Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 7
Bug Brains, Con nued...
mals with wandering larvae and ac ve adults is enough to start numerous conversa ons with young students and
adults alike about the u lity and importance of this li le fly for biomedical research. The idea that these li le (some
might say pesky) flies share the majority of their genes, par cularly those involved in the nervous system, with humans
is truly remarkable. There are many ways that different mutants can be used for crea ve outreach applica ons. Pulver
and Berni (2012) provide an approachable introduc on to this system, including some possible nervous system mutants for ac vi es.
References:
Marzullo, T.C. and G.J. Gage. 2012. The SpikerBox: A low-cost, open-source bioamplifier for increasing public par cipa on in neuroscience inquiry.
PLoS ONE 7(3):e30837.
Pearce, A.R. and M. Srivatsan. 2011. Volunteerism is key to offering successful neuroscience outreach with limited resources. JUNE 9(2):A62–A65.
Pulver, S.R. and J. Berni. 2012. The fundamentals of flying: Simple and inexpensive strategies for employing Drosophila gene cs in neuroscience
teaching laboratories. JUNE 11(1):A139–A148.
Teaching Award, Con nued...
ics: developing interna onal neuroscience opportuni es for undergraduates.
The incep on of our study abroad program came through exis ng collabora ons between the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience and the German Schools of Neuroscience (a consor um of graduate programs in Germany).
That ini al connec on, developed by Mary Harrington and Eric Wiertelak, was centered on the German Schools of Neuroscience poster award that was given at the annual FUN Society for Neuroscience undergraduate poster session. The
undergraduate winner of this prize toured German Neuroscience programs with their research advisor during the summer. Based on the success of this program we approached Lutz Steiner, Medical Neurosciences in Berlin Program Director, with the idea of a “FUN Abroad” summer program that more directly engages US undergraduates with the German research community. The product of these discussions was a four week summer study abroad program, run
through the College of Charleston Center for Interna onal Educa on, that we began in 2011: Neuroscience Seminar in
Germany. We spend two weeks at the Munich Center for Neurosciences – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (MCN-LMU)
and two weeks at Charité - Universitätsmedizin in Berlin. Enrollment is open to any current undergraduate student in
North America. The program showcases the cu ng-edge research at these universi es and provides a view into the
rich history of medical and behavioral neuroscience in Germany. Through laboratory exercises, site visits, and interacons with German graduate students and post-doctoral research associates, the program expands the students’ understanding of collabora ve science and scien fic opportuni es in research that may exist abroad.
Beyond the prac cal and logi ́