In this webinar for SfN and Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) members, hear from undergraduate faculty who will share their best practices in undergraduate pedagogy implemented at a variety of institutions: liberal arts colleges, a mid-sized university, and a large research institution.
You will learn about different features of neuroscience curricula at the speakers’ institutions and lessons they have learned from launching and maintaining a neuroscience course of study for different administrative structures, types of degrees (including a minor and major), and an interdisciplinary neuroscience program.
Speakers will share how their programs continue evolving to address new challenges and opportunities. Highlights will include recommendations on:
- Accommodating growing student interest in a neuroscience course of study at small liberal arts colleges.
- Establishing a new neuroscience department or launching a course of study at a predominately undergraduate institution or a mid-sized university.
- Meeting the curricular and student needs of a neuroscience program at a large, research university.
Whether you are an undergraduate educator, an administrator, or an undergraduate student, this webinar will help you understand the approaches a variety of institutions are taking to develop the next generation of neuroscientists.
Speakers
Gary Dunbar, PhD
Gary L. Dunbar is the John G. Kulhavi Professor of Neuroscience, the E. Malcolm Field Endowed Chair, and the director of the neuroscience program at Central Michigan University. He also serves as the executive director of Field Neurosciences Institute. He is a former president of SfN’s Michigan chapter, the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, and the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair and senior editor of the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education. His teaching and research interests are primarily in the area of behavioral neuroscience. Dunbar earned his BA in psychology and BS in biopsychology from Eckerd College, MA in psychology and MS in biology from Central Michigan University, and PhD in biopsychology from Clark University.
Karen Parfitt, PhD
Karen Parfitt is a professor of neuroscience at Pomona College where she established a neuroscience department and a neurophysiology research and teaching lab. Her students investigate questions related to molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission, often in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. She previously served as a president of Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. She has taught courses for majors and non-majors in neurobiology, neuropharmacology, and introductory cell biology. Parfitt earned her BS from Cornell University and her PhD from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Laura Symonds, PhD
Laura Symonds is an associate professor of neuroscience and the director of undergraduate neuroscience program at Michigan State University. She previously served as an assistant professor at University of California, San Diego. Symonds earned her BS from Vanderbilt University, PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in developmental neuroscience at Princeton University and Oxford University. She also completed a Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.
Julio J. Ramirez, PhD
Julio J. Ramirez is the Chair and R. Stuart Dickson Professor of Psychology at Davidson College, founding president of Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, and council member of SfN. He is the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama. Ramirez earned his BS from Fairfield University, and his MA and PhD from Clark University.
