Teaching Facilities
For more information on the faculty members listed below and their research programs consult the page on Faculty.
Facilities include those from both the psychology and biology departments.
| Teaching Laboratory Resources |
The psychology department has recently constructed a new 800 square foot neuroscience teaching laboratory to support laboratory instruction in NS 101, as well as lab instruction in other neuroscience courses (PS213 Hormones and Behavior, PS304 Physiological Psychology). The lab is equipped with seven computer-interfaced psychophysiological recording stations, neuroanatomical brain and spinal cord models, a computer-controlled multimedia projection system, sheep brain dissection equipment, and software for laboratory demonstrations and integration of information technology.
In the NS 101 course, for example, students participate in four main laboratories throughout the semester. In the first lab, they learn about functional neuroanatomy through dissections of sheep brains, disassembly of human brain models, and utilization of interactive neuroanatomy software. For the second laboratory, they use interactive computer simulation software to explore in detail the mechanisms underlying neural transmission. Specifically, they conduct experiments in which they manipulate certain variables (e.g., the temperature of the neuron, whether the axon is myelinated, the presence of anesthetic agents/toxins) and observe the effects on neural transmission. For the last two labs they learn how to make recordings of various bioelectric signals (galvanic skin responset GSR, electrocardiogram--ECG, and event-related potentialst ERPs) and study how these are associated with emotional and cognitive processes.
The psychology department also has a computer-based teaching lab, equipped with 12 Macintosh G3 266 computers with data acquisition and analysis software, dedicated to laboratory instruction for PS217 Statistical Methods in Psychology, PS306 Experimental Psychology and several other courses.
The six biology department faculty each maintain a 1200 square foot teaching laboratory dedicated to lab instruction in their respective courses. The physiology teaching lab in biology is equipped with five computerized physiological recording stations with Grass recorders linked to PowerLab A/D data collection hardware and software for neurophysiological monitoring (heart rate reflex regulation, EMG & GSR analysis & biofeedback, EEG recording & frequency analysis and evoked potentials) Linked with Grass AC & DC isolated preamps, extracellular nerve and cardiac action potential recording and analysis are also done).
Biology lab instruction is also supported by DNA electrophoresis set-ups for lab sections of sixteen students, eight wireless laptop computers, 48 Wilde dissecting microscopes and 48 Nikon compound microscopes, two walk-in cold rooms, two minus 80 degree Centigrade freezers, an ultracentrifuge, two autoclaves, and mammalian tissue culture facilities. An existing laboratory will be renovated and equipped so serve as a histology facility over the summer.