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7
The Neur osci ence Trai ni ng Program of UW -Madi son Re-
Eval uates its Invol vem ent with t he Carnegie Init iat iv e on
the Doct orate
H. Gerstein , H. Daniels and T. C. T. Yin
1 2 1,3

ABSTRACT
1
Neuroscience Training Program, Graduate C)School, Dept of Physiology,
2
Develop non-traditional career paths to
University of Wisconsin-Madison
3

The Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison was one the neuroscience partner programs that
participated in the ground breaking Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate
(CID) starting in 2003. The CID was a multi-year long, nation-wide
project that focused on improving doctoral education in U.S.
universities through the analysis of the participating programs’ training
activities. The CID recently has ended and the NTP now is assessing
the progress made through the initiative.
Recap: CID Goals reflect shift in demand in Neurosciences • PEOPLE Program
A) Evaluate NTP to identify areas where student and faculty conflicts exist Neuroscience and Public Policy Dual Degree Program: PEOPLE is a pre-college pipeline for students of color and low-income
students, most of whom are the first in their families to potentially attend
B) Evaluate advisor/student relationship college. The NTP participates each summer by running a variety of one week-
• N&PP Program was created to meet growing need for neuroscientists
C) Develop non-traditional career paths to reflect shift in demand in long neuroscience courses for 10th and 11th graders, taught by NTP graduate
with strong research and public policy skills. Prepares students for
Neurosciences students.
careers in science policy, academia, government and the private sector.

During the CID, the GPN created several subcommittees
(Faculty, Student Recruitment and Retention, Training) that efficiently
critiqued and revised the way our program functions. A Coordinating
Committee met monthly to discuss the recommendations of these
subcommittees and send their suggestions to the program-wide
Steering Committee. This system led to several beneficial changes
Results from the questionnaires revealed the following notable
within the GPN, including a refined structure and timeline for the oral
preliminary exam; creation of a Student Board to increase and organize
communication between the student body and faculty; a written
preliminary exam with questions that integrate the curriculum of the
four core neuroscience courses; and new faculty membership
requirements that attempt to increase faculty involvement within the
GPN.
With the end of the formal CID process, the CID-specific
committees have dissolved; consequently, the efficiency with which
new, graduate education-related ideas are implemented within the GPN
has decreased, and students are less involved in this process. The
Student Board now is attempting to rejuvenate the spirit of the
initiative by increasing the dialogue between the Board and the
incoming Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Our goal is to create a
process within the GPN that will maintain the advanced
communication among the students, faculty, and administrators of the
GPN that was achieved during the CID’s tenure. Equally important is
to create a lasting culture within the GPN that will foster new,
graduate-student related initiatives in the spirit of the initial CID-
inspired advancements.
• Outreach Programs
• La Follette School of Public Affairs Master of Public Affairs (MPA)
Science Expeditions
degree program is designed to be flexible, thus well-suited for
A) Evaluated NTP to identify areas where accommodating N&PP program students. 42 credit program includes
NTP participates in UW-Madison's Annual Science Outreach Day. We
host several hands-on activities at a Neuroscience specific table staffed by
student and faculty conflicts exist core courses, electives and summer internship, and is usually completed
graduate students. Approximately 1500 community members (children and
during first three years of study in the N&PP program.
adults) attend each year.
differences in perception between faculty and students on a Brain Awareness Week at the Madison Children's Museum
• Current enrollment is three students, with continuing enrollment of 1
number of key issues. student annually, pending funding.
Approximately 500 parents and children attend the museum event
annually. Multiple stations are set-up around the museum that children
How often advisor promoted the following topics? • Applied for NSF Science and Technology Policy grant to support navigate via a “passport.” Following completion of all stations, each child
received a certificate and a prize.
• Networking stipend, tuition and internships for current N&PP students. Program is
Edgewood Science Night
• Writing journal articles member of ANDP (Association of Neuroscience Departments and
Annual fair held at local middle school. NTP ran activities such as clay
• Grant writing Programs)
modeling of neurons and brains. Approximately 75 parents and adults
• Teaching attended the science night.
• Features weekly special Neuroscience & Public Policy Seminar
• Postdoctoral advice Partnered with Science Alliance (science.wisc.edu)
• CV preparation A UW-Madison campus wide scientific outreach collaborative
• Courses for N&PP Program include:
• Giving job talks coordination effort. Promoting interaction and collaboration across campus
Intro to Policy Analysis, Public Management, Science Policy
for multiple scientific programs.
Electives, Bioethics & Law Electives, Public Policy Internship
Where do you think student learn the following skills? Science Master’s Institute Course on Human Brain and Senses
• Critical thinking and analysis Yearly course with 20 hours of contact time for Madison School District
• Literature searches 8th grade science teachers to help them teach a module on the brain.
• How to integrate a body of knowledge Teaching Opportunities:

• Teaching Fellows in Neuroscience Program (TFN) Future Directions

Graduate Program Overview
•UW Madison Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) is
an interdisciplinary, cross campus integrated graduate
program founded in 1971. NTP has received continuous
funding from NIH for over thirty years.
•NTP currently has 89 faculty and 60 current grad
students.
•Over 135 Ph.D. degrees have been granted with over
90% of students remaining in the biomedical sciences.
•Research strengths range from cellular/molecular
studies to behavioral and systems neuroscience.
B) Evaluate advisor/student relationships
•Rotation evaluations from both professor and student to identify
potential problems ahead of time.
•Did a survey of all past alumni as well as all graduating students upon
program completion to assess what aspects of the program students like
and what areas need improvement
•Encourage mediation and open dialogue conversations with program
administrator and director
Aim of the new program is to allow interested NTP graduate
students to obtain training in teaching while they maintain traditional
research-oriented training leading to a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Includes
coursework in college-level teaching, teaching internship and mentoring
practicum through the Delta program (below).
• Delta Program Certificate (part of the NSF Center for the Integration of
Research, Teaching & Learning)
Program serves as community for research, teaching and learning
community made up of faculty, academic staff, post-docs, and graduate
students to help scientists succeed in the changing landscape of science,
engineering, and math higher education. Uses core ideas of teaching-as-
research, learning-through-diversity, and learning community to support
teaching. Includes coursework, internship, participation in Delta
Learning Community and completion of Teaching Portfolio.
Expand N&PP Program
• More opportunities for career planning
• Outreach events that are specific to Policy, such as work with high
school debate teams, political groups
• Waisman Center collaboration for outreach and education on
addiction and mental illness
Additional Professional Development for all NTP students
• Senior level (5th/6th year) professional development seminars,
focusing on post-doc applications, securing funding, balancing work
and home life
• Further NTP-wide social events, to foster cohesive and collaborative
atmosphere