| Related Programs
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| Several campus programs provide graduate training that
correlate with, and have become assets to the proposed training program.
The NACS program is
a campus-wide Ph.D.-granting program that brings together neurobiologists,
cognitive scientists and computational neuroscientists with a common
interest in the brain (Dr. Moss was the Graduate Director 1998-1999;
Dr. Payne is the current Graduate Director). Many of the faculty and
students in the NACS Program have a common interest in Neuroethology.
All faculty in the Neuroethology training program are part of the
NACS Graduate Program but not all of the graduate students working
with NACS-affiliated faculty will be enrolled in the NACS Graduate
Program. Some students will pursue degrees in Biology, Psychology
or related fields. All students that are working with the training program faculty
and specialize in topics of Neuroethology will be eligible
for support through the proposed training program.
The sixty faculty in the NACS Program provide breadth and access
to the facilities of all the departments and Institutes of its faculty
members. These include the Institute for Systems Research, Institute
for Advanced Computer Studies, Center for Automation Research, and
the various well-equipped research laboratories and department facilities
of the faculty. Faculty research interests range from molecular
neurobiology, neural and behavioral systems to studies
of language and cognition. Both theoretical and experimental research approaches
are employed in our laboratories.
Students will have cutting-edge methodologies available in the experimental
approach. Mathematical, computer and engineering studies will be part of the
theoretical aspect.
While students receive their doctoral degree from NACS program, research and training
activities of NACS take place within the participating departments.
These departments include Animal and Avian Sciences, Biology, Computer Science,
Center for Automation Research, Electrical Engineering, English, Hearing and Speech Sciences, Human
Development, Human Nutrition and Food Science, Kinesiology, Linguistics,
Mathematics, Philosophy, and Psychology. There
are a number of NACS activities including courses, seminars, and
journal clubs to bring students and faculty together in order to emphasize
the interdisciplinary aspects of the program.
The goal of the Program is to consolidate the diverse
perspectives and strengths of all the included disciplines in order
to understand the behavior, mind and nervous system. The Behavior,
Evolution, Ecology, and Systematics (BEES) group includes faculty
and associated professors with primary interests in Population, Community,
and Evolutionary Ecology, Plant/Animal Interactions, Evolutionary
Biology (including Functional Morphology, Paleontology, Systematics,
and Molecular Evolution), and Behavioral Biology. BEES faculty and
students maintain an active and productive relationship with the
US Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, the
Smithsonian Molecular Evolution and Systematics Laboratory at Suitland,
MD and the National Zoological Park. The BEES group has a NSF training program
for researchers working on the biological implications of
small population size. Specific training activities include graduate
courses in evolutionary biology and a continuing program of short
technical training sessions (2-5 days)in advanced research techniques,
and a research seminar series with an annual spring workshop and
conference. The BEES director, Dr. Wilkinson, is an affiliate member
of this training program. Neuroethology trainees with strong interest
in evolution will have access to BEES courses and facilities. |
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