1. Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience Terry D. Blumenthal, Ph. D. Wake Forest University

2. The Neuroscience Minor at Wake Forest Launched in 2000, first students graduated with the minor in 2003 Faculty in Biology, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Psychology Over 50 students graduated in the past 6 years Their success rate is stunning!

3. Requirements Required Courses: 7 credits Elective Courses: 8 credits (Biology, Computer Science, Health and Exercise Science, Philosophy, Psychology) Research: 2 credits

4. Research in Neuroscience Reynolda Campus Medical School

5. What Students Learn in My Lab How to read science Research design How to write an IRB proposal Equipment for presenting stimuli and measuring responses Data analysis plan Lab management Recruiting participants

6. and then the participant arrives... Interacting with the participant Attaching sensors Collecting data Scoring data Analyzing data Writing a report Planning the next step

7. What we use Startle eyeblink response Skin conductance level and response EKG Finger pulse volume Blood Pressure Self-report questionnaires Visual Analog Scale Behavioral observation

8. Startle Eyeblink Sensitive, simple, easy Cross-species Developmental Can be used to measure attention, emotion, arousal, personality, drug effects, expectancy, sensory sensitivity, multisensory interaction, fear, anxiety, schizophrenia, habituation, life, the universe, and everything.

13. Startle Pathway Startle Center nRPC Facial Motor n. CN 7 Sound “Touch” Light Trigeminal Vestibular Dorsal Column Cochlear n. CN 8 Superior Colliculus Amygdala Tegmentum Pre-Frontal Cortex Basal Ganglia Orbicularis Oculi Motor Cortex

14. What have they done? Personality Research Race rejection images and racial regard: Yolanda Lawson & Clark Shell (Journal of Youth and Adolescence) Schizoid, histrionic, borderline traits: Joe Franklin (SPR) Eating disorders: Joe Franklin (SPR) Extraversion: Lynda Gioia, Jennifer Scruggs, Kevin Muse (SPR) Psychosis-prone: Joanna Thompson (SPR)

15. Signal-to-noise ratio: Joe Franklin and Nicole Moretti (Psychophysiology; Biological Psychology) Magnitude estimation: Ed Ergenzinger (Perception & Psychophysics) Low-intensity sensitivity: Chris Goode (Psychophysiology) What have they done? Psychophysics Research

16. Social anxiety: Ashley Mays, Kevin Muse (Personality and Individual Differences; SPR) Social evaluation and perceptual processing: Lynda Gioia, Kevin Muse (SPR) What have they done? Social Research

17. Attention: Joe Franklin, Elisa Agrella, Cecilia McNamara (APS, SPR, SEPA) Time Estimation: Joe Franklin (SYNAPSE) Pain: Scott Duncan (Advances in Psychological Research) What have they done? Cognitive Research

18. Hormonal factors: Robert Linz (SPR) Caffeine and placebo responding, addiction, withdrawal, and conditioning: Ryan Newton, Marie White, Erika Carello, Pete Kardel, Nathan Schultheiss, Heather Scalf, Cecilia McNamara, Lisa Mann, Tim Ralston (SPR) What have they done? Psychopharmacology Research

19. Mood induction: Ed Ergenzinger (SEPA) Anxiety: Ashley Mays (SPR, SYNAPSE) What have they done? Emotion Research

20. Legal: Ed Ergenzinger (Practical Dispute Resolution) Forensic: Nicole Dorthe (Forensic Sciences Meeting) Multisensory interaction: Chris Lovelace (Psychobiology) Computer Issues: Joe Cooper (Psychophysiology) What have they done? Other Research

21. Where Do They Go? Neuroscience PhD programs Medical school Academic graduate school Law school Business and Industry (R&D)

22. What you need Flexibility: they will pull you in directions Fast ramp-up: they don’t have 3 years for training Mentoring: in all areas (design, data collection, analysis, writing, career, life) Keep your eye on the goal: scientists, not publications* * Sometimes you get both!

23. What You Get Breadth of Ideas Depth of Thinking Current Connections Impact on the Field

24. A Breath of Fresh Air Enthusiasm Work ethic Challenging questions Teaching moments An unfolding future

25. Were they happy? Yes!

26. And you will be too!

27. Thank you for your attention. Let’s eat!