This proposal describes the continuation of the Training Program in the Neuroscience of Human Cognition. A group of 25 faculty preceptors?investigating perception, attention, memory, emotion, problem solving, language, cognitive control, and the like?has been assembled to participate in training the next generation of cognitive neuroscientists at Northwestern University. The training program is led by Ken Paller (Director), Marsel Mesulam (Associate Director), and an Internal Steering Committee, with input from an External Advisory Committee. Each year, pre- and postdoctoral trainees are selected through a highly competitive process on the basis of proposed research, scientific potential, and excellence of prior scientific training. Funding from the Northwestern Graduate School is also provided to 3 predoc Affiliate Trainees per year. Trainees conduct their research under the guidance of one or more preceptors affiliated with many different departments and centers within the university. In order to provide thorough training in all facets of Cognitive Neuroscience, the training program brings together a diverse set of perspectives to facilitate a broad range of methodological, computational, and theoretical endeavors. Exceptional opportunities are provided for trainees to learn from and closely interact with local and visiting faculty members, and with other trainees, in the service of expanding their capacity for creative research on the neural substrates of cognition. Trainees often bridge the distinct areas of expertise of two mentors through novel interdisciplinary collaborations, thus expanding the breadth of both their training and of Cognitive Neuroscience research at Northwestern. Trainees gain from in-depth research discussions with a network of other scientists outside their home laboratory and department, including regular presentations (and critique) of their own work. Concerted efforts focus on including under-represented individuals and on fostering a diversity of perspectives, which also enriches the whole program. This T32 funding mechanism facilitates innovative strategies and novel research orientations, and solidifies a sense of community for all involved in human cognitive neuroscience at Northwestern. Value-added benefits of the program also include a rich array of activities that supplement standard research training, providing trainees with opportunities to expand their training outside of the home laboratory and beyond departmental boundaries. The community also facilitates training in specific research skills across individuals and supplies generally relevant knowledge to help trainees gain independence and become better scientists. Faculty preceptors monitor training through formal advising and evaluations, with ample examples of written and oral scientific communication, and with attention to responsible conduct and all aspects of career development. A chief goal of the program is to provide top-rate comprehensive training to young scientists who will become future leaders in human cognitive neuroscience, ultimately bringing their skills to bear on a variety of scientific endeavors pertinent to health and disease.
Cognition is the focus of human achievement and is essential for human success, but it is also the focal point of the most malicious attacks on health, giving rise to immense suffering and a high emotional and monetary cost in our society. Treating and preventing neurological and psychiatric disease, and the typical symptoms of aging, depends on understanding the cognitive problems presented in the clinic, which in turn depends on understanding the brain bases of these problems. The Training Program in the Neuroscience of Human Cognition provides young scientists at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels with the necessary experiences and guidance to prepare them to become future leaders and substantive contributors to this field.
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