Neuroscience Courses

Trainees funded by or otherwise participating in the Research Training Program in Sleep, Circadian and Respiratory Neurobiology may be expected to complete one or more courses in neuroscience. Waivers of certain courses or requirements may be obtained by documenting with the Academic Advisor previous completion of the same or an equivalent course. Documentation of waivers must be filed with the program administrator.

Following is a list of previously-approved and future courses that may fulfill this requirement. Other courses can be substituted with approval from the trainee's faculty mentor and Academic Advisor. Documentation of course completion must be filed with the program administrator.

Neuroscience Short Courses

Neuroscience 2008 Neuroscience 2008, the 38th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, is scheduled for November 15 - 19 in Washington, DC.  Scientists will congregate from around the world to exchange ideas and information addressing the diverse field of neuroscience. Through lectures, symposia, workshops and more, Neuroscience 2008 is an opportunity for learning and professional development.  For more information and to register please visit the Neuroscience 2008 website. Sleep 2009 SLEEP 2009 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS) will be held June 6-11, 2009, at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington.   The Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC, was established in 1986 and is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The APSS publishes SLEEP, a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, and organizes an annual meeting of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine. This meeting is the largest gathering of sleep professionals in the world, attracting an international body of approximately 6,000 physicians, researchers, technologists, students and allied health care providers.  For more information, please visit the APSS website. National Council Discovery Day Scheduled for August 16, 2008.  Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. in Roscoe's at The Jackson Laboratory, followed by a day of discovery featuring President and Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Woychik, PhD, scientific research presentations and discussions, laboratory tours, and keynote speaker Raju Kucherlapati,PhD, Scientific Director of Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. A National Council business meeting will take place in the LCC Auditorium at The Jackson Laboratory from 3 – 4:30 p.m. This meeting is open to all current members and those interested in learning more about the Council.  Please visit the Jackson Laboratory website for more information on registration and accommodations. 17th Annual Short Course on Experimental Models of Human Cancer This course is scheduled for Aug 22, 2008 - Aug 31, 2008 at the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor ME.  This is a graduate-level genetics course for predoctoral and postdoctoral students as well as established investigators entering the field of mouse genetics. The course focuses on the mouse as an experimental tool in cancer research.  Workshops will include: mouse genome informatics, laboratory animal biomethods (optional), gross pathology, necropsy and tumor histo-pathology. The intensive course offers a mix of formal lectures, discussion groups, demonstrations, workshops and tutorials. The course is held in a retreat-like setting and is limited to 35 participants to ensure a supportive learning atmosphere with exceptional interaction between students and faculty.  Please visit the course website for more information. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole The MBL offers advanced, graduate-level courses in embryology, physiology, neurobiology, microbiology, reproduction, and parasitology for six to eight weeks each summer. For more information on these courses, please visit the Marine Biological Laboratory website. Neurobiology This intensive and comprehensive laboratory-oriented course in cellular and molecular neurobiology is scheduled for June 7, 2008 - August 10, 2008 at Woods Hole.  The course is intended for predoctoral students, postdoctoral or clinical researchers, and young investigators beginning independent research careers. Course limited to 12 students. The goal of the course is to emphasize the strengths of a multidisciplinary approach for studying the function of the nervous system at the cellular and molecular levels.       Physiology: Modern Cell Biology Using Microscopic, Biochemical and Computational Approaches This is an intensive laboratory course that provides a unique interdisciplinary training environment at the interface between cellular and computational biology. Students with backgrounds in both the biological and physical / computational sciences are encouraged to apply.  Course date is June 14, 2008 - August 3, 2008.   Neural Systems & Behavior This is an intensive eight-week laboratory and lecture course focusing on the neural basis of behavior. The course is intended for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent investigators. Limited to 20 participants.  Course date set for June 14, 2008 - August 10, 2008. Through a combination of lectures, exercises, and projects, students investigate behavior at the molecular, systems, and organismal levels using state-of-the-art techniques. Methods in Computational Neuroscience Methods in Computational Neuroscience introduces students to the computational and mathematical techniques that are used to address how the brain solves these problems at levels of neural organization ranging from single membrane channels to operations of the entire brain. This course is scheduled for August 3-31, 2008. Neuroinformatics The ability to digitally acquire, store and analyze large volumes of multichannel data in the neurosciences, ranging from multiple spike trains to brain images, has given rise to a new and growing body of research. This two-week course is structured around the related issues, and will contain both pedagogical lectures on the basic statistical techniques as well as focussed mini-workshops on specific neuroscience topics where applications of these techniques are critical. The course is scheduled for August 16 - 31, 2008. BioMedical Informatics Fall term scheduled for September 21 - 28, 2008.  This week-long survey course is designed to familiarize individuals with the application of computer technologies and information science in biomedicine and health science. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on computer exercises, participants will be introduced to the conceptual and technical components of biomedical informatics. Elective evening workshops will teach personal computer skills in using a variety of World Wide Web-based technologies.  This course is fully funded by the National Library of Medicine, NIH. Circadian Biology: From Clock Genes and Cellular Rhythms to Sleep Regulation (Harvard Summer School) August 20 through 22, 2008 with J. Woodland Hastings, PhD, professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University; and Steven W. Lockley, PhD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. The Harvard Summer School is pleased to announce the addition of a three-day special seminar for teachers in the sciences. Based on the well-known "Chautauqua Seminars" model, there is no cost to participants other than a $50 registration fee. The course is taught by distinguished Harvard faculty and provides an opportunity for invited scholars to share new knowledge, concepts, and techniques directly with teachers in ways which are immediately beneficial to their teaching. The primary aim of this rejuvenating session is to enable teachers to keep their teaching current with respect to both content and pedagogy. This course will be of interest to graduate students considering teaching, high school teachers, and college professors in the sciences.  For more information, please visit the course website.

