Proposal for neuroscience major to be written

By Maha Azizc     3/18/14 4:55pm

The Rice University Neuroscience Department has created a steering committee to put together a proposal for a neuroscience major to university administration, according to Neuroscience Department Director David Dickman.

The Rice University Neuroscience Department has created a steering committee to put together a proposal for a neuroscience major to university administration, according to Neuroscience Department Director David Dickman.

“It is a little early to say anything definitive, but at this point, we have a neuroscience steering committee that is putting together a proposal to give to Rice administration,” Dickman said. “We have not completed the proposal yet, but hope to do so soon, and have meetings to finalize the work, then present it to the curriculum committee and the faculty senate.”

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The new major will supplement the current neuroscience minor, Neuroscience Department Advisor Steven Cox said. He said the minor has been popular since its implementation.

“This is a very exciting development, especially given the extraordinary, positive response we have seen to our neuroscience minor, now in its second year,” Cox said.

Baker College sophomore Yusi Ou, who is pursuing the neuroscience minor, said although the minor is enjoyable, the major would need a more specific distinction between the humanities and STEM concentrations.

“I think it has to be paired with a deeper understanding of [biochemistry], [electrical engineering] or computation, or something, for it to really be useful,” Ou said. “That’s why I like the [neuroscience] minor; it gives me a background on neuro stuff, and I can apply it to the other things that I’m doing.”

Cox said a number of steps must be taken in order to initiate a new major, including hiring experts in the field, creating a budget and receiving approval from the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum.

“Our discussions about the major are still in their early stages,” Cox said. “We are hoping all these necessary components will fall into place quickly so that the major will become official as soon as possible.”

Ou said she thinks the major would be more fulfilling if a research or internship specific to the STEM or humanities concentration was a required component of the major requirements.

“I would love a major that requires some sort of research or internship as part of the curriculum,” Ou said. “Having the Medical Center nearby makes this a relatively easy task as it is an amazing resource for STEM students.”

Cox said the neuroscience major will be able to connect students with the experts in neuroscience in the Houston Medical Center located on Main Street. He said this resource will allow students to get the most benefit out of the major.

“We at Rice are fortunate to have one of the largest and best medical centers in the world right across Main Street from our campus.” Cox said. “The expertise there, in neuroscience and related fields, is simply unsurpassed. Giving Rice students access to that wealth of talent is our primary goal in developing this major.”

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