This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2002. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.
The research and training plan is entitled "Chronic stress and amygdala function." A handful of studies suggest that chronic stress may enhance cellular function in the amygdala, a brain structure that plays a critical role in emotional learning and memory. This project will characterize the effects of chronic stress on the amygdala using behavioral, electrophysiological, and cellular measures in rats.