Other Neuroscience Courses

EH223,  Advanced Respiratory Physiology (Harvard School of Public Health) This limited enrollment course is taught by Dr James Preston Butler of Harvard Medical School. Fall term: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00-10:20am, SPH3 - 204. Also cross-listed at FAS as BPH-206. This course will cover in depth three major aspects of pulmonary physiology. At the level of structure, lung mechanics in health and disease will be described, along with pulmonary function tests and their interpretation. At the level of function, gas exchange with blood will be emphasized, with quantitative emphases on the distributions of ventilation and perfusion. The control of breathing will be explored, with an emphasis on dyspnea and the role of chemical drive and its modulation. Special topics may include, among other themes, aerosol transport and deposition, host defense and the inflammatory response, and airway hyperactivity in asthma. HST100  Respiratory Pathophysiology (MIT) Directed by JM Drazen, SH Loring, and A Malhotra. Spring term: Time and place TBA. This course is designed as a first course in pulmonary biology in health and disease. The functional structure of the respiratory system and its physiology will be developed with the aid of quantitative models with relevance to human disease. The molecular basis of human disease, when known, will be reviewed and placed in the context of the aforementioned models. The use of diagnostic aids to establish the locus, type and magnitude of pathological processes will be examined. MBB93, The Biology of Conscious States: Waking, Sleeping, and Dreaming (Harvard University) This seminar is taught by Robert Stickgold, PhD of the DSM. Spring term: Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00pm, location TBA. This course focuses on waking, sleeping, and dreaming as examples of conscious states in both humans and animals. Original papers and books by Allan Hobson (The Dreaming Brain) and Antonio Damasio (The Feeling of What Happens) form the background for discussions of waking, sleeping, and dreaming from the perspectives of neurology, physiology, psychology, and cognitive neurosciences. Discusses various approaches to understanding the functions of sleep and wake (consciousness) and reviews several theories on the topic.  Please visit the course website for more information.

Please refer to the table of Academic Requirements to determine whether a course in neuroscience is required or recommended for you. Confirmation of requirements should be made in consultation with your Academic Advisor. 

Related Links
Academic Requirements (overview of courses)
Other Required Activities
Other Recommended Courses and Activities
Certificate Program requirements
Course Registration Deadlines (calendar)