Georgetown University Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

1. Georgetown University Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

2. First year: Introduction to discipline and department • Critical thinking and questioning • Coursework, including Neuroscience Survey • Lab rotations • Coursework should require analysis/thinking rather the regurgitation • 1st year IPN Core course: modules that cover breadth of neuroscience, team taught by experts in each discipline • Seminars, summer Neurofest, social events, and rotations help to incorporate students into the community

3. Introduction to the research enterprise • Students complete 3 laboratory rotations in the first year (starts July 1). • Students present a short seminar on each rotation project to the IPN community. • Students write a mini-grant proposal and conduct a mock NIH study section with full reviews, including assigning priority scores.

4. Significant Transition • Annual “Neurolunch” seminar presentation • Once per year, each student, starting in the 2nd year, presents to the entire membership. • May include data from pilot studies, failed experiments, recently submitted/published papers, ideas for new directions. • Serves multiple purposes • Developing/sharpening presentation skills • Explaining/ defending research to broad audience • Receiving feedback and constructive criticism • Self-assessment of progress

5. Significant Transition (cont’d) • Comprehensive Exam: 2 components • 1) Written exam: cumulative final for the “core course” • Taken at the end of the first year (NEW). • Choice of 4/6 questions on didactic material. • Choice of 2/4 questions requiring analysis of papers from the literature. • Closed book/in-class format • 2) Oral Exam: preparation for dissertation research • Taken in the second year • Student examined for 1-2 hours by 3 faculty and the proposed mentor • Exam focuses on topic identified by student, typically in the area of the proposed thesis • Certifies that student has knowledge base and analytical skills to initiate independent research

6. Dissertation and defense • Student and mentor confer on dissertation topic. • Mentor and committee provide guidance in selecting focused, hypothesis-driven research questions. • Student typically writes pre-doctoral fellowship proposal. • Student and mentor work closely; consultation with committee varies. • When are you finished? When your advisor and committee say so . . . • Oral defense: public presentation (1 hour) followed by closed examination by committee.

7. Other features(Commonalities ?) • Teaching opportunities (optional) • Howard Hughes Summer Institute • For “gifted” rising sophmores in the biology department. • IPN students teach one or two lectures each in a minicourse (can get course credit for teaching). • Focus is on creating interactive, experimental learning. • Disorders and Diseases of the Brain • Team taught course for undergraduates • Completely organized and taught by doctoral students from the IPN (can get course credit for teaching). • Students typically teach one or two lectures in their area of interest.

8. Innovation • IPN students escort and run tour station activities for an annual Brain Awareness Week visit : • for a group of 50 7th grade students from a DC public school. • Interactions with visiting seminar series speakers: • join the first and second year for a ‘journal club’ discussion of one of the speakers recent papers • have lunch with thesis students in their area of research.

9. Novel Idea • Alternative formats (in place of traditional comprehensive exam) to mark the completion of coursework and transition to thesis research • Teaching a course • Oral exam only • Presentation • Grant proposal