Ohio

Case Western Reserve University
Department of Neurosciences

Contact:

Lynn Landmesser, Ph.D.
Department of Neurosciences
10900 Euclid Avenue
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44106-4975

Telephone: (216) 368-3996
FAX: (216) 368-4650

E-Mail: lynn.landmesser@case.edu
WWW: http://neurosciences.case.edu

Program Established: 1988

Number of Faculty: 16
Number of Students: 28

U.S. Citizens: 66%
Female: 56%

Number of Graduates in the Last Five Years: 38
Average Number of Years to Complete the Program: 5

Program Description: The Program in Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University offers graduate training in a wide range of disciplines in modern neuroscience. The program has a strong emphasis on cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate the function and development of the nervous system. Training in neurobiology is provided through a combination of course work, seminars, and research experience. Thesis research opportunities are available with more than 30 faculty members working areas such as development of sensory and motor systems, regeneration, pathway-finding by axons, synaptic function and plasticity, neurotrophin gene expression and trophic regulation, aging, neuron-glial interactions, simple neural circuits and neural modeling, regulation of neurotransmitter and receptor expression and neurogenetics. The Department of Neurosciences, in which the Program is based, is currently undergoing a period of rapid expansion with new primary faculty joining the Department each year.

Course Work, Laboratory Rotations and Examinations

Students are admitted to the Biomedical Sciences Training Program of the Graduate School and begin their graduate training in Neurosciences by participating in a laboratory research rotation with one of the program faculty in the summer before the start of their first academic year. Students take two additional laboratory rotations during the first year. The three laboratory rotations are intended to give students a diverse introduction to techniques and approaches for studying neural function and to serve as a basis for choosing a laboratory to do their Ph.D. thesis. During the first academic year, all students take a one year core curriculum which consists of courses intended to provide a solid background in modern molecular and cellular biology. During the second semester of the first year, students also take a course in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. During the fall term of the second year students take the Systems Neuroscience course. Several advanced graduate courses in neurosciences are available, including Developmental Neurobiology, Neural Circuits and Animal Behavior, Computational Neurosciences, Molecular Neurobiology, Cell Surfaces and Matrices, Laboratory Techniques in Cellular Neurobiology, and Neurobiology of Human Disease.

Examinations for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. consist of two parts. A preliminary examination is given at the end of the first year. The student presents an assigned research paper to a faculty committee, discussing the purpose, methods, data analysis and conclusions of the study. The purpose of this examination is to test the student's ability to read critically research papers in the Neurosciences. At the end of the second year, students are given a qualifying examination. This consists of a written research proposal on a topic distinct from the student's likely thesis project. The topic is chosen by a faculty committee. The purpose of this examination is to test the student's ability to design a sequence of experiments, to understand the strengths and limitations of the techniques to be utilized, and to anticipate and take account of possible unexpected results. Successful completion of this exam admits a student to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Six months after admission to candidacy the student submits a brief thesis proposal to their faculty advisory committee. This committee will meet biannually with the student to review the student's progress.

Other Student Activities

Students in the Program in Neurosciences participate in a variety of neuroscience-related activities. These include weekly seminars in current neuroscience research presented by faculty members from other institutions. Recent guest speakers have included Moses Chao, Mo-Ming Poo, Peter Sargent, Kai Zinn, Ron Calabrese, Greg Lemke, Mark Jessier-Lavigne, among others. During these visits, students have had an opportunity to meet with the speakers. The Department of Neurosciences also sponsors a journal club in which graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty present their current laboratory work or a recently published article of special interest. Students are also welcome to attend journal clubs in Developmental Biology and in Cell and Molecular Biology organized by these graduate programs. The students identify and host a neuroscience speaker of their choice each year. Each fall, students organize and participate in a day-long symposium in which they formally present their research. The final event of this symposium is a talk presented by an outstanding biomedical scientist. Recent speakers were Eric Kandel, Scott Fraser and Tony Hunter. Students are encouraged to enroll in summer courses in various aspects of the Neurosciences given at Woods Hole and Cold Spring Harbor, and to attend national meetings such as the Society for Neuroscience or Gordon Conferences.

The CWRU Campus and Its Surroundings

Graduate student life at the School of Medicine is enriched by a number of features of the school's location. From a scientific point of view, one important feature is that the School of Medicine is located on the campus of CWRU giving students easy access to seminars, research activities, and fellow students in departments such as Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology. Similarly, most of the hospitals associated with the Medical School are located on this same campus, facilitating contact between students at the University, clinicians, and researchers working in clinical departments such as Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.

The availability of affordable and attractive housing close to the University is an important additional feature of the location of the University. CWRU is bordered by a number of well-known residential communities, namely Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and Shaker Heights, where many students and faculty live. Rents are affordable, ranging from $500 for a one bedroom apartment to $800 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Culturally, the opportunities available to students at CWRU and their accessibility are impressive. The area surrounding the University, called University Circle, contains many of the major cultural institutions in Cleveland. Severance Hall, home of the internationally acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra, is located one block from the Medical School and offers student tickets. The Cleveland Museum of Art, also internationally famous, is two blocks away, and admission is free. Other institutions located within University Circle include the Cleveland Institute of Music, offering many free concerts, Cleveland Cinematheque, which runs international film series, the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Only a few blocks further is the Cleveland Play House, which is actually a collection of three play houses, home to the oldest repertory theater company in the U.S.. A calendar listing numerous cultural events scheduled in University Circle is published each month. In the summer, the Cleveland Orchestra plays outdoor concerts at the Blossom Music Center, about 40 minutes southeast of Cleveland. Cleveland also offers an active night life scene featuring many well-known jazz and blues clubs. A particularly popular spot is the Flats, where restaurants, pubs and music halls line the newly renovated Cuyahoga River waterfront.

Cleveland is also an attractive place for those who enjoy sports and the out of doors. The city is home to professional teams in basketball, baseball, and football (the Caveliers, the Indians, and the Browns, respectively). Situated on Lake Erie, now once again a "healthy" lake as a result of intensive anti-pollution measures, Cleveland offers many opportunities for fishing and boating. The city is surrounded by a series of parks known as the Emerald Necklace, designed by Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York City and the Fenway in Boston. A 20-minute drive eastward from Cleveland puts one in rolling woods and countryside, dotted by charming small towns. For those interested in cross-country skiing, numerous trails are available throughout the greater Cleveland area, and opportunities for downhill skiing are within a 2 1/2 hour drive in western New York State and western Pennsylvania.

All of the major metropolitan cities of the East Coast and Midwest are within a 1-2 hour plane ride of Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport including New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Also easily accessible, by car or plane, are Niagara Falls, Toronto and Montreal.

Admission Requirements: GRE or MCAT, organic chemistry, full course in biochemistry or equivalent, math, through calculus.

How, or Where to Apply:

Lynn Landmesser, Ph.D.
Chairman
Department of Neurosciences
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44106
Telephone: 216-368-6251

For more information about the program and an application kit contact Deborah Noureddine at drn2@po.cwru.edu.

For answers to questions about the program contact Evan Deneris at esd@po.cwru.edu.

Annual Tuition and Fees Costs: $14,500

Stipend/Assistantships & Financial Assistance: $18,000/year

Each trainee receives full support as a member of the program, including tuition and a competitive stipend. Candidates should be aware that the cost of living in the Cleveland area is well below that of most major cities. The program is supported in part by several NIH training grants.

Last revised April 2006
http://www.andp.org/programs/graduate/unitedstates/ohio/case.htm

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