In this competing renewal application, we request funds to continue support for an integrated, multidisciplinary, neuroscience training program at New York University, one that prepares trainees for the intensely collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of modern neuroscience research. Historically, two neuroscience graduate programs existed in parallel at NYU. However, with substantial support from the University over the past seven years, we have reached a new phase of program integration that seamlessly merges neuroscience graduate education at NYU and offers far greater breadth and depth of training than each program offered individually. Our program, which includes 81 training faculty, combines the strengths in systems, cognitive, and computational neuroscience from the Washington Square-based Center for Neural Science with those in cellular, molecular, developmental, translational, and clinical neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine campus, and it serves as the foundation for the extensive neuroscience community at NYU. Our graduate program is highly competitive at the national level, proven by our success during the previous funding period in recruiting outstanding graduate students as well as a number of new junior and senior faculty. Since our last submission, the Medical School also recruited Richard Tsien to establish the NYU Neuroscience Institute, which has created even greater enthusiasm around the neuroscience program here at NYU. The specific goals of our neuroscience training program are: (1) To provide a rigorous, high-quality, and broad-based graduate education in neuroscience within the context of an interactive, collegial, and cutting-edge research environment; (2) To increase the number of high caliber students that apply to and participate in the program, including active recruitment of underrepresented minorities; (3) To provide students with guidance of a rigorous mentoring system that ushers students through a series of milestones to a doctoral degree typically in 5-6 years; (4) To train students in necessary professional skills, including critical reading, grant writing, oral presentation, leadership, management, and networking; (5) To encourage a broad perspective on the field of neuroscience that encompasses basic, translational, and clinical research; and (6) To prepare students for the variety of scientific career opportunities that will be available to them after graduate school. We request funding for 12 predoctoral students in their first and second years. The increase in slots over the previous funding period is amply justified by the large increase in faculty and student populations. Through our newly integrated graduate program, we provide trainees with a vast and rich intellectual environment, as well as the resources and experience, to confidently pursue their own scientific interests and become independent scientific leaders, who will make future breakthroughs in basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience.

Public Health Relevance

Neuroscience is a highly multidisciplinary science that incorporates diverse areas of research from biology, psychology, genetics, computer science, and physics. The proposed program will provide students with integrated, multidisciplinary training in the molecular, cellular and system properties of the nervous system. It will significantly contribute to the training of a new generation of neuroscientists that will positivel impact our understanding of diverse neurological and psychiatric diseases and be prepared for a diverse range of scientific careers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
2T32MH096331-06
Application #
8854857
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZGM1)
Program Officer
Desmond, Nancy L
Project Start
2010-07-01
Project End
2020-06-30
Budget Start
2015-07-01
Budget End
2016-06-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Anesthesiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
121911077
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10016
D'Elia, Kristen P; Dasen, Jeremy S (2018) Topographic Maps: Motor Axons Wait Their Turn. Curr Biol 28:R86-R88
Talbot, Zoe Nicole; Sparks, Fraser Todd; Dvorak, Dino et al. (2018) Normal CA1 Place Fields but Discoordinated Network Discharge in a Fmr1-Null Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome. Neuron 97:684-697.e4
Perry, Rosemarie E; Finegood, Eric D; Braren, Stephen H et al. (2018) Developing a neurobehavioral animal model of poverty: Drawing cross-species connections between environments of scarcity-adversity, parenting quality, and infant outcome. Dev Psychopathol :1-20
Jung, Heekyung; Baek, Myungin; D'Elia, Kristen P et al. (2018) The Ancient Origins of Neural Substrates for Land Walking. Cell 172:667-682.e15
Leffler, Abba E; Kuryatov, Alexander; Zebroski, Henry A et al. (2017) Discovery of peptide ligands through docking and virtual screening at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor homology models. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E8100-E8109
Zang, Kara E; Ho, Elver; Ringstad, Niels (2017) Inhibitory peptidergic modulation of C. elegans serotonin neurons is gated by T-type calcium channels. Elife 6:
Rickenbacher, Elizabeth; Perry, Rosemarie E; Sullivan, Regina M et al. (2017) Freezing suppression by oxytocin in central amygdala allows alternate defensive behaviours and mother-pup interactions. Elife 6:
Al Aïn, Syrina; Perry, Rosemarie E; Nuñez, Bestina et al. (2017) Neurobehavioral assessment of maternal odor in developing rat pups: implications for social buffering. Soc Neurosci 12:32-49
Mowery, Todd M; Penikis, Kristina B; Young, Stephen K et al. (2017) The Sensory Striatum Is Permanently Impaired by Transient Developmental Deprivation. Cell Rep 19:2462-2468
Santiago, Adrienne; Aoki, Chiye; Sullivan, Regina M (2017) From attachment to independence: Stress hormone control of ecologically relevant emergence of infants' responses to threat. Curr Opin Behav Sci 14:78-85

Showing the most recent 10 out of 23 publications