REU Site: Research Experience in Structural and Functional Neural Biology for Undergraduates

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to Michigan State University, located in East Lansing, MI, will support the training of 8 students in a 10-week program during the summers of 2014-2016. The REU program is open to all undergraduate students who are citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States. Students trained in the program will gain skills in lab research, develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, understand the process of science, and be able to communicate their research results to their peers and the general public. Students will have an opportunity to present their results at a national conference. The REU program provides an experience to students that is typically not available to them at their home institutions. Students from schools with limited opportunities for research and from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. This REU Site program will focus in research on the structure and function of neurons and their circuitry. The program has been designed to enable early undergraduates (freshman and sophomores) to conduct research in their area of interest. Students will have the option of working individually on their own project, or in collaborative pairs under the same research advisor. Each student will have his/her own independent scientific question to investigate. Example projects include the neurobiology of the autonomic/enteric nervous systems, ion channels structure and function, neuronal cytoskeleton, sensory function, neuronal regeneration, and synaptic physiology. Students apply principles of neurobiology to novel, contemporary research projects and gain deeper knowledge in their topical area of research. During the 10-week program, students will participate in activities that enhance their research experience, such as orientation, seminars and workshops, and other organized activities for the group. At the end of the program, students will present their research in a poster and/or oral presentation. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. In addition, an MSU faculty member will conduct an exit interview with program participants. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by contacting the PI (Dr. William Atchison, atchiso1@msu.edu) or a designed Facebook® site.