The Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University (MSU) provides interdisciplinary graduate education and research training leading to the Ph.D. degree in neuroscience. The Program's mission is to prepare students for successful research careers in academia, government, or the private sector. The Training Program is predicated on the conviction that the best and most successful neuroscientists 1) have a strong foundation in the operation of the nervous system at all major levels of analysis, 2) are well-versed in scientific method and hypothesis testing, and 3) have acquired the professional skills that facilitate interdisciplinary research collaborations and the integration and dissemination of knowledge. To provide students with these essential tools, the Training Program includes a broad-based curriculum in the fundamentals of nervous system function and disease, specialized research training with faculty, and professional mentoring. The 25 training faculty come from a broad spectrum of departments;research opportunities for trainees range from the molecular basis of synapse formation to the evolution of nervous system structure and behavior. This renewal application is for support of two students for each of the first two years of study prior to full time thesis research. During the first period of support, training grant funds were leveraged with institutional resources to expand course offerings, to broaden research training opportunities through the recruitment of new training faculty, to improve professional training and mentoring in analytical, communication, and teaching skills, to enhance efforts to recruit underrepresented minorities, to support participation in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, and to contribute to public education in neuroscience. During the next period of training grant support, the Neuroscience Program will continue to evaluate and improve its training activities. The faculty is committed to providing students with the research training and mentoring that enable them to identify important research problems and work collaboratively to solve them, and to developing the professional skills and behaviors that are necessary for successful research careers.
