Neuroscience
The Neuroscience Joint Area of Concentration (AOC) at New College enables students to learn a wide set of technical skills in the laboratory, design experiments to test ideas about the brain, and discuss and critically assess cutting edge science. Some of the course offerings include “Advanced Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience,” “Sex, Gender, Mind, and Brain,” “Neuroscience of Sport and Exercise,” and “Neuroethology”. With labs in Neurobiology, Comparative Brain Connectivity, and functional Neuroimaging, students will get hands-on experience and develop career-ready skills.
The Neuroscience faculty are scientists and scholars who study a variety of topics across different model systems—e.g., how the brains and vocal organs of frogs solve the complex task of courtship, the impact of environmental toxins on sea lion brain networks, and endocrine correlates of human social behavior. Neuroscience students have unique opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty in their labs to be a part of the ongoing science. In the process, students develop skills and experiences necessary to pursue graduate research and other careers, including the opportunity to present the results of their research at conferences and through scientific publications. Our students have had numerous internships and prestigious summer research opportunities at laboratories and research stations far and wide.
Faculty in Neuroscience
Kathleen Casto, Assistant Professor of Psychology (On Leave)
Peter Cook, Associate Professor of Psychology
Elizabeth Leininger, Associate Professor of Biology (On Leave)
Requirements for the Joint AOC in Neuroscience
A minimum of six (6) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Neuroscience Course | |
| Introduction to Neuroscience* | |
or PSYC 3560 | Biological Psychology |
| Intermediate and Advanced Neuroscience Courses | |
| Select four intermediate or advanced neuroscience-related courses that span at least two disciplines (such as Biology and Psychology): | |
| Animal Behavior | |
| Molecular Neurobiology | |
| Neuroethology | |
| Sensory Biology of Fishes Lecture/Lab | |
| Sex, Gender, Mind and Brain | |
| Behavioral Endocrinology | |
| Neuroscience of Sport and Exercise | |
| Biopsychology of Sex, Gender, and Sexual Behavior | |
| Advanced Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience | |
| Dance, Brain, and Parkinson's | |
| Neuroscience Laboratory Course | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
| Neurobiology Laboratory | |
| Laboratory in Comparative Brain Connectivity | |
| Advanced Experimental Research and Data Analysis | |
| Highly Recommended | |
| Statistics and writing-intensive coursework if not already required by primary AOC | |
| Optional | |
| Senior Thesis and Baccalaureate Exam may include neuroscience but not required | |
Representative Theses in Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior Education and Anthropomorphism
- Overlapping Biopsychological Underpinnings and Brain Regions that Mediate Neurocognitive Processes Relevant to Entrepreneurship and Parenting
- Physiological Indicators of Menstrual Cycle Phase: A Two-Part Study on Developing a Method of Menstrual Cycle Phase Determination and Assessment of Menstrual Cycle Impacts on Brain Activation
- Pediatric Heavy Metal Toxicity: A Systematic Review of the Association Between In-Utero Exposure to Heavy Metals and Behavioral/Neurological Problems in Affected Children
- Case Study of Domoic Acid Toxicosis in a California Sea Lion: Diffusion Imaging Analysis of Anterior Thalamus and Connectivity
- Understanding Yourself as a Learner (UYL): An Educational Intervention to Help Students Articulate Their Learning
- An Illustrated Guide to Some of the Neuroscience of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Holding One's Own: The Impact of Body Awareness on the Experience of Embodiment and the Neural Correlates of Embodiment Integrity in the Face of Multimodal Mismatch
- Prefrontal and Auditory Cortex Activity During Music Listening in Musicians Compared to Non-Musicians
- Neuroimaging of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury