The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) is an NSF Science and Technology Center with eight participating Atlanta-area institutions: Clark-Atlanta University, Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College, and Spelman College. These eight institutions have partnered to investigate those brain mechanisms that are responsible for social behaviors (e.g. fear, aggression, and reproduction) and to develop programs that expose students at all levels to the latest findings and career opportunities in the sciences. Funding from the NSF-REU program will allow participants to enjoy the opportunity to partake in an inter-institutional, interdisciplinary research environment. For ten summer weeks, ten undergraduate students will engage in research focused on topics including fear, reproduction and aggression. In addition, students will participate in weekly ethics and career seminars, a poster session coordinated in conjunction with the Emory's Howard Hughes summer research program, biweekly journal clubs and methods course, and professional development training sessions.
Students at the freshman and sophomore levels from minority serving institutions, women colleges, and small colleges nationwide with limited research opportunities will be the primary targets of our recruitment efforts. Also, students from Atlanta will be invited to continue their research project throughout the academic year. In order to ensure that freshmen and sophomores will acclimate to the demands of an intense research environment, participants will be placed in CBN labs with junior and senior summer research students, who will serve as peer mentors. NSF-REU participants will receive a stipend of $3000, room and board, and a travel award, which may be used to cover the costs of attending the summer program and/or a national scientific meeting.
