1) Address faculty members using a professional title such as "Dr." or "Professor;" maintain a courteous demeanor, both in conversation and tone of voice.

2) Be clear that you are seeking a mentor for research experience with credit, not looking for paid employment.

3) Explain why you chose to contact that particular laboratory.

4) State your year, major, grade point average, and research interests and career goals. It is not necessary to have prior laboratory experience, but it maybe helpful to mention any relevant skills.

5) Contact faculty members in series rather than in parallel. Realize that faculty receive numerous e-mail requests like yours; they are likely to delete your e-mail without responding if it appears to be a mass mailing.

6) Ask whether there may be an opening for you in the laboratory during a particular semester. If the response is positive, your next move will be to set up an appointment. Thank the faculty member for his/her time, and if necessary, accept "no" graciously.
______________________________________________________________________
Below is a partial listing of faculty who have served as instructors for undergraduate students enrolled in directed research (Nsci 4794/4994) or directed studies (Nsci 4793W/4993). Your research project or paper for these courses must be neuroscience related, but you are not limited to this list in your choice of a mentor. ________________________________________________________________________________

Primary Faculty		Adjunct Faculty
	Bagrat Amirikian, Ph.D. Neural networks and motion.		Karen K. Hsiao Ashe, M.D., Ph.D. Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases, aging:  animal and cellular models.
	James Ashe, M.D. Neural control of movement.		Marilyn E. Carroll, Ph.D. Behavioral pharmacology, drug dependence, behavioral economics--animal models.
	Linda M. Boland, Ph.D. Molecular physiology of ion channels; molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.		Esam E. El-Fakahany, Ph.D. Neuronal receptor regulation, receptor coupling to second messengers, aging.
	Dale Branton, Ph.D. Molecular basis of synaptic transmission.		William C. Engeland. Ph.D. Neuroendocrinology of stress.
	Janet Dubinsky, Ph.D. Neurotoxicity.		Carolyn Fairbanks, Ph.D. Spinal delivery of analgesics.
	Timothy J. Ebner, M.D., Ph.D. Neurophysiology of cerebellum and motor cortex.		S. Hossein Fatemi, M.D., Ph.D. Molecular causes of schizophrenia and autism.
	Robert P. Elde, Ph.D. Neuropeptides in central and peripheral nervous systems.		Jonathan Gewirtz, Ph.D. Biological basis of learning, memory and fear.
	Martha Flanders, Ph.D. Neural control of movement.		Christopher M. Gomez, M.D., Ph.D. Ion channel disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
	Apostolos P. Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D. Neurophysiology of motor control and cognition.		Rolf Gruetter, Ph.D. NMR spectroscopy studies.
	Glenn J. Giesler, Jr. Ph.D. Somatic sensory processing, pain.		Eric Javel, Ph.D. Auditory neurophysiology.
	Geoffrey Ghose, Ph.D. Strategies in visual cortex.		Steven Juhn, M.D. Biochemical pathology of inner ear disorders, effects of aging on auditory system.
	Christopher N. Honda, Ph.D. Anatomical and physiological bases of somesthesis, pain.		Dae-Shik Kim, Ph.D. Neuroimaging and visual neuroscience.
	Paulo Kofuji, Ph.D. Ion channels.		Alice A. Larson, Ph.D. Substance P and excitatory amino acids in pain.
	Lorene Lanier, Ph.D. Growth cone motility and axon guidance.		Allen S. Levine, Ph.D. Energy intake and energy expenditure.
	Paul C. Letourneau, Ph.D. Developmental neurobiology.		Patrick W. Mantyh, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular neurobiology.
	Arthur Leuthold, Ph.D. Magnetocardiography studies.		Linda Kirschen McLoon, Ph.D. Neuro-ophthalmology--muscle development, injury and regeneration.
	Dezhi Liao, Ph.D. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.		Karen A. Mesce, Ph.D. Neural systems and neurodevelopment.
	Steven C. McLoon, Ph.D. Developmental neurobiology.		Peter A. Santi, Ph.D. Inner ear anatomy, molecular composition and function.
	Paul G. Mermelstein, Ph.D. Calcium signaling and cellular excitability.		Donald A. Simone, Ph.D. Neural mechanism of pain sensation.
	Robert Miller, M.D Physiology and neuroscience of vision.		Peter W. Sorensen, Ph.D. Neural coding and function of pheromones.
	Yasushi Nakagawa, M.D., Ph.D. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain development and plasticity.		Sheldon Sparber, Ph.D. Regulation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]I, in neurons and examination of components of this system as potential pharmacologic targets.
	Eric A. Newman, Ph.D. Physiology and function of glial cells.		Kamil Ugurbil, Ph.D. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy studies in cerebral function and metabolism.
	Teresa Nick, Ph.D. Neural plasticityand its roles in the modulation of behavior.
	Giuseppe Pellizzer, Ph.D. Neural control of cognitivo-motor behavior.
	Richard E. Poppele, Ph.D. Neurophysiology of sensory-motor functions.
	A. David Redish, Ph.D. Spatial reasoning and navigation:  From neurons to behavior.
	Virginia S. Seybold, Ph.D. Cellular mechanisms underlying hyperalgesia.
	John F. Soechting, Ph.D.   Motor control neurophysiology.
	Mark Thomas, Ph.D. Neurobiology of drug-induced plasticity and addiction, behavioral neuroscience.
	Martin Wessendorf, Ph.D. Brainstem control of spinal function:  Methods of fluorescence microscopy.
	George L. Wilcox, Ph.D. Neurotransmission of pain.
	Lance Zirpel, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of activity-dependent neural development and survival.

return to top