neuroscience.williams.eduNeuroscience

Skip to main content Go to Williams College Home SEARCH Williams Search Box Type in your search terms and press enter or navigate down for suggested search results. Menu use tab and shift-tab to navigate once expanded Main Williams Navigation Academics Areas of Study Course Catalog Faculty Graduate Programs Special Academic Programs Study Away Tutorials Winter Study Admission & Aid Admission & Aid Affordability Apply Financial Aid Tours Alumni & Families Alumni Parents & Families Ways to Give Make a Gift Life on Campus Activities Bookstore Dining Health Services Housing Religion & Spirituality Main Featured Links Diversity & Equity Experiential Learning & Community Engagement Sustainability Arts Athletics Career Exploration Center Libraries Quick Links Main Social Nav Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Flickr LinkedIn Feeds Williams » Welcome is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field concerned with understanding the relationship between a single organ – the brain – and behavior. The areas that neuroscience draws upon and addresses are diverse and interdisciplinary. They range from physiological and molecular studies of single neurons, through investigations of how systems of neurons produce phenomena such as vision and movement, to the study of the neural basis of emotions and complex cognitive phenomena such as memory, language, and consciousness. The interdisciplinary nature of the field is also apparent when surveying those who call themselves neuroscientists. Among these are anatomists, physiologists, chemists, psychologists, philosophers, molecular biologists, computer scientists, linguists, and ethologists. Combining such a wide range of approaches and research methods to study the brain requires a correspondingly interdisciplinary framework. The Williams College Program is designed to provide students the opportunity to use this interdisciplinary approach. Upon completing the program, students should have developed the skills for studying a single remarkably complex organ, the brain, and the behavior that it controls: Mastery of content . Students will know the neuroanatomy of the brain and the functions of specific areas within the brain. They will understand the electrical properties of neurons, signaling via neurotransmitters, the principles of sensory encoding, how motor systems work, how circuits are organized and regulated, how behavioral tests and measures can be used to assess nervous system function, and how connections are altered during development and via adult plasticity. Finally, they will be familiar with a wide variety of techniques used to explore brain structure and function, and they will understand both the advantages and the inherent limitations of specific techniques. Critical analysis . Students will be able to read the primary literature, recognizing the central question and the specific hypothesis being tested. They will be equipped to carefully critique the methods and results, and be able to understand the wider implications of those results. In addition, students will be able to develop alternative interpretations, and formulate strategies for testing those interpretations. The ability to independently extend knowledge about neuroscience . Students will be able to design novel hypothesis-driven experiments that use appropriate techniques and measures to extend existing knowledge. Students will have opportunities to carry out such projects, either in upper-level courses or in a research laboratory. Communication . Students will be able present information about neuroscience orally to a wide variety of audiences – for example, to specialists in the field, to the general public, or to elementary school students. Students will also be able to present their ideas and results in standard scientific written formats, such as professional posters, articles intended for publication, and research proposals. Print this page Section Menu MENU The Program Overview Current Concentrators Faculty & Staff Courses Facilities More Information After Williams Opportunities For Students Resources Recent Events Upcoming Neuro Events Williams Facebook Page Upcoming Science Events Fri 28 Feb Chemistry Colloquium: Professor Rabi Musah, SUNY Albany 1:10 pm at Thompson Chemistry Fri 28 Feb The shadow of the virus: measuring antibodies to track viruses as they move across populations 1:10 pm at Wege Auditorium Fri 6 Mar Chemistry Seminar: Professor Jesse Kroll, MIT 1:10 pm at Thompson Chemistry Williams Calendar » Psychology Department Williams College Williamstown, MA 01267 USA Phone Number 413.597.4107 413.597.2085 [email protected] Social Links Williams Facebook Page Go to Williams College Home Back to top Privacy Policy Comment Form Login...