Undergraduate Opportunities
Neuroscience Major and Minor
UNE's bachelor of science degree in neuroscience is an interdisciplinary major offering coursework and research opportunities from faculty in various departments and colleges. The curriculum is designed to allow students to explore the structure and function of the nervous system.
A student with a GPA of at least 2.25, can minor in neuroscience with the approval of the Psychology Department Chair. Declarations must occur prior to the completion of the first semester of the junior year.
Neuroscience Student Research: Exploring New Treatments for Corneal Pain
Meet Professor Ian D. Meng, Ph.D., and Gillian Singer (Neuroscience ’23) as they study ocular pain by mapping out the corneal nerves.
Neuroscience Club
The Neuroscience Club holds a number of events throughout the year on a variety of neuroscience topics. It also raises funds for the Michel T. Goulet Foundation and works to educate children and adults on traumatic brain injuries and diseases.
The club caters to individuals who have an interest in all things neuroscience. Activities, fundraisers, and meetings are all centered around neuroscience-related events. All students are invited to join this club — not just neuroscience majors and minors.
The Neuroscience Club typically meets two to three times per month. For more information email Michael Burman at mburman@une.edu.
Research
Interested in working in a neuroscience lab? One of the best ways to determine if you want to go into a career in neuroscience is to volunteer or work in a lab.
Samantha Dinsdale ’19
I began participating in research at UNE in the fall of my sophomore year. From spring of 2017 until I graduated, I worked in Ben Harrison's, Ph.D., lab.
In the Harrison Lab, the goal is to understand nerve regeneration has numerous impacts. For example, if we can better understand the biochemical mechanism(s), then we can potentially target gene expression and generate new treatments to help spinal cord injury (SCI) patients regrow their nerves after injury, redirect nerves growing in tumors (i.e., bone cancer, arguably the most painful type), regenerate neural connections in cardiac tissue after heart attacks, etc. Knowing this potential impact was what intrigued me to join the lab due to the numerous clinical applications (and my interest in SCI patients).
I was fortunate to run my own project for two years, focusing on behavior and optimizing experimental testing for future studies. I was able to attend two conferences while working in the Harrison Lab and presented my findings a total of six times — three poster presentations and three oral presentations. My time in the lab helped me grow a passion for research and helped me become the scientist I am today.
Now, I am the lab manager/technician for Ian Meng, Ph.D. In the Meng lab, I am currently studying dry eye and chronic pain, attempting to aid in efforts to create better treatments for millions of people who suffer from dry eye. In the lab, we also receive contracts from companies (i.e. contact lens companies) to run cohorts of animals to test the effects of their newly developed drug treatments. Like many labs, collaborations happen frequently, such as with Geoffrey Ganer, Ph.D., in the Ganter Lab to uncover the pSMAD pathway in rodents and methods to manage this pain pathway in a rodent mode. He's discovered the biochemical mechanism in drosophila fly.
My time [working in the Harrison Lab] helped me grow a passion for research and helped me become the scientist I am today.
Volunteering
All of these volunteer activities can be counted toward citizenship hours.
Activities
The Neuroscience Club encourages all members to participate in the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences' K-12 Outreach Program. This program unites faculty, staff, graduates, and undergraduate students while bringing interactive learning to area schools. The activities are designed to introduce such neuroscience topics as anatomy and physiology, injury and injury prevention, addiction, and cognition. Students are trained by 51Æ·²èstaff and invited to go into local schools to teach students one of the many modules that the Neuroscience Center has developed.
The Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences at 51Æ·²èhas created an annual Brain Fair to engage the local community in brain exploration. The goal of the fair is to promote interest in STEM disciplines (neuroscience in particular) within the greater community. Students, staff, and faculty develop neuroscience-related hands-on activities and experiments for the general public, resulting in a science museum-like experience for the local community. The fair is held in celebration of Brain Awareness Week.
The Southern Maine Brain Bee is the first step in an international Brain Bee competition that brings together students from near and far to test their knowledge on brain-related topics. Hosted by the Center of Excellence in the Neurosciences, local high school students compete in a bee-like competition answering questions about the brain's: biology, cellular function, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and more. Prior to the Bee, the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences will host some activities to help participating students prep for the Bee.
For more information on volunteer opportunities email the center at cen@une.edu.
Graduate Opportunities
Programs
Masters Program
51Æ·²èoffers an M.S. in Biological Sciences. Thesis work for this program can be done in a neuroscience lab.
Request info about our M.S. in Biological Sciences
Ph.D. Program
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (GSBSE), offered through the University of Maine, is a graduate program that includes six cooperating academic and research institutions in Maine The 51Æ·²è, The Jackson Laboratory, MDI Biological Laboratory, University of Southern Maine, University of Maine, and Maine Medical Center Research Institute.
Students enrolled in the program can choose which institution they want to do their dissertation work at, with the University of Maine as the Ph.D. granting institution.
The GSBSE program provides diverse interdisciplinary training through a Biomedical Science or Biomedical Engineering track. For more information on this program, please visit the .
CEN Faculty Who Are Accepting Rotating GSBSE Students
