An interdisciplinary Research-Training Program is proposed that focuses on """"""""The Neurobiology of Otorhinolaryngology"""""""" (TNO). The Program prepares exceptional students for academic research careers in the Hearing, Vestibular, and Chemo Sensory Sciences. The Program provides research training to Medical Students, Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Physician Scientist Research Fellows. Research opportunities are offered in development, cochlear function, neural signal processing, human and animal psychophysics, animal communication, middle-ear function, olfaction and taste, neuroengineering, and vestibular function. The 24 training faculty come from the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology, Biology, Psychology, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, Neurology, Psychiatry, Pathology, and Clinical Studies. Faculty membership is governed by expertise in Program areas, a commitment to student training, and funding to supplement trainee support. An Executive Committee oversees program activities, appoints students to the Program, and monitors trainee progress. Graduate Students are drawn from the Neuroscience, Bioengineering, Biology or Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Groups, while Medical Students are recruited from the School of Medicine. The M.D. and Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellows are """"""""recruited nationally. The Program provides three years of Graduate Student support during the dissertation years. Medical Students are supported for one full year of research. Two or three years of support are provided for Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellows. Physician Scientist Postdoctoral Fellows are supported for two years of research. All Trainees participate in seminars on the ethical conduct of research, scientific seminars, journal clubs, and the annual TNO Retreat. They are provided instruction in the process of preparing publications, posters, and grants. The concept of a """"""""Meeting Place"""""""" is utilized to foster faculty/trainee interactions by broadening the trainees' appreciation of research strategies in the TNO disciplines, by providing historical perspectives on the field, and in developing an understanding of the pathophysiological basis for hearing, vestibular, and smell and taste disorders. The """"""""Meeting Place"""""""" provides an opportunity to refine trainees' instructional and teaching skills. Research is conducted under the supervision of one of the trainers. We are requesting four predoctoral, three postdoctoral positions per year. ? ?
