Brooklyn College Psychology and Neuroscience REU Program

The Brooklyn College Psychology and Neuroscience REU Program, supported by the National Science Foundation, offers undergraduate students a comprehensive 15-week immersive experience in mentored research. The program focuses on rich and innovative research in clinical, cognitive, and behavioral neuroscience. Participants engage in comprehensive laboratory research, scholarly didactics, research ethics training, and professional research dissemination. A hands-on education is provided on the scientific process, from idea conception to the presentation of results, with structured laboratory experiences offering practice in writing, problem-solving, technical, collaboration, and presentation skills. Academic and professional confidence is built through engagement in scholarly didactics, including attending scientific talks and discussing research issues. This experience is designed to foster graduate school aspirations and guide students toward meaningful scientific careers in clinical, cognitive, and behavioral neuroscience. Potential research projects may cover topics such as the psychological and neurobiological foundations of learning and decision-making, neurobiological bases of antisocial behavior, cognitive and neurophysiological changes in prodromal dementia, neural bases of language processing, the impact of moral values, emotion regulation benefits of drawing, the scientific nature of creativity, obesity vulnerability, and epigenetic mechanisms in extinction learning. All projects culminate in a first-authored research poster presentation at Brooklyn College u2019s annual campus-wide Science Day. The program seeks talented undergraduate students from diverse ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds who aspire to obtain a Ph.D. degree. Eligible students, especially those from underrepresented groups in STEM, must be U.S. citizens or non-citizen permanent residents, enrolled at a public college/university in the New York metropolitan area, have completed an introductory psychology course, have at least sophomore standing, maintain an overall GPA of 3.30 or higher, and have at least one semester of undergraduate school remaining. Ten to twelve students are selected annually and receive a stipend of $3,100. The program takes place during the spring semester from late January through mid-May.