziano, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Charles G. Gross, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Bartley G. Hoebel, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Philip J. Holmes, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Barry L. Jacobs, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Sabine Kastner, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Fei-Fei Li, Computer Science

Coleen T. Murphy, Molecular Biology, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics

Yael Niv, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Kenneth A. Norman, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Peter J. Ramadge, Electrical Engineering

Daniel I. Rubenstein, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Robert E. Schapire, Computer Science

Clarence E. Schutt, Chemistry

Robert F. Stengel, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Jeffry B. Stock, Molecular Biology

David W. Tank, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Alexander T. Todorov, Psychology, Woodrow Wilson School

Anne M. Treisman, Psychology

Samuel S. H. Wang, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

The Program in Neuroscience is offered by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. The program is designed for undergraduates with strong interests in molecular biology, psychology, and related disciplines who wish to pursue an interdisciplinary study of brain function in their junior and senior independent work. The program encourages the serious study of molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, computational, and human cognitive neuroscience. Current examples at Princeton include: mechanisms of short- and long-term memory, advanced instrumentation for imaging and electrophysiology, viral infections of the nervous system, event analysis at single synapses, brain imaging studies of cognitive functions such as attention and memory in human subjects, and mathematical and computational analysis of neural network function. Students in the program will be prepared to meet the entry requirements of graduate schools in neuroscience, as well as molecular biology or psychology. Recent certificate students have included majors in molecular biology, psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology, computer science, philosophy, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, and art and archaeology. Courses are chosen with the help of advisers in the molecular biology, psychology, and other related departments. A certificate in neuroscience is awarded to students who successfully complete the program.

Students from the integrated sciences curriculum and other students who desire a more quantitative and computational focus in neuroscience can pursue the quantitative and computational neuroscience (QCN) track of the program as outlined below.

Requirements for Admission

Students are admitted to the program once they have chosen their field of concentration and consulted with the program directors, who will assist them in selecting an adviser. The adviser will typically supervise the student’s junior independent work; the student will identify an adviser for the senior thesis late in the junior year. Normally, students entering the program will have completed the prerequisites and the neuroscience requirements (other than electives) listed under the Program of Study.

Program of Study

Students in the Program in Neuroscience develop, in consultation with their adviser, a course of study built upon their departmental concentration that consists of the curriculum listed below, plus junior and senior independent work in neuroscience and electives.

Curriculum

Prerequisites:

One year of mathematics, preferably taken at Princeton: MAT 101/103, and MAT 102/104, or ORF 245, or advanced placement credit.

MOL 214 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology or MOL 215 Quantitative Principles in Cell and Molecular Biology; or the integrated sciences curriculum (CHM/COS/MOL/PHY 231–4 as a freshman and CHM/COS/MOL/PHY 235/6 during the sophomore year)

Neuroscience Requirements:

PSY 258 Fundamentals of Neuroscience

PSY 259 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

MOL 408/PSY 404 Cellular and Systems Neuroscience

Two neuroscience electives, one from molecular biology and one from psychology. A list of approved courses is available from the certificate directors.

Students pursuing a QCN certificate will take MOL 431 (Advanced Topics in Developmental Neurobiology) or PSY 330 (Introduction to Connectionist Models: Bridging between Brain and Mind), and MOL 549 (Projects Laboratory in Neuroscience) as the two neuroscience electives.

For molecular biology majors, PSY 258 is substituted for EEB 211 (The Biology of Organisms) and MOL 408 is substituted for MOL 342 (Genetics). Two semesters each of physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry are required, as well as MOL 345 (Biochemistry), MOL 348 (Cell and Developmental Biology), MOL 350 (Laboratory in Molecular Biology), and two other non-neuroscience departmentals. The two neuroscience electives (one from MOL and the other from PSY) are in addition to these requirements.

For psychology majors, one year of calculus is required beyond the departmental concentration course requirements, and while MOL 408/PSY 404 and the MOL elective can be counted as electives (cognates) toward the psychology major, MOL 214 or 215 and the additional neuroscience elective in psychology are beyond the departmental course requirements. In addition, a course in physics is highly recommended for advanced work in the program. In special circumstances, students can place out of PSY 258 with permission of the MOL 408/PSY 404 instructor. Students in other departments should consult with their departmental representatives and the certificate program representatives to develop a course of study that incorporates the neuroscience requirements listed above.

Students considering medical school or an M.D./Ph.D. program may have additional course requirements, and should speak with a health professions adviser during their first year or second year at Princeton. Pre-medical students in psychology should plan on taking one additional biology laboratory course in order to meet medical school entrance requirements.

Recognizing that neuroscience is an interdisciplinary program whose excitement lies in new and changing areas at the interface of biology, psychology, and other related disciplines, alternative programs of study may be arranged at the discretion of the directors.

Junior and Senior Independent Research

Independent work during the junior and senior years is supervised by faculty in the neuroscience program. Independent work during the junior year is determined by the students’ home department; there are no additional requirements for the neuroscience certificate. The senior thesis must involve neuroscience. This is guaranteed for students doing a thesis with faculty in the neuroscience program. Students concentrating in departments that make it impossible to do senior work that fulfills both departmental and certificate program expectations should contact the program directors to find suitable alternatives. For all students, independent research topics can be laboratory or theoretical research projects, and are approved in advance by the program directors, in consultation with faculty advisers. Program courses may not be taken pass/D/fail.