REU Site: Human Neuroscience Techniques and Training

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. Human neuroscience is the specific study of how the brain controls our thoughts and behaviors. Human neuroscience research leverages artificial intelligence (AI) by seeking to improve our ability to analyze neural data and understand how neural data align with human behaviors in basic science and clinical populations. AI plays a transformative role in human brain imaging by enhancing the accuracy, speed, and depth of data analysis and is a critical part of the proposed REU program. REU students will learn about these techniques. The intersection of biotechnology and human brain imaging is driving significant advancements in understanding brain function. Biotechnology enables the development of novel imaging methods, genetic tools, and biological sensors that, when combined with advanced imaging techniques, provide deeper insights into brain structure and activity. This synergy allows researchers to understand developmental aspects of brain function, monitor therapeutic responses, and understand the biochemical underpinnings of brain disorders paving the way for clearer approaches to understand the human brain. This REU program engages laboratories that use advanced biotechnological approaches to enhance our understanding of brain activity patterns in health and disease. A principal goal of this undergraduate research program in human neuroscience is to enhance the intellectual understanding of human neuroscience methods and foster collaborative research. This program will engage students in hands-on research and bootcamp activities to teach them technical and research knowledge in electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, while engaging in transformative laboratory research with a faculty member. The program will recruit students studying psychology, biology, neuroscience, or related fields from colleges and universities without access to magnetic resonance imaging or electroencephalography. We propose to harness the collaborative nature of human neuroscience research in the community to offer a unique summer research experience for undergraduates from universities without the human neuroscience environment that exists here. The program’s main goal is to develop expertise in students in the techniques and research procedures that neuroscientists use to study human brain processing. This REU Site will increase scientific and technical knowledge of students by providing a 10-week intensive summer program in experimental design, data collection, and data analysis using AI, biotech, and other techniques. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.