I teach Cognitive Neuroscience during the summers at the University of California, Davis. In this class, students make connections between the gray, squishy organ we call the brain and the wondrous, amorphous phenomenon we call the mind. Students begin by examining the past--how did we understand there was a connection between the two in the first place? Using case studies, they consider how abnormal behavior and thought patterns are associated with damage to the brain.  They learn the fundamentals of how neurons work by sending electrochemical signals to each other within a network. They learn about the methodology of modern neuroscience, and how we can visualize and interpret brain activity using machines like fMRI and biotechnology like optogenetics.  

Clicker here for a student's opinion about this class.

In this class, students work in groups to explore neuropsychological phenomena.  A major project for the quarter is creating a "novel sense" with their group of peers (see gallery). For this project, students imagine a fantastical new organism with a sense that has never been described before. Their job is to disseminate information on this new sense: they must explain the adaptive purpose of the sense, how it is transduced into a neurological signal, and how the sense is then processed in the brain to become a perception. They must justify the existence of a topographic map and cortical magnification in their imagined sensory cortex.

I love teaching this class because the content is fascinating, exciting, and cutting edge. There is something profound in the realization that beautiful minds are made from principles rooted in mean biology. My research background is in neuroscience, and I enjoy sharing stories about my research as well as the exciting discoveries and the disastrous pitfalls in the field.  I love it when the students dive deep during class discussions. We ask, Where does thought come from? Are our perceptions real? What is emotion? and How can I apply the principles of cognitive neuroscience to improve my own life?