The goal of this program is to support graduate training in the field of vision at MIT. Funding for four predoctoral students in the first year is requested, with an increase of one per year for the next four years. The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) has a very broad range of research and teaching in the vision sciences, with particular expertise in visual development, neurophysiology, psychophysics, and computational models. In conjunction with participants from the Department of Biology and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the program will provide excellent opportunities for students to explore a wide range of topics in vision. In the first year of the graduate program, all BCS students take two of three core courses: Systems Neuroscience in the fall, and either Cognitive Science or Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology in the spring. During the first year, students also begin research, either immediately or after one to three rotations in laboratories. Throughout the course of their education, graduate students are expected to conduct research at least half-time, while taking courses or teaching, or full-time during summers and after coursework is complete. Acting as teaching assistants is required for three terms, usually one term each in the second, third, and fourth years. An advisory committee is chosen within the first year, although the primary advisor usually has the greatest contact with the student. Written and oral qualifying exams take place after the second year, and a research report is required during the third year. The BCS graduate program is coordinated by a Graduate Committee comprised of representatives from each area of the department, and a Graduate Office which implements the Committee's decisions and administers the graduate program. The purpose of this training program is to produce a new generation of vision researchers who are highly trained in their own field of expertise, but who are also broadly educated about the scientific foundations that link the vision community together. Relevance: Vision scientists seek to understand how the eye and brain work, and also seek to understand what goes wrong in visual disorders and diseases. Today's vision scientists must be trained in multiple disciplines, including biology, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. MIT's training program is designed to give students the scientific breadth and depth that they need to make advances in the field.
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