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Graduate Studies

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Overview

Cornell’s Ph.D. program in Neurobiology and Behavior (NB&B) is unique.  Our program integrates the study of neurobiology with behavior at all levels of analysis.  Our research approaches the field from the study of ion channels through neural networks all the way to the behavior of animal societies. We draw from faculty in a variety of disciplines including Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Applied Physics, Entomology, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Medicine, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Neurobiology and Behavior. 

Training

The background and interests of our graduate students is broad and varied. Because of this diversity, each student’s course of study is tailored to his or her needs and background.  In addition to a wide variety of neurobiology and behavior classes, we offer laboratory courses to get the training you need for your thesis project.  These labs include neurophysiology, molecular neurobiology, electronics instrumentation, computers in neurobiology, bioacoustics, modeling behavioral evolution, computational neuroscience, animal behavior, and patch clamping.  

Academic Environment

We have a weekly seminar series in which internationally renowned scientists are invited to present their research.  Following each seminar, graduate students are encouraged to have lunch with the speaker.  This provides a great opportunity to meet other scientists from around the world and talk science.  Three separate weekly journal clubs are also offered in different focus areas.  A cellular and molecular neurobiology journal club emphasizes molecular and genetic approaches to neuroscience, the neuroethology journal club links neural networks and behavior, and lunch bunch examines topics in animal behavior.

Applying

Our graduate program is for academically talented undergraduates with a strong interest in neurobiology and/or behavior. Students admitted into the program are guaranteed 5 years of support in the form of either training grant fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching fellowships. The deadline to apply for Fall 2009 admission is December 1, 2008.   To apply, simply click on this Application link http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/index.php?p=102.

 

New Publications by Graduate Students

 

Wilson, C.G. 2008. Male genital mutilation: an adaptation to sexual conflict. Evolution and Human Behavior 29:149-164.

Fletcher, Lynn E. 2008. Cooperative signaling as a potential mechanism for cohesion in a gregairous sawfly larva, Perga affinis. Behav. Ecol. Sociobio. 62:1127-1138.

Goyret, Joaquín 2008. The breath of a flower, CO2 adds another channel-and then some-to plant-pollinator interactions; Communicative & Integrative Biology 1:1, 1-3; July/August 2008;©2008 Landes Bioscience

Goyret J., Markwell P.M. and Raguso R.A. 2008. Context- and scale-dependent
effects of floral CO2 in foraging Manduca sexta. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (USA), 105 (12):4565-4570.

Goyret J., Pfaff M., Raguso R.A. and Kelber A. 2008 Why do Manduca sexta feed
from white flowers? Innate and learnt colour preferences in a hawkmoth.
Naturwissenschaften, 95:569-576.

Goyret J., Markwell P. and Raguso R.A. 2007. The effect of decoupling
olfactory and visual stimuli on the foraging behavior of Manduca sexta.
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 210: 1398-1405.

Goyret J. and Raguso R.A. 2006. The role of mechanoreception in flower
handling efficiency and learning by Manduca sexta. Journal of Experimental
Biology, 209: 1585-1593.