BRAIN & ION need YOU!

Please consider serving as a research mentor in the summer BRAIN program (for undergraduate students) and/or the summer ION@Yerkes program (for high school students or middle/high school teachers).

Brief program descriptions are provided below. Please contact Kyle Frantz, Ph.D., at Georgia State University for more information or to volunteer as a mentor.

BRAIN – Behavioral Research Advancements in Neuroscience

Important Dates:
Tentative Program Dates: May 23 – August 3, 2012.
Tentative Research Mentoring Dates: June 4 – August 3, 2012.
Mentor-Mentee Matching Process: May 2012.
Meet-the-Mentor Luncheon: Friday, June 1.
Tentative Closing Research Symposium (poster sessions): Wednesday, August 1.
Tentative Closing Luncheon Date: Friday, August 3.

Expectations for Research Fellows:
After a "crash-course" in neuroscience (May 29 - June 2), BRAIN Fellows are expected to carry out research-related tasks (in lab or clinic, library, lab meetings, seminars, etc.) for at least 35 hours per week from June 4 - August 3.  (We reserve Wednesday afternoons from 1:00-5:30 pm for weekly workshops at Georgia State University - required for all Fellows.)  Both BRAIN Fellows and mentors are likely to benefit most from the program if Fellows are included in as many aspects of the research process as possible in a 10-week program, e.g. exploration of background literature, experimental design, data collection and analysis, interpretation, presentation, and writing.  At a Closing Research Symposium on Wednesday, August 1. Fellows will be required to present their summer research outcomes in a judged poster session. Prizes will be awarded for the top posters in two categories: RightBRAIN and LeftBRAIN (see next). Fellows are also expected to submit a research report written in the style of a peer-reviewed journal article.

RightBRAIN vs. LeftBRAIN:
The “RightBRAIN” format is a traditional apprenticeship in which bright and motivated students are paired with active research mentors like you.  We hope to engage about 20 mentors and mentees in RightBRAIN. Our BRAIN program also includes a “LeftBRAIN” format, modeled after professional development workshops at Woods Hole, Cold Spring Harbor, Friday Harbor, etc., in which about 20 BRAIN Fellows work in teams under the guidance of a series of instructors to explore crayfish neurobiology using techniques ranging from behavioral observations through behavioral pharmacology to molecular biology.  (If you have expertise in these areas and are interested in serving as a paid instructor for LeftBRAIN, please contact kfrantz@gsu.edu).  

Program Participants:
BRAIN Fellows are selected from over 200 applicants from around the nation. Given that our program aims to recruit bright students into neuroscience (rather than only retaining those students already engaged in research), our review process favors novice researchers, academic underclassmen, students from groups currently underrepresented in the sciences, students indicating interest in a research career, and students revealing genuine curiosity about the nervous system, brain, and behavior.        

Program Sponsorship:
BRAIN is funded mainly by grants from the National Institute on General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), and is supported by the Neuroscience Institute in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University, Emory University, and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience.  

ION@Yerkes – Institute On Neuroscience @ the Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Important Dates:
Tentative Program Dates: June 4 – August 4, 2012.
Tentative Research Mentoring Dates: June 14 – August 3, 2012.
Meet-the-Mentor Luncheon (you choose one date): Thursday or Friday, June 7 or 8.
Mentor-Mentee Matching Process: June 11-12.
Tentative Closing Research Symposium (slide presentations): Saturday, August 4.

ION@Yerkes is an eight-week summer program for high school students who excel in science, as well as for middle and high school teachers. We are seeking research mentors for both high school students and current science teachers.

Expectations for Research Fellows
After a 1.5-week “crash-course” in neuroscience at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, ION Scholars (both students and teachers) are expected to carry out research-related tasks (in lab or clinic, library, lab meetings, seminars, etc.) for at least 32 hours per week from June 14-August 3. (We reserve Fridays for weekly workshops at Yerkes - required for all Scholars.) Both ION Scholars and mentors are likely to benefit most from the program if Scholars are included in as many aspects of the research process as possible in a 7-week program, e.g. exploration of background literature, experimental design, data collection and analysis, interpretation, presentation, and writing.  At a Closing Research Symposium on Saturday, August 4, 2012 high school Scholars will be required to present their summer research outcomes in a 10-minute slide presentation. Teacher Scholars will be required to provide a lesson plan that translates their general research topics into content for K-12 classroom teaching.  

Program Participants
ION Scholars are dedicated and exceptional high school students, or middle/high school teachers, who are passionate about science and enthusiastic to gain hands-on research experience. Scholars are chosen through a competitive application process, including in-person interviews. Student Scholars have usually just completed their junior or senior year of high school, have one or more Advanced Placement science courses, and have a 3.0 minimum GPA. Teacher Scholars are certified middle and high school science teachers who are interested in incorporating more hands-on laboratory techniques and/or current scientific concepts in their classrooms.

Program Sponsorship
ION@Yerkes is sponsored by the Neuroscience Initiative at Emory University, with support from Georgia State University and the Conlee Family Supporting Foundation.

BRAIN and ION@Yerkes
If appropriate for your research group, we invite you to welcome both a BRAIN Fellow and an ION Scholar onto your team. Simply indicate to Kyle Frantz (kfrantz@gsu.edu ) which program (BRAIN and/or ION) and which type of Scholar for ION (high school student and/or teacher) you would especially like to host. We and other members of the scientific community greatly appreciate your contributions to the future of our field.

Thank you.