Neuroscience
Academic Department Introduction
Neuroscience explores how the brain and nervous system develop and function to generate our conscious experience and guide our behavior. The scope of neuroscience ranges from molecules within individual nerve cells to neural systems that span the brain and body. A student who likes biology, psychology, chemistry, or physics can study and apply all of these in neuroscience. Mathematical and computer models also offer increasingly useful insights into brain function. Our students regularly present at national meetings, including the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Learning goals
- Develop a “STEM identity”—that is, identify as a scientist.
- Describe and apply major neuroscientific experimental methods and approaches.
- Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically evaluate the neuroscience literature.
- Use the scientific method to design original experiments that advance current knowledge, while adhering to ethical standards.
- Develop confidence and demonstrate fluency with oral and written communication for scientific and general audiences.
- Explain the societal relevance of discoveries in neuroscience and their translational potential for improving human health and well-being.
Programs of Study
Neuroscience major
Students will take courses in three broad subfields of neuroscience: cellular and molecular neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and systems and computational neuroscience.
Course highlights
Intermediate Neuroscience I with Lab
NEUR201
This course delves deeper into key concepts in neuroscience that were introduced in NEUR 101, including neural circuits and brain disorders. The course will also introduce additional topics, such as computational approaches and sensory systems. In the associated laboratory students will learn neuroanatomy and histological techniques, as well as practice modeling neurons computationally and scientific communication.
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Intermediate Neuroscience II with Lab
NEUR202
This course will build on the foundation acquired in NEUR 101 and NEUR 201, focusing on a deeper understanding of specialized topics in neuroscience, including mechanisms of learning and memory, movement control, and cognition. Students will explore how these processes are studied across species and integrated at the systems and computational level. The accompanying laboratory provides experience with widely used neuroscience methodologies including animal behavioral analysis and electrophysiology. Students will learn to effectively communicate their research findings both orally and in writing.. This course has a required co-requisite laboratory - NEUR 202L. -
Neuroendocrinology
NEUR315
Hormones act throughout the body to coordinate basic biological functions such as development, differentiation, and reproduction. This course will investigate how hormones act in the brain to regulate physiology and behavior. We will study how the major neuroendocrine axes regulate a variety of functions, including brain development, reproductive physiology and behavior, homeostasis, and stress. The regulation of these functions by hormones will be investigated at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. (BISC 315 and NEUR 315 are cross-listed courses.)
Places and spaces Electrophysiology Lab
In this lab, students in neuroscience and biological sciences learn about the electrical properties of cells, tissues, and brain and heart activity.
Research highlights
Neuroscience majors work with our world-class faculty and participate in substantive projects using cutting-edge equipment.
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In the lab of Professor Sharon Gobes, students investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying animal behavior, using songbirds as a model system to study learning and memory.
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Professor Courtney Marshall’s lab investigates how pathological proteins aggregate, spread, and impair cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Professor Marc Tetel’s lab is studying the effects of diet, activity, sleep, and stress on the human gut and vaginal microbiomes.
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Professor Sara Wasserman’s lab is examining how the brain incorporates different internal and external environments to generate contextually appropriate behavior.
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In Professor Mike Wiest’s behavioral neurophysiology lab, students record neural activity from behaving rats to characterize neural substrates of attention and perception.
Opportunities & Community
Dedicated to equity, engagement, and belonging, we offer concrete opportunities for all students to join us as valued and respected members of our department. Students have many options to enhance and tailor their academic experience to their unique interests and career goals.
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Seminars and panels
Prominent neuroscientists regularly speak at Wellesley about their research and work. We benefit from our proximity to Boston’s hospitals, research centers, and biopharmaceutical companies. Participants from Wellesley and beyond discuss and debate vital issues for neuroscientists in academic and non-academic contexts. Recent talks have included “LGBTQ+ in Science” and “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Neuroscience.”
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Neuroscience Club
The Neuroscience Club is a welcoming community and support network for neuroscience majors, and a forum for all Wellesley students and faculty to learn about neuroscience.
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Research
We offer excellent research opportunities for students. Whether they are first-years new to lab work or seniors working on a thesis, students collaborate with neuroscience faculty on research projects in our labs. Research students can volunteer, get credit, or apply for a limited number of paid positions for work-study eligible students. In addition, our faculty mentor students in the Summer Research Program and advise students pursuing off-campus research opportunities.
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Fellowships
Two fellowships support students engaged in research in Francisco Quintana’s lab at the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and in leukodystrophy research in the Division of Neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Beyond Wellesley
Beyond Wellesley
Most of our majors proceed to medical school or attend top-ranked graduate neuroscience, cognitive science, or psychology PhD programs. Other graduates work in industries that intersect with neuroscience, such as public health, patent law, or education.
Recent Employers
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481