Explore the elegance and complexity of the brain and investigate how our 86 billion neurons contribute to our thinking, our behavior, and our sense of self.

Why study Neuroscience at Sewanee?

Neuroscience is a highly interdisciplinary field that spans the study of everything from single molecules to brain-wide circuits. The Sewanee neuroscience curriculum is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of cellular /molecular, behavioral, and cognitive approaches to exploring the brain. Flexible electives allow our students to expand their training into many related fields, including biomedical and health sciences, computational modeling, chemistry, and philosophy. Our professors provide a welcoming and collaborative environment where our students develop critical thinking skills, creativity, and a rigorous approach to understanding neuroscientific research.

Spotlight on: Experimental Neurobiology

Students in the new NEUR 351 Experimental Biology course using optogenetics and electrophysiology. In these experiments Drosophila (fruit flies) have been genetically engineered to express a light-sensitive ion channel in the motor neurons. In concert with intracellular electrophysiological recording, light-activation of these motor neurons leads to recordable changes of the membrane potential of the flight muscles of the fly.

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Spotlight On: Behavioral Neuroscience

Dr. Cammack’s research explores how drugs of abuse impact behavior. Specifically, she is interested in how abused drugs alter normal brain processes like learning, memory, and motivation; how sex differences and hormones alter drug seeking; and why similar individuals respond differently to the same drug. Her current research explores how prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, cause short- and long-term changes to motivation-related circuits in the brains of males and females.

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Spotlight On: Neurodegeneration

Elise Kikis studies the aberrant proteins that underlie neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is one of several autosomal dominant disorders in which a polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion leads to “toxic gain of function” caused by the adoption of a misfolded or aggregated state associated with proteotoxicity. Contact her for more information about research opportunities in her laboratory.

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See What Our Students Have To Say

Anna Püsök, C'23
Student Testimonials

“I love the Neuroscience Program at Sewanee because of its faculty and community. The professors are dedicated to providing the best learning experience: they are very helpful, and make every single class interesting, and they help us find amazing internships and prepare us for our careers after Sewanee. The neuroscience community is very close, I get to take classes with many of the same people, and I made a lot of friends through the program. Every class that I've taken has been fun and very interesting, and I'm really happy to be a part of the program!”

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Haven Watson C'20
Student Testimonials

"I began studying the brain because I was interested in why humans behave the way we do, and Neuroscience is the foundation of the most basic and complex human function and behavior. An understanding of human behavior creates empathy for others, which is likely why the Neuroscience program is filled with some of the best people on campus. Plus, it’s always really cool to say “Yeah, I majored in Neuroscience!”

Seif Selim C'23
Student Testimonials

''Neuroscience is a rapidly evolving field of science that involves a lot of metacognition as I like to think of it as a brain trying to untangle its own complexity. The Neuro Program at Sewanee is really amazing in the sense that it immerses students in a variety of fields like neurobiology, behavioral, and cognitive neuroscience. Among the things I appreciate about the program are the accessible undergraduate research opportunities and the supportive faculty.'

Sophia Harnew-Spradley C'22
Student Testimonials

“Sewanee is a great place to study neuroscience because of the community. Classes are small enough that your professors will know your name, and you are able to get to know their research and maybe even help them with it! The department is also good about sending out different internship and grad school opportunities that are around, which has helped me to explore the field and get experience outside of Sewanee. I have been grateful for the commitment that the Neuro Program has had to making us more knowledgeable in their field, and I would highly recommend Sewanee to anyone looking into neuro!”

Madeleine Rumingan C'22
Student Testimonials

“There is only so much that we know about the brain today, from ion channel activity to the neurobiological mechanisms to human thought and behavior. The Sewanee Neuroscience program does an excellent job at helping you explore what’s known and what’s unknown.”

Daniela Dueñas-Pincay C'23
Student Testimonials

I had the incredible opportunity of working in Dr. Cammack's lab this summer, in which we explored a cocaine antagonist and performed conditioned place preference with mice. It felt like such an accomplishment to gain valuable skills, such as maintaining/caring for the mice, staining estrous samples with cresyl violet and distinguishing the stages under a microscope, and analyzing data from the conditioned place preference tests. We put this all together on a poster, which was very rewarding and will continue to keep updating as we go!

Eileen Gomez C'23
Student Testimonials

Being a neuroscience major and working at Dr. Shelley's lab has really allowed me to explore my opportunities and love for the field. I have enjoyed exploring all different fields of neuroscience as it allows me to see how our brain works in many different ways and how there are different aspects that make us who we are

Revie Atkinson C'23
Student Testimonial

“I am so thankful for Sewanee’s Neuroscience Department for helping foster my love of science. I find I am able to get involved within the world of science in ways that are both impactful and meaningful not only to myself but to science itself. I feel confident knowing I am helping make a difference.” 

