Summer Program on Mind and Brain

Mind and Brain Home Page Program Description Mentors Research Laboratories Application Info and Form Recommendation Form Perceptual and Brain Sciences Program Cognitive Psychology Program Dept. of Psychology CSU Home Page

Detailed Program Description Mentored Research Experience. The centerpiece of the program is a research experience under the close mentorship of a faculty member. Participants will be matched with faculty mentors on the basis of their research interests and will conduct research in their mentor’s area of expertise. Research projects will be developed in the context of a research team in which participants receive additional assistance from a graduate student in their mentor’s lab. During the nine-week session, students will collaborate in the development, implementation, and presentation of an entire experiment. Within the context of this research experience, students will: (a) learn how to formulate and test hypotheses; (b) learn how to translate hypotheses into well-controlled, methodologically sound laboratory experiments; (c) learn the specific skills and techniques needed to run an experiment; (d) learn how to analyze data; and (e) learn how to present research in the form of a poster comparable to what you would see at a professional conference. The research problems available to students span a range of topics from the fields of perception, cognition, and cognitive neuroscience, reflecting the various research specializations of faculty mentors. Course on Mind, Brain, and Behavior. Participants will also complete a four-week course on Mind, Brain, and Behavior in conjunction with the summer research experience. The course will cover the literatures on perception and cognition using behavioral and physiological approaches, and will be team-taught by faculty who are experts in the various subdisciplines covered in the course. Workshops. An important goal of the program is to provide participants with knowledge and experience in the use of state-of-the-art technology for conducting research and give them access to equipment that is not available at their home institutions. Toward this goal, several half-day workshops are planned. Although the schedule of workshops has not yet be finalized, we currently plan to run workshops on the following topics: · Use of EEG equipment for the study of the electrophysiology of perception and cognition · Use of an eyetracking device for the study of visual perception and attention · Use of a research-grade driving simulator for the study of the perception and cognition of driving · Use of E-prime software for experiment construction · Use of SPSS for statistical analysis Site Visit. In partnership with collaborators at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, we are also planning a site visit in which experts will run mini-workshops on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) in their facility down in Denver (about one hour from our location). Weekly Seminar. A weekly seminar will also be held with a focus on the research process as well as career and professional development. Planned topics include: · Running experiments · Ethics in psychological research · Oral and poster presentation skills · The graduate school experience · Applying to graduate school · Use of special tools and technologies for research Social Activities. Although research and education form the basis of the program, we will include two social activities during the first week of the program. The first social activity is planned for the Sunday before students begin the program. One of the participating faculty members will host an informal barbeque at their residence so that participating students and mentors can meet for the first time in a relaxed setting. The second social activity will occur at the end of the first week of the program and will entail whitewater rafting on the Poudre River, just west of campus. Social interaction will also be facilitated by housing students together in a block of rooms in the same residence hall on campus. Symposium. The capstone experience of the Summer Program will be a research symposium held at the end of the nine-week session. All students in the program will present a poster during a poster session attended by faculty mentors and graduate students. The symposium will also feature a keynote address delivered by a prominent scientist who studies the mind and brain. The session will conclude with a banquet in which students receive awards and certificates of completion. Department of Psychology Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523 Phone: 970.491.6363 Fax: 970.491.1032 Disclaimer | Equal Opportunity