NRSA Fellowship in Support of General Motor Control Mechanisms and Disease Training

DESCRIPTION This new proposal is arequest for funding of a broadly-based Post-doctoral Training Program inGeneral Motor Control Mechanisms and Disease from the Northwestern UniversityInstitute for Neuroscience (NUIN). This training program has grown out of amultidisciplinary group of motor control investigators who have collaboratedsince the inception of the NUIN in 1989. The program will be directed by Dr. D.James Surmeier with the assistance of Dr. Enrico Mugnaini (Associate Director)and a Steering Committee. Trainees will conduct their research under theguidance of 29 mentors working in motor control research from 11 departments of3 schools on the Chicago and Evanston campuses of Northwestern University. Theproposal requests support for 6 post-doctoral and 2 pre-doctoral trainees.Postdoctoral trainees will be selected on the basis of previous training andresearch plan. Pre-doctoral trainees will be selected from NUIN and MedicalScientist Training Program Ph.D. programs on the basis of course performance,laboratory rotations and the relevance of dissertation research to the goals ofthe training program. A concerted effort will be made to recruit women andminorities to the program. The program will offer a broad range ofinterdisciplinary research and training opportunities in the neuroscience ofsomatic and autonomic motor control. The research of participating preceptorsspans molecular and cellular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, clinical andbehavioral neuroscience and computational neuroscience. The mentor faculty willassist and monitor the trainee?s progress through formal advising andevaluations, and through formal classroom and informal discussions (in journalclubs, laboratory meetings and research clubs). An feature of the trainingprogram is that it brings together researchers in fundamental and clinicalneuroscience, providing a highly productive, interdisciplinary researchenvironment for trainees in motor control and related motor system diseases atNorthwestern University. In addition to providing research training, theprogram will help trainees to develop skills in written and oral communication,grant writing, networking and career development. A clear awareness of ethicalissues facing neuroscientists and a responsible conduct in science will be aprimary training goal. The program outlines attempts to exemplify themultidisciplinary and interactive type of neuroscience research trainingencouraged by NIH.