The Neurobiology of Hearing is part of the Neuroscience Study Abroad Program in Salamanca Spain. This course is for PhD students in Neuroscience and Hearing Research and upper-level undergraduate honors students in science, audiology, and premedical majors. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the auditory system as well as providing a review of current research topics in auditory neuroscience. Undergraduate students will have a more realistic view of research after this course. Both UCONN at the Health Center and Storrs and the University of Salamanca are the home of world-class laboratories that work on hearing, communication, and the central auditory system.

In the “Neurobiology of Hearing” students will develop a detailed understanding of the peripheral and central auditory system and the neurobiological basis of sound processing. They will become familiar with current research topics in Auditory Neuroscience. The interdisciplinary approach embodied by Neuroscience and the diverse areas of expertise of the faculty guarantees that the students will be exposed to different aspects of auditory research and Neuroscience including synaptic physiology, neural circuitry, acoustics, auditory physiology, and behavior.

This course is intended to be especially beneficial to 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students interested in premedical studies or research on the auditory system. Undergraduates should have already completed introductory course work in Neuroscience, Physiological Psychology, Auditory Science/Audiology or human/animal anatomy/physiology. Some familiarity with neurons, ions, and physiology is expected. We hope this course will encourage premedical students to consider neuro-otology as a specialty or speech and hearing science as a career. Undergraduate and graduate students also will be led to consider PhD-level training in Neuroscience, Physiology, Communication Disorders, or Biomedical Engineering in order to pursue research on hearing and hearing disorders.

Students will be assessed on their classroom participation, papers, and critiques of papers. Students will receive grades based on four 1+ page papers in which they propose a hypothesis-driven experiment directly related to previous lectures in the course. Students also will be graded on their critique of a paper by another student each week.

Instructor

D. Oliver, 1-860-679-2241, doliver@neuron.uchc.edu;

Dates

May 24, 2010 to June 25, 2010 -- Five weeks.

Day/Time

Mon-Thurs, 2hr/day, 40 hr total, 4-6 pm.
Paper due Wednesday; critique due Thursday.

Location

Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y Leon, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, SPAIN

Credits

3

Enrollment

15 or more students must be enrolled in the study abroad program

Permission

Permission is required for undergraduates. Registration is for Summer 2010

Prerequisites
  • Undergraduates: An introductory neuroscience course such as Biology of the Brain (PNB-3251) is the preferred background. Multiple 2000 level courses in Physiology, Anatomy, Cell and Molecular Biology, or Physiological Psychology may be adequate. Some previous experience in Biomedical or Neuroscience research would also be helpful.
  • Graduate Students: an introductory Neuroscience course such as PNB 5301 (Fundamentals of Neurobiology).

REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION:
Office of Study Abroad, University of Connecticut, Room 303 Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE) building, 368 Fairfield Road, Unit 2207, Storrs, CT 06269-2207 U.S.A.; Office hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday; 860-486-5022; email: studyabroad@uconn.edu; http://studyabroad.uconn.edu/