Lauren is enrolled in the Math and Science Scholars Program at the University of Michigan, where she has been studying Brain and Behavior. Lauren has been enjoying the class taught by her instructor, Dr. Cummings, whose passion has made the course very engaging. The class of 20 students is taught remotely via Zoom sessions by Dr. Cummings with the assistance of two University of Michigan students, Caitlin and Claire.
“Of the five days of instruction I’ve had so far, two have included lectures. During each lecture, Dr. Cummings spoke about and presented a slideshow over a topic while we took notes. We then split into breakout rooms within the Zoom to complete worksheets over the topic as a group. On another day, Caitlin dissected a sheep brain and walked us through it over the Zoom. We had a dissection guide to help us follow along, and we again split into groups, this time to work on assignments related to the dissection,” Lauren reports.
Lauren explains that although workload has been reasonable, the materials covered in class have been challenging and the course itself very fast-paced. Although the work has felt overwhelming at times, Lauren says the instructors are always willing to help answer questions or revisit topics as needed.
“Over the past week, we’ve covered topics including neural transmission and neuroanatomy. I especially enjoyed the day dedicated to hormones and sex determination and differentiation. We learned about the different types of hormones and their roles in the development of a person’s sex and sexual orientation. It was interesting to see the biology behind differences that garner such attention today,” Lauren says.
“I have met a few of my classmates through the group work in the breakout rooms. They come from all over the country—and in some cases, the world. Most of the students are from Michigan, but a few hail from the east coast, and one even lives in China. In order to get to know one another, we each posted an introduction and picture on the class thread within the course website, Canvas, which we also use to access worksheets, ask questions, and view the course schedule. It was intriguing to see the differences in interest amongst my classmates; some, like me, love to swim, while others perform on stage, play lacrosse, and sing in bands,” Lauren adds.
As Lauren progresses through the second week of Brain and Behavior at MMSS, she has been getting to know her classmates and instructors while getting exposed to many new subtopics within neuroscience, and enjoying the program even more.
“This past week had a much faster pace than the first. We were given more in-class assignments and homework, and the topics were covered at a quicker tempo. The lectures followed the same format, but they were more collaborative, giving more opportunity for student input. We also watched many more videos than we had in the first week, which I appreciated. The videos were great for tying the lectures into real life,” Lauren reports.
The program has included class work, lectures, and reviewing scientific papers. Students discussed citations, techniques for reading and comprehension, plus advice on finding sites for accessing these papers. Students also read and discussed news articles on scientific findings looking for bias, clarity, and credibility.
“On Thursday and Friday, we attended the University of Michigan Neuroscience Conference instead of normal class. Each day included presentations from one faculty speaker and four graduate and postgraduate students. The faculty speakers gave forty-minute lectures, and the students each presented a five-minute data blitz, in which they explained their current research. There were many topics with which I was unfamiliar, but it was very interesting to see how the presentations were run,” Lauren explains.
“Of the presentations we watched, Dr. George Mashour’s was my favorite. His lecture, entitled ‘The Controversial Correlates of Consciousness,’ was about whether the mechanisms that control consciousness are located in the front or the back of the brain. His talk still included much that I couldn’t follow, but he explained it in such a way that I understood the main idea. I especially enjoyed listening to the bits of history he included in his presentation,” Lauren reports.
“I’ve been very happy with my second week of Brain and Behavior. I’ve gotten to explore more topics within the field of neuroscience, further connect with people of similar interests to me, and even watch a university neuroscience conference. I’ve learned so much already, and I’m excited to see what new topics will be covered next week,” Lauren exclaims!
Great work Lauren!
>> Read Lauren’s Final Report (PDF file, 54 KB).
>> Learn about other students’ experiences in the GFF Scholarship Program.