Student CO-Authored Articles

Meet our Faculty

Katharine Cammack
kmcammac@sewanee.edu

Katharine Cammack received a B.S. in psychology from Santa Clara University and a Ph.D. in integrative neuroscience from Rutgers University. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Rockefeller University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, supported by a research fellowship from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Assistant Professor of Psychology
Chris Shelley
cshelley@sewanee.edu

Chris Shelley earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from Imperial College London, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University College London. He conducted postdoctoral work on the mechanisms of activation of ion channels at the medical schools of the University of Miami and the University of Maryland. He has served as visiting professor at Franklin and Marshall College and a visiting scientist at Emory University.

Assistant Professor of Biology
Thomas R. Reppert
trrepper@sewanee.edu

Thomas Reppert is visiting assistant professor of neuroscience and psychology in the Department of Psychology. He received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He completed his postdoctoral training in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, supported by a research fellowship from the National Eye Institute.

Visiting Professor of Psychology
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Courses In NeuroScience

 

Sewanee’s Neuroscience curriculum is designed to cultivate core competencies in neuroscience. Students explore core subdisciplines in neuroscience and engage in hands-on laboratory courses that allow them to develop and conduct inquiry-driven research projects in neuroscience. Flexible, interdisciplinary electives enable students to expand their appreciation of neuroscience while pursuing their interests and goals.

A Sampling of Courses

Introduction to Neuroscience
Neuroscience

The brain is incredibly elegant, complex, and dynamic. This course offers an introduction to multiple ways that scientists (you!) understand and explore the brain. We will learn how brain cells communicate and how different brain structures contribute to our rich repertoire of behaviors and thought processes. Topics (e.g., vision, movement, motivation, memory) will be discussed from the level of molecules up through how brain circuits interact. By the end of this course, you will have gained a broad understanding of how the brain works and contributes to our everyday experiences.

NEUR 101
Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is a relatively young field that has risen from the union of neuroscience and cognitive psychology. This course uses a systems-level approach to understanding how the brain realizes various cognitive processes, including attention, learning, memory and executive control. How do we adjust our behavior after making errors? How do we stay focused on one task when we are constantly bombarded by distractions? We will discuss how cognitive neuroscientists use a combination of anatomical, physiological and behavioral measures to answer these pressing questions.

NEUR 225
Drugs & Behavior
Psychology

Myriad drugs are used in recreational and/or medical contexts, and play a complex role in our society. The course explores major principles of pharmacology to understand how drugs impact behavioral and cognitive processes. We will explore major biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that contribute to various patterns of drug use and abuse, including dependence and addiction, and evaluate various approaches to addiction treatment. We will also analyze primary literature in psychology and neuroscience and evaluate how drug-related research informs healthcare policy, legalization, mental health services, and approaches to human flourishing. At the end of this course, you will have gained a broad understanding of how drugs act on the brain to influence our behavior and the complex ways that substance use impacts our communities.

PSYC 349
Ion Channels and Disease
Neuroscience

Ion channels are responsible for the electrical signaling in the nervous system and in this course we will examine ion channel structure and function including the addressing what makes ion channels so selectively permeable to specific ions, and how do membrane potential changes and neurotransmitters act to open ion channels. For most of the course we will discuss research articles that detail ion channel dysfunction and how this can lead to disorders such as epilepsy, paralysis, color-blindness, and myotonia, and where possible, what steps can be taken to alleviate or cure these disorders.

NEUR 415
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NEUR351 Experimental Neurobiology

This laboratory course utilizes electrical recordings from a variety of invertebrates to build upon key neurobiological topics illustrating the principles of nervous system communication and the scientific method. An emphasis of the course is the analysis and interpretation of data; both data collected by students in the lab sessions, and data from ground-breaking research papers that have contributed to our understanding of nervous system function. In this course students will also get to design, conduct, and present their own experimental project.

NEUR355 Affective Neuroscience

This course covers the systems-level neural and behavioral bases of human and animal emotion. The course may explore basic theories of emotion, automatic processes, emotion regulation, rewards, social relationships, decision-making, learning and memory, stress, and psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety, and personality disorders). Students design and conduct experiments using cognitive neuroscience methodology, analyze the data, and write detailed laboratory reports.

NEUR359 Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience

This course provides an in-depth examination of how the brain influences behavioral processes. Students explore underappreciated but critical aspects of behavioral neuroscience, such as the complex interactions between hormones and behavior. Throughout the course, we will learn and apply standard behavioral assays and neurobiological techniques to understand the biological roots of animal behavior. As a class, we will design and perform a novel research project using mice, on a topic of your choosing (e.g., sex differences, stress, learning and memory, alcohol), analyze and interpret data, and present findings in a formal paper and a local undergraduate research conference.

 

Faculty & Student Research

Explore the research programs run by our Neuroscience faculty, and discover how our students conduct and present scientific research of their own.

Chris Shelley - How do neurotransmitters and ion channels control behavior

Dr. Shelley investigates the molecular basis of behavior through a combination of patch clamp electrophysiology on isolated sea urchin cells and behavioral pharmacology of live urchins.The lab is particularly interested in the functioning of the ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors that underlie the generation of electrical activity and behavior in sea urchins.

