NeuroscienceProgram Courses
Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases
This course will review current attempts to understand neurological disease from a molecular point of view. Students will learn how to apply the basic methods in molecular biology and molecular genetics to the study of neurological disease. Topics will include muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The course will consist of lectures, critical discussions of recent research papers and the preparation of an original research paper.
From Neuron to the Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
This course is a primer on general topics within neuroscience covering basic principles of brain function and behavior from the neuron, to circuits, to behavior. The course includes introductions to each of these topics and provides overviews and labs in neuroanatomy, neurodevelopment, electrophysiology, neurochemistry, ion channels and neuroimaging.
Logic and Experimental Design
This multidisciplinary course combines lectures about the fundamental biochemical, cellular, molecular, immunological, genetic, and bioinformatics approaches that are used in biomedical research with critical discussion of research papers. In addition to lectures, each meeting will have provisions for a discussion period. Generally, the discussion period will be used to discuss an original research paper, but occasionally it will be used for a model-building laboratory, or a review session. The development of a research proposal is a major component of the course. The course is open to all students and fellows and it is a core course for both neuroscience and pharmacology.
Development and Learning Seminar
This seminar covers general topics on learning and development covering basic principles of behavioral and brain development, plasticity and neurodevelopmental disorders. The course format includes readings and student presentations in addition to writing a paper using the populations and/or methods discussed to test a question specific to development and learning.
Neuroscience 444–Drug Development: A Disease Business Approach
Everyone in biomedical science and medicine interacts with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, but students are often unprepared to understand these companies as businesses, evaluate them as places to develop his or her career, understand how they impact science, or appreciate how they are changing health care delivery. This seminar course covers how drugs and medical devices are developed and commercialized. The course includes presentations on drug development, clinical trials, the FDA, patent law, pricing policy, drug sales, financial analysis, and related topics. It also includes presentations on specific biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies including an analysis of present and future performance. Students will be expected to actively participate in 15 meetings over a two-year period (there are 10 meetings each year), extensively follow a single company for a year, evaluate its prospects and make a formal presentation on that company.
Neuroscience Faculty and Their Research
This course combines the seminar series in the program in Neuroscience with critical discussions of papers published by the speaker, or related papers in the area of that week's seminar.
Progress in Neuroscience Seminar Series
This course is the seminar series in the program in Neuroscience. Most lectures are given by speakers invited from outside the Weill Cornell community, but speakers are also drawn from the program in Neuroscience and scientists at the WCGS with related interests.
Research Proposals and Scientific Journalism: Inspiration, Writing and Evaluation
This seminar course will provide students with experience in developing and writing both a popular science article and a research plan in an area of his or her choosing. Students will also critically evaluate the merits of specific approaches to scientific problems.
Responsible Conduct of Research
The objectives of this course are to heighten students' awareness of ethical considerations relevant to the conduct of research; inform students of federal, state, and institutional policies, regulations, and procedures; and provide students with critical analysis and problem solving skills for ethical decision-making.
