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Administrative Support

Elle Dy

Program Description

How does the brain work? How do animals perceive and process signals like sound, light, and touch? How do different body parts communicate with each other? Why do we sleep?

At Puget Sound, neuroscience is examined not only through research, but also from critical, ethical, and practical perspectives. This interdisciplinary program draws on faculty research at all levels, encompassing topics such as cellular circuits in invertebrates, locomotion analysis and cognitive measurements in humans, and bioethics. Students and faculty members conduct hands-on research, examine how neuroscience influences culture, explore ethical and social implications in the field, and engage in creative community partnerships to make science more accessible.

The program offers a general introductory course in neuroscience,  an interdisciplinary minor and also a Major that may serve to enhance, or complement, any major of a students choice. The minor enables students to develop skills necessary to become successful thinkers and is recognized with a designation on the transcript upon graduation. The Major (BA in Neuroscience) navigates through 5 concentrations - Neuro Arts, Neuro Bioethics, Neuro Economics, Neuroscience Philosophy and Neuro Spirituality. Explore the intersections of neuroscience with a deep dive into its synergy across disciplines.

 

 

Who You Could Be

  • Researcher
  • Doctor
  • Art/Music Therapist
  • EEG Technician
  • Game Designer
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Alumni
Anonymous '18

"Through my internship I gained the ability to be confidently independent, to work efficiently under time constraints, and the ability to problem solve when necessary."

 

What You'll Learn

  • How the brain works and links between brain and behavior
  • Neurodiversity
  • Lab methods in neuroscience
  • Ethics of neuroscience (privacy, abortion, consciousness, etc.)
  • Human and nonhuman animal responses to the environment
  • Brain and nervous system diseases
  • Intersections of neuroscience with art, philosophy, economics, spirituality, and ethics
Sample Courses

This course provides a survey of the structure and function of the nervous system, neurophysiology, and sensorimotor systems, including examples of neuropathologies (e.g., spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, and Parkinson's disease). Students also explore selected topics in depth, such as motivation (e.g., eating and sexual behavior), memory processes, and clinical disorders (e.g., post traumatic stress, schizophrenia, and dementia).

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
BIOL 111, OR BIOL 101 with permission of the instructor, OR permission of the instructor.

This course provides a capstone experience for students earning a Neuroscience Emphasis and is designed for senior undergraduates who have completed all other course requirements in the emphasis. This course offers students in the program the opportunity to explore and discuss more sophisticated theories and complex methods in neuroscience than was possible at the introductory level. This seminar features student-led discussions of advanced topics in the discipline, including nervous system organization, neurochemistry, brain plasticity, neural bases of learning and memory, diseases and injury of the nervous system, and neuropharmacology. Also includes evening presentations by guest experts.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
Senior neuroscience major or minor, or permission of the instructor.

This course introduces central issues in the philosophy of mind, especially the relation between mind and body - the brain, in particular - and the nature of consciousness. Other topics may include the possibility of artificial intelligence, the nature of psychological explanation, self-knowledge, psychopathology and psychopharmacology, psychoanalysis, and the concept of a person. Course materials reflect scientific developments in such fields as psychology, neurobiology, medicine, linguistics, and computer engineering.

Code
Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

This course investigates and attempts to distinguish, identify, and understand the different modes and aspects of the mind and self in yoga, meditation, psychedelics, psychology, neuroscience and philosophy in a variety of cultural contexts. The class examines the fundamental question of identity and the question, "Who am I?" Primary texts include Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Plato's Phaedo and Symposium, Freud's metapsychological essays, Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind, and David Presti on the mind/brain problem.

Code
Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

An examination of the biology of nerve cells and nervous systems through lectures and discussion of recent research. Topics include cell biology of the neuron, synaptic interactions and the neural bases of learning and memory, the neural circuitry underlying behavior, and developmental neurobiology. Emphasis is placed on students' oral and written evaluations of scientific literature.

Code
Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives
Prerequisites
BIOL 212, one year of college chemistry, junior or senior standing, and permission of the instructor.

Experiential Learning

Students gain experience in a variety of ways, including grant-funded summer research projects:

  • Viviana DePinto '26, "Characterization of environmental diclofenac concentration effects in major kynurenine metabolic pathway of Helisoma"
  • Madison Hening "26, "The effects of bisphenols on the neuronal control and embryonic development of the pond snail Planorbella (Helisoma) trivolvis"
  • Dominique Langevin '26, "Effects of DUT on neural proliferation in Helisoma trivolvis"
  • Mika Lopez '25, "Effects of DPP inhibility on shell shape in Helisoma trivolvis"
  • Jonah Shi '26, "Characterization of sensorimotor signaling pathways in Planorbella trivolvis"

Jobs

Our alumni work at:

  • University of Washington (researcher/technician)
  • Allen Institute (researcher)
  • Seattle Children's Research Institute
  • Scale Bio Sciences (scientist)
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Emergency Medicine (Resident Physician)

Continue Studying

Our alumni continue their studies at:

  • University of Utah (Ph.D., neuroscience)
  • New School of Design (Ph.D., cognitive science)
  • University of Colorado Denver (Ph.D., rehabilitative science)
  • Boston University (Ph.D., cognitive and comparative neuroscience)

Facilities

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Research Labs

Students conduct research in and out of class in neuroscience-related labs.

Makerspace
Makerspace

Students can use the Makerspace in Collins Memorial Library to let their creativity flow.