This award will establish an undergraduate research experience site in the Department of Psychobiology in Neural Plasticity and Brain Function. The eight-week summer program will begin with a one-week lecture/seminar series designed to introduce eight students to the field and to the research of the various faculty. This will be followed by an active research experience in faculty laboratories on a defined project tailored to the goals of students and their advisors. Throughout this period, students will continue to interact with faculty in both formal and informal meetings. At the end of the program, students will present their findings to other students in the department and to the faculty. This proposal is a direct outgrowth of a highly successful one-week undergraduate Summer Institute offered last year which, upon encouragement from students and faculty, will now be expanded into an eight-week program.
