2011 SUMMER ISSUE AUGUST 5, 2011 Georgia State University 8 Departments that make up the Brains & Behavior Program 12 New Brains & Behavior Graduate Fellows this Summer 46 Brains & Behavior Fellows The B&B P tential The Brains & Behavior Newsletter A publication of the Neuroscience Institute Brains & Behavior Area of Focus, also known as B&B, is an interdepartmental program that promotes research collaborations and dialog through graduate courses, lectures, grants, and much more. Researchers and students involved in this program span across the departments of biology, chemistry, neuroscience, computer science, mathematics & statistics, philosophy, physics & astronomy, and psychology. The five central components of this program are the B&B Scholars Program & Fellowship, the Distinguished Lecture Series, Seed Grants, and the Seminar Class. The B&B Potential Just like an action potential allows for communication, so does the new B&B Potential newsletter! Albeit, one is on a micro scale and within a neuronal network and the other is on macro scale and within the Brains & Behavior community. Nevertheless, communication is at the center of both! The B&B Potential will be published four times a year and archives can always be found on the neuroscience website: http://www.neuroscience.gsu.edu/ By the numbers... Sajiya Jalil B&B Fellow Math/Stats Photo Courtesy of Michael Daniel
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2011 SUMMER ISSUE AUGUST 5, 2011
Georgia State University
8Departments that
make up the Brains & Behavior Program
12New Brains &
Behavior Graduate Fellows
this Summer
46Brains &
Behavior Fellows
The B&B P tentialThe Brains & Behavior NewsletterA publication of the Neuroscience InstituteBrains & Behavior Area of Focus, also known as B&B, is an interdepartmental program that promotes research collaborations and dialog through graduate courses, lectures, grants, and much more. Researchers and students involved in this program span across the departments of biology,
chemistry, neuroscience, computer science, mathematics & statistics, philosophy, physics & astronomy, and psychology. The five central components of this program are the B&B Scholars Program & Fellowship, the Distinguished Lecture Series, Seed Grants, and the Seminar Class.
The B&B PotentialJust like an action potential allows for communication, so does the new B&B Potential newsletter! Albeit, one is on a micro scale and within a neuronal network and the other is on macro scale and within the
Brains & Behavior community. Nevertheless, communication is at the center of both! The B&B Potential will be published four times a year and archives can always be found on the neuroscience website: http://www.neuroscience.gsu.edu/
The Fellowship is the major student component of the Brains & Behavior program. There are 46
graduate students in this prestigious program and they hail from the 8 different disciplines making up
the Brains & Behavior area of focus. They are required to attend all the distinguished lectures. In
addition, these students take the B&B Seminar Course for an entire year. Many students engage in extracurricular and community activities together:
http://www.neuroscience.gsu.edu/4219.html
Scholars from across the world come to speak in the yearly B&B Distinguished Lecture Series
(otherwise known as DLS). The series is held once a month from September through May in Georgia State University’s new Petit Science Center. The speakers usually meet with faculty and students
during their stay. www.neuroscience.gsu.edu/Social_Media.html
For a detailed schedule of the 2011 DLS, see page 9
Matthew Nusnbaum, Recent graduate, B&B Fellow, Neuroscience
Not only is collaboration seen at the student level within the B&B Fellowship, but the annual B&B Seed Grant program fosters collaboration at the faculty level as well. Each year, faculty across 8
disciplines work together to initiate interdisciplinary research with the support of a seed
grant. Many times, these small projects go on to garner federal funding and develop into large
collaborative research.
Brains & Behavior Scholars Program
The B&B Scholars Program provides fellowships to selected undergraduates to support
their research efforts in faculty laboratories. Prospective B&B Scholars are required to have a
3.0 GPA or better, be GSU undergraduates in good standing, and submit a two-page single-
spaced description of their proposed research. Inquire on the website for more information:
For the director of the Biological Imaging Core here at Georgia State University, Robert Simmons, microscopy is more than expensive equipment and decades of know-how. As a budding scientist in his undergrad here at GSU, he became interested in photography. It wasn’t long
before this passion for art intersected with his mutual love for biological science in the form of microscopy.
Throughout his undergrad studies, Robert took night classes at Fernbank Science Center and learned the technical skills needed to operate a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). He also began rebuilding microscopes for GSU.
After his Bachelors (Honors), Robert ran the technical photography program at University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. But it wasn’t long until, Robert found his way back to GSU, eventually completing a Ph.D. in Microbiology.
Fast forward to today, Robert is running the first centralized biological imaging core facility GSU has ever seen. Prior to a year ago, microscope resources were scattered in many places around campus and not managed by a central core program. Robert claims this new organization is convenient for the students and helps with microscope maintenance (an essential component to extending a microscope’s life).
With 3 laser scanning confocal microscopes, 2 high powered light scopes, a transmission electron microscope, and a scanning electron microscope, GSU boasts a powerful way to study the smaller things in life.
Of the departments that make up B&B, Robert says that Chemistry, Biology, and Neuroscience are his biggest users of the facility, studying everything from nano particles to viruses to neural tissue. Another unique attribute of this facility is its ability to take a biological sample and examine it on several different levels. This multi-level analysis is key, Robert says, when trying to understand all facets of something very complex.
This past May, Robert’s meticulous detail and high skill set did not go unnoticed and landed him the prestigious Distinguished Scientist Award from the Southeastern Microscopy Society(southeasternmicroscopy.org). This following year, Microscopy Society of America, the parent society, is making him a Fellow for his years of teaching, research, and service to the community.
Lucky for the rest of us, Robert shares some of his knowledge in a lecture course called Biological Imaging.
In his free time, art is still a presence in Robert’s life. As an avid glass blower, Robert often uses science as an inspiration. Feel free to check him out via the web, both as a scientist and an artist. Whoever said the two were mutually exclusive, hasn’t met Robert. (www.biology.gsu.edu/5730.html)(www.beadsofcourage.org)
Follow us at BrainsBehavrGSU. Everyday we tweet research findings as interdisciplinary as the program itself. In the
spirit of dialog, feel free to add to the conversation! If you are new to Twitter or have never done it and would like to know more, please email Liz Weaver: [email protected]. Follow us @BrainsBehavrGSU. Don’t want to download it on your phone or computer? Follow our live stream here:
http://www.neuroscience.gsu.edu/Social_Media.html
Did you know?
• Fellows are eligible for an
annual $500 travel award.
• Brains & Behavior will be
organizing professional
development workshops this Fall
• Fellows have the opportunity
to meet each distinguished
lecturer over lunch
Brains & Behavior has upgraded to the new Facebook format for groups. Type this link in your browser and request to join!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/246388658720003?ap=1OR search for GSU Brains & Behavior.