NEURON
NEURON: NORTHWESTERN EDUCATION AND
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ON NEUROSCIENCE
NEURON is a competitive research and professional skills development program for students with a strong commitment to research and who are considering a career in neuroscience research. The goals of NEURON are to increase opportunities for Northwestern undergraduate students to participate meaningfully in research, enhance their learning from research, promote interdisciplinary interactions, and integrate undergraduates more fully within the broader Neuroscience community at Northwestern.
Because a key component of NEURON is mentorship, the student must identify an in-lab research mentor (faculty, post-doctoral researcher or graduate student member of the lab) who will be responsible for mentoring and providing quarterly feedback to the student (and the Major).
A separate role is played by NEURON partners. Partners are postdocs or senior grad students who are not specifically paired with one student, instead serving as "big brother/big sister" to all NEURON students.
Undergraduate NEURON candidates must be declared Neuroscience majors who have completed one year of study at Northwestern, hold sophomore, junior, or senior status, and have completed at least 2 quarters of research in their current lab.
NEURON provides:- Enhanced mentorship support, peer guidance from postdoc and grad student mentors, and an opportunity to interact with like-minded students.
- Monthly group meetings that include lab tours, scientific skills workshops, journal clubs, information on careers in science, student presentation, and information interactions among faculty, postdocs and graduate students.
- Free membership, registration, and an opportunity to present at the Chicago chapter of the Society for Neuroscience Meeting.
- The opportunity to app ly for travel awards (up to $1000) to attend scientific meetings.
Online applications are due November 3, 2022. Click here to apply.
Once a member of NEURON, students must meet certain minimum requirements to remain in the program. NEURON applications are resubmitted annually.
NEURON Partners
Postdoctoral fellows or senior graduate students (3rd year and above) who have a strong interest in mentoring undergraduate students should apply to be NEURON Partners. NEURON Partners are expected to actively engage in student mentorship and interactions throughout the year. This includes helping to organize and present monthly meetings which will include presentations on science communication, lab tours, journal clubs, student research presentations on informal discussions. NEURON partners must have support and consent of their research advisors to take part in the program.
NEURON offers a $2000/year stipend to each partner.
Online applications are due November 3, 2022. Click Here to apply.
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