Special Programs

Summer Research for Undergraduates

       

     The Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, with support from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) established a program to support undergraduates in a Summer research program in the areas of Animal Behavior and Neurobiology.

     Since the summer of 1998, students have traveled to Chicago for this research experience. They have lived on the UIC campus and have learned about brains and behavior through seminars, discussions and hands-on research in one of the neuroscience laboratories of Biological Sciences, Psychology and Bioengineering, or by studying with faculty in Philosophy. The program has provided each student with a travel reimbursement, paid student housing, and a stipend to cover living expenses. The National Science Foundation is presently providing the funding for this program.

     As many as 18 research laboratories participate. Areas of possible research include neurogenetics, the molecular basis of synaptic function, sensory processing, sensorimotor integration, and neuroethology. The animals currently under study include nematode worms, several species of insects, several species of mollusks, frogs and toads, and mammals (rats, bats). Faculty in Philosophy consider issues related to sensory perception and the philosophy of mind.


Undergrads and grad students enjoying a night baseball game in the center field stands at Comiskey Park (White Sox!)

     You would be working in a supportive environment of highly interactive faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduates. We especially welcome applications from women and members of underrepresented groups, but all applications will receive careful consideration.   To get a feel for the type of work that has been done by students in the past, please see 2004 Participants and Their Projects.

 

Regarding the 2005 Summer Program

  • This research program is 9 weeks in length 
  • Should you be selected to participate, plan to arrive in Chicago on Sunday, June 5th 
  • The program ends on Friday, August 5th
  • Expenses related to travel to/from UIC will be reimbursed up to $600
  • A $3000 stipend will be provided
  • Student housing is provided  

     We will begin accepting applications Monday, January 3, 2005. The application deadline is Monday, February 28, 2005. There is no application fee.

     Spend your Summer near Lake Michigan and near the heart of one of the nation's great cities. You will have the opportunity to experience research first-hand, and enjoy all the cultural possibilities of Chicago -- great music, great theater, and two major league baseball teams. Download more information and an application (for 2005), or contact either:

       

Dr. Paul Malchow
paulmalc@uic.edu
312-413-1552

 Dr. A. Don Murphy dmurphy@uic.edu 312-996-8-87

Dr. David Wirtshafter
davew@uic.edu
312-413-2631

 

Results of Program Evaluation

     In July, 2001, a team of outside evaluators conducted an objective evaluation of UIC's program.  To read their comments, click HERE.  

2004 Participants and Their Projects

  • Avram Hecht (Whitman College) "Identification of motor neurons in Helisona trivolvis" [Dr. A. Don Murphy, Biological Sciences]

  • Rene Santos (University of Puerto Rico at Cayey) "Establishment of a protocol to characterize membrane recycling properties in C. elegans neuronal cell cultures" [Dr. Aixa Alfonso, Biological Sciences]

  • Matthew Sonnenberg (Beloit College) "Feeding behavior and glutamate at the lateral hypothalamus of rats" [Dr. Scott Shippy, Chemistry]

  • Jeff Stott (St John's College) "Comparison of olfactory discrimination learning in DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice" [Dr. John Larson, Psychiatry]

  • Daniel Vowinkle (University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign) "G-Protein internalization and trafficking" [Dr. Mark Rasenick, Physiology and Biophysics]

  • Meena Yust (Vassar) "Molecular mechanisms of receptive field formation and adaptation in the retina:  A role for H+?"

 

2003 Participants and Their Projects

  • Adam Bleckert (Colorado College) "Imaging the molecular and cytoskeletal presynaptic constructs of lamprey reticulospinal axons" [Dr. Simon Alford, Biological Sciences]

  • Johann du Hoffman (St John's College) "Synaptic transmission in the olfactory cortex of Fmr1 KO mice" [Dr. John Larson, Psychiatry]

  • Ashley Hansen (St John's College) "Neuro-Epistemology of insect vision:  A study of antennal orientation behavior in periplaneta americana as a response to visual stimuli" [Dr. Christopher Comer, Biological Sciences]

  • Shaily Kapur (Brown University) "Identification of a sub-population of rat retinal biopolar cells using an immunocytochemical marker" [Dr. David Schneeweis, BioEngineering]

  • Hector Rivera Martinez (University of Puerto Rico at Cayey) "Characterization and identification of dopaminergic neurons in the buccal ganglion of helisoma trivolvis" [Dr. A. Don Murphy, Biological Sciences]

  • Vijay Sekaran (Georgia Institute of Technology) "The effects of protein solutions on the DC electric field" [Dr. Patrick Rousche, BioEngineering]

  • Alex Storer (University of California - Berkeley) "Structure and function of a rat-controlled robot" [Dr. Patrick Rousche, BioEngineering]

2002 Participants and Their Projects

  • Sarah Blythe (Hanover College) "Age related differences in JNK activation and cellular apoptosis in the locus coeruleus of rats" [Dr. James Unnerstall, Anatomy]

