Neuroscience and Behavior Celebrates its First Decade

The brain is perhaps the only organ to have had a decade dedicated to it. The nineties, designated by congress the “Decade of the Brain”, have seen the advent of estrogen therapy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, the development of laser surgery for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, and the discovery of possible genetic predispositions for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia. The University of Massachusetts has been at the forefront of this technological growth. In tacit anticipation of President Bush’s plea for the continued commitment towards a better understanding of neural function and behavior, the University of Massachusetts developed its own Neuroscience and Behavior Program. In fact, last year marked the ten year anniversary of the program. The creation of the Neuroscience and Behavior Program was proposed in the mid-eighties by a group of zoologists, psychologists, and computational scientists. At that time, the University already had several faculty who were studying neuroscience under different auspices. In the psychology department, professors such as Kay Fite and George Wade were working to understand the neural control of vision and the neuroendocrine modulation of food intake. Gordon Wyse and Eric Bittman, in the zoology department, were studying central pattern generators and seasonal changes in the brain; and, in the computer science department, Andrew Barto and Nico Spinnelli were developing neural networks for use in artificial intelligence. These researchers shared a common goal, the desire to further understand the neural control of physiology and behavior. In spite of their shared interest, however, many of these researchers had no common forum for the exchange of ideas. The Neuroscience and Behavior Program therefore proposed to bridge these distinct disciplines whose limits of study were no longer contained within one field. The program welcomed the challenge of the nineties, coordinated existing campus resources, and offered graduate students the opportunity to gain a Ph.D. in the burgeoning field of Neuroscience and Behavior.

The University’s ability to offer a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Behavior and its demonstrated commitment to neuroscience research convinced National Academy of Sciences member Vincent Dethier to serve as the Program’s first Director, and attracted neuroscientists such as Rod Murphey and seven new faculty members. It also roused the attention of graduate students who were interested in basic research and, in particular, in the interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience. Diana Blazis, the NSB Program’s first graduate and the current Associate Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at this campus, remembers the charter class’s dedication to the synthesis. The same ambition drives the program today. The faculty and the students stubbornly believe that it is only through a collective understanding of everything from the nuclear processes of the neuron to the behavioral ecology of their animal models, that they can truly appreciate neuroscience. It is perhaps the Neuroscience and Behavior Program’s breadth of training that makes it special. The students in the program are not trained to be specialists; instead they are encouraged to approach the problems of neuroscience with creativity. This intellectual approach to neuroscience has made the 26 Ph.D. graduates of the program versatile and successful in many professions. While most of these graduates have followed the traditional path of the Ph.D. into positions such as that of Assistant Professor and Research Associate, others have pursued completely different careers in computer consulting, patent law and university administration. In its ten years of existence, the Neuroscience and Behavior Program has made tremendous contributions to the field of Neuroscience and to the University campus. The program’s faculty has collectively published hundreds of frequently cited primary research publications in journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Journal of Neuroscience. The program is currently training 29 doctoral students and two Master’s students, the latter of which are the first participants in a new training program designed to equip graduates with the necessary tools to excel in the biotechnology industry. In addition,the overhead from the faculty’s extramural grant funding that is invested in the program is returned three-fold in external funding obtained by program professors. The quality of the faculty and their research has also gained the University international recognition. The future promises continued growth for the Neuroscience and Behavior Program. Its dedication to the organismic approach to neuroscience will soon result in the recruitment of new faculty specialized in behavioral ecology and developmental neurobiology. Other projects include the development of a Center for Neuroendocrine Research, the possible development of an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Behavior, and the cultivation of collaborative interactions with medical institutions such as the Bay State Medical Center, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The next ten years of the Neuroscience and Behavior Program promise to bring more exciting, new research initiatives. – Constanza A. Villalba