Neuroethology Training Program Overview
  Our Neuroethology Training Program arises as a joint effort of the Departments of Biology, Psychology and Animal and Avian Sciences and the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). The motivation for this proposal is that we now have a group of faculty at UMCP with a common research interest in neuroethology, with a focus on evolution, behavior, and comparative neurobiology. The research focus of this group ranges from animal behavior to comparative neuroanatomy and neuroethology, from psychophysics to hormonal control systems. Organisms used in these studies include species from insects to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The breadth of experimental approaches and subjects, combined with a common interest among investigators in neuroethological questions, provides us with an opportunity to pursue research training at the graduate and postdoctoral level that exists in few other institutions.

Twelve investigators with proven research and training records in neuroethology, comparative neurobiology and evolutionary biology constitute the core of the research training program. All of the established investigators have external funding and strong records of grant support. Training program faculty who have just joined our team at the University of Maryland are now preparing grant applications. All but two of the investigators are located in the same building (Biology/Psychology), and there is a history of considerable research interaction among the group. Graduate and postdoctoral students take advantage of the existent interactions between the various laboratories. The Neuroethology Training Grant provides a formal mechanism for strengthening and continuing these interactions.

In addition to the faculty directly involved in the research training program, there are many other faculty members who participate in several campus-wide graduate programs including the Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences (NACS) Program, the Molecular and Cell Biology (MOCB) program and the Behavior, Evolution, Ecology, and Systematics (BEES) group. These individuals bring expertise in a variety of areas including molecular neurobiology, computational neuroscience, evolution, behavior and sociobiology to our training program. The affiliated faculty will provide courses, opportunities for extension of research projects, and membership with research committees in the Neuroethology Program. Two existing training programs have created a favorable climate for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing Group (CEBH) is a well established training program which includes members of the departments of Speech and Language, Electrical Engineering and Systems Research as well as Biology and Psychology. The NSF training program in Biology examines the interaction of evolutionary processes in small populations. Both existing training programs offer courses, seminars and sponsor annual symposia, providing an enriching intellectual environment. Some faculty members participate in both the CEBH and Neuroethology Programs. Although these have a distinct focus, the shared human and technological resources provide an environment that facilitates and encourages intellectual exchange.