In reply to student requests and in recognition of the rapid advancement of the neurosciences over the past decade, the Psychology Department has set a goal to establish a neurosciences curriculum. This series of lecture and laboratory courses provides a structured approach for studying brain and behavior interaction. The equipment requested through this grant significantly enhances the science education of lower- and upper- division students through demonstration and active participation. However, the greatest impact is being achieved through the creation of a Neurosciences Laboratory facility. This Laboratory supports three new courses and four new laboratory classes in which psychology students first learn, and then empirically validate, scientific concepts and theories. Included in the new curriculum are laboratory sections for existing basic courses in physiological psychology and learning, as well as completely new courses with Laboratories in Experimental Neuroanatomy, Electrophysiology and Behavior, and Neuroimaging in Neuroscience. With over 550 undergraduate majors in psychology, the cost effectiveness and educational impact of this new science program can be significant.