  • Lauren Cantor (University of Michigan) "The effects of huntinton protein on olfactory learning and memory in mice" [Dr. John Larson's Laboratory, Psychiatry]

  • Teresa Emerick (Grinnell College) "The role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the locomotor suppressing function of the median raphe nucleus" [Dr. David Wirtshafter's Laboratory, Psychology]

  • Alexandra Gonzalez (University of Puerto Rico at Cayey) "The role of the transcription factor HLH-3 in the neuronal specification in caenorhabditis elegans" [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Biological Sciences]

  • Josh Sommovilla (Wesleyan University) "The association of G proteins and tubulin in developing neurons"  [Dr. Mark Rasenick's Laboratory, Physiology/Biophysics]

2001 Participants and Their Projects

  • Brook Colgan (North Carolina State University) "Age related changes in escape behavior in cockroaches, Periplaneta americana" [Dr. Christopher Comer's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Jason Chan (Wesleyan University) "Striosome versus matrix compartmentalization of novelty induced Fos in the rat striatum"       [ Dr. David Wirtshafter's Laboratory, Bio-Psychology]

    •

  • Susan Hutfless ( Creighton University) "Chemical detection in c.  elegans mating behavior"  [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Laura Rodriguez Figueroa (University of Puerto Rico at Cayey) "Trafficking of neuronal synaptobrevin (SNB) during the formation of functional synaptic vesicles"  [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Alicia Saylor (Albright College) "The effect of scopolamine infusions into the dorsomedial striatum on behavioral flexibility" [Dr. Michael Ragozzino's Laboratory, Bio-Psychology]

2000 Participants and Their Projects

  • Meryl Glassman (Macalaster College) "The measurement of effective retinal illumination in an excised rat eye: An explorative study" [Dr. John Hetling's Laboratory, Bioengineering]

  • Jermaine Jones (University of Virginia) "The effects of dorsomedial striatal inactivationon the learning of a visual cue discriminiation and visual cue intradimensional shift" [Dr. Michael Ragozzino's Laboratory, Bio-Psychology]

  • Ann Marie McNamara (University of Rochester) "Testing neural population control of movement in the amphibian somatosensory system" [Dr. Christopher Comer's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Lorean Serra (University of Puerto Rico at Cayey) "Modulation of NR1/NR2A NMDA currents by: indirect action of PKC via PTKs and control experiments for the possible role of zinc" [Dr. John Leonard's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Ebrahim Shakir (Creighton University) "Corneal and vitreous electroretinograms recorded in vivo from the naked mole-rat" [Dr. John Hetling's Laboratory, Bioengineering]

 

1999 Participants and Their Projects

  • Heather Gordon (Rider University) "Comparison of the unique processing of APP in the yeasts pichia pastoris and Saccromyces cerevisiae" [Dr. Arnold Kaplan's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Madeleine Gutierrez (University of Puerto Rico) "Analysis of Tectal Control of Visually-elicited Orienting Behaviors" [Dr. Christopher Comer's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Lorena Perea (Iowa Wesleyan) "Visual sensory capacities in naked mole rats" [Dr. Thomas Park's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Julie Rockwell (Wheaton College) "Synaptobrevin misplacement parallels altered locomotion in unc-11 (e47) C. elegans mutants" [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Caroline Wilson (Allegheny College) "Comparative neurobiology of salivary gland neurons in basommatophoran snails" [Dr. A. Don Murphy's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

 

1998 Participants and Their Projects

  • Christel W. Lee (Kenyon College) "Yeast 2-hybrid analyses in Alzheimer's Research" and "Identity and the Expression of Personhood" [Two projects, the first in the Laboratory of Dr. Arnold Kaplan, Neurobiology, and the second done with Dr. Marya Schechtman, Philosophy]

  • Geidy E. Serrano Rodriguez (Univ. of Puerto Rico, Cayey, PR) "A new effective earplug for developmental studies" [Dr. Thomas Park's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Aaron B. Tertelling (Reed College) "Role of Object Recognition in Touch-evoked Escape of P. americana" [Dr. Christopher Comer's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • Danielle M. Turley (James Madison University, VA) "How similar is the neural circuitry underlying feeding in Helisoma and Lymnaea?" [Dr. A. Don Murphy's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

 

  • 1997 Participants and Their Projects

  • E. Melhop (Kenyon College) "Characterization of unc-11 mutants" [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • F. Rivera (Univ. Puerto Rico) "Modulation of NMDA receptor currents expressed from splice variant NR1/2a heteromers differ from NR1/2b heteromers" [Dr. John Leonard's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • J. Holleran (Allegheny College) "Electropharyngeograms of animals with various unc-11 alleles" [Dr. Aixa Alfonso's Laboratory, Neurobiology]

  • A. Khan (Loyola Univ.) "Intensity-dependent latency shift in the auditory system" [Dr. Thomas Park's and Dr. Christopher Comer's Laboratories, Neurobiology ]

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