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Kate Cammack - Why individuals respond differently to drugs

Dr. Cammack’s research explores how drugs of abuse impact behavior. Specifically, she is interested in how abused drugs alter normal brain processes like learning, memory, and motivation; how sex differences and hormones alter drug seeking; and why similar individuals respond differently to the same drug. Her current research explores how prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, cause short- and long-term changes to motivation-related circuits in the brains of males and females.

Learn More

Elise Kikis - Identifying proteins that contribute to neurodegeneration

Dr. Kikis studies the aberrant proteins that underlie neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is one of several autosomal dominant disorders in which a polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion leads to “toxic gain of function” caused by the adoption of a misfolded or aggregated state associated with proteotoxicity.

Learn More

Thomas Reppert - The link between movement vigor and decision making

Dr. Reppert investigates the relationship between motor control and perceptual decision making. He uses eye movement metrics to ask questions such as: Why do some people make consistently faster movements than others? Why do we often make more errors when we are pressed for time? His work focuses on how motivational state and attentional control shape behavior.

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Student involvement in neuroscience research

Sewanee students conduct research alongside our Neuroscience faculty during the academic year and summer. These co-curricular opportunities build core competencies in undergraduate neuroscience education and career readiness, including analytic and scientific thinking, an understanding of rigorous and responsible conduct of research, communication skills, professionalism, and leadership. Many of our students have published their work in peer-reviewed journals and/or presented their work at scientific conferences.

Spend a Semester at Yale

A diverse and developing collection of innovative collaborations between Sewanee and Yale School of Medicine combining the unique strengths these two institutions offer tremendous possibilities for students, faculty, and community partners both on the Mountain and in New Haven. Our cross-institutional collaborations range from courses to research projects to community engagement efforts. The partnership between these two institutions continues to grow and evolve and the opportunities are many.

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Neuroscience

Programs of Study

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Neuroscience

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Biology | Website

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Psychology | Website

Our Community

Sewanee’s neuroscience community welcomes all members, from the neuro-curious to the newly declared major to the graduating senior. Discover the many ways to connect with other students, interact with faculty, plug into social and professional networks, and expand your neuroscientific world.

Neuroscience Brightspace

Interested in pursuing a degree in neuroscience, or just neuro-curious? Our Brightspace page is filled with valuable resources, tips, and ways to get involved in our community.

Impulse

Sewanee is a designated peer review site for the undergraduate neuroscience journal IMPULSE. IMPULSE publishes scholarly reviews and research papers written by undergraduates like yourselves. As a peer review site, Sewanee students can serve as anonymous reviewers for papers submitted to IMPULSE to be considered for publication.

We’re looking for students who are interested in joining our IMPULSE peer review team!

This experience provides:

- A sense of neuroscience research being done in labs at other universities

- A better understanding of the peer review process

- A way to hone your logic, critical thinking, and writing skills

- A way to encourage and promote good, sound science being done in the world

You do not need to be a neuroscience major or minor – just neuro-interested! For more information, please contact Dr. Cammack, Faculty Advisor for Sewanee’s peer review team, at kmcammac@sewanee.edu

Sewanee NEURDS

The Neuroscience Club (aka The Sewanee Neurds) promotes Neuroscience on campus and in the local community. Members coordinate Brain Awareness Week (BAW) activities, professional development panels, movie nights, and faculty colloquia. Everyone is welcome.

 

Careers in Neuroscience

Neuroscience is intrinsically an interdisciplinary field and being able to deal with information and concepts from a variety of fields and being able to analyze and interpret quantitative data are key skills in the modern workplace.

A major in Neuroscience can lead to a huge number of different careers, from professions in healthcare and research, to law, education, policy making, to popular writing and more creative endeavours. 

 


Check out the following links that have some great examples of careers that utilize a neuroscience degree:

 

There is also lots of career guidance information specifically for neuroscience available on the Sewanee Neuroscience Brightspace page (sign up if you haven’t already!), including strategies for graduate school applications and advice from our Neuroscience alumni.

 

The Sewanee Career Center also has lots of information and resources including identifying career skills, workshops, internships, and careers events on campus. Further resources can be found at the careers pages of the Society for Neuroscience, the New York Academy of Sciences, and on the Stories of Women in Neuroscience website.

 

Also check out the Careers panel organized by the Sewanee Neuroscience Society (“The Neurds”) in which professionals from a range of different careers and career stages talk about their journey’s from undergraduate Neuroscience to their current roles. 

Contact

Dr. Kate Cammack
Assistant professor of Psychology, Co Chair of the Neuroscience Program

kmcammac@sewanee.edu // Woods Lab 335

Dr. Karen Yu
Professor of Psychology, Co Chair of the neuroscience program

kyu@sewanee.edu // Woods Lab 321

 

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