Program Description
The Department of Neurobiology and Behavior (NB&B) was one of the founding units of Cornell University's Division of Biological Sciences in 1964 and the very first academic unit of its type in the world. The combination of these two disciplines was a bold venture at the time and was based on the belief that the interface between them was one of great research and intellectual potential, a belief that has been brought to fruition. The Department has a distinguished faculty of 23; including one professor at half-time (Stephen Emlen), three professor emeriti (Robert Capranica, Thomas Eisner and Thomas Podleski), two professors with part of his/her appointment in Psychology (Elizabeth Adkins-Regan and Bruce Halpern), and two professors with most of their appointment at the Laboratory of Ornithology (Jack Bradbury and Sandra Vehrencamp). Their interests range from the organization of nerve membranes to the organization of animal societies. Research in the Department falls into three core areas: cellular and molecular neurobiology, neuroethology and systems neurobiology, and animal behavior and chemical ecology. Many faculty have research programs that span these different levels of analysis, a breadth of focus that makes for stimulating scientific interactions for both faculty and students. This blend of expertises also allows the Department to offer an unusual range of courses and research opportunities for undergraduates making it one of the most popular areas of study for undergraduates majoring in biology. In addition, the staff associated with the lecture and laboratory teaching program in the majors course in Introductory Biology are affiliated with the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior.
The graduate program aims to advance the understanding of neurobiology and behavior by encouraging a free interchange of ideas and techniques among students and faculty. Thus a student might employ the techniques of immunocytochemistry and intracellular recording in one aspect of a project while conducting ecological surveys to study other aspects of the same project. Informal exchanges of ideas and information go on in laboratories and in weekly journal clubs, which draw undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty members from across the campus to discuss articles and themes of current interest.