Overview
LSU Offers an Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program at the Health Sciences Center in New Orleans
The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center in New Orleans is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental program offering predoctoral research training in fundamental and clinical neuroscience. The training program, which requires about four years to complete, leads to a Ph.D. in neuroscience and is offered by faculty members from twelve departments of the Health Sciences Center and the University of New Orleans. A Master of Science program is also offered. The breadth of research programs of the Health Sciences Center faculty encompasses all major areas of neuroscience, ranging from electrophysiology to molecular neurobiology and from genes to cells to human behavior and the neurobiology of disease. Training is designed to provide Ph.D. neuroscientists with a broad general knowledge of neuroscience as well as more intensive training in a highly specialized topic for academic and industrial research positions.
The core Health Sciences Center program includes specialized neuroscience courses (neuroscience, investigative neuroscience, molecular neurobiology, and behavioral neuroscience) and related biomedical courses (cell biology, statistics, and biochemistry). Rotation through a number of faculty laboratories is required and provides the students with research experience from the beginning of their tenure. Students participate in the neuroscience seminar series, neuroscience colloquia, Neuroscience Center retreats, and the many other brain science activities sponsored by the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Students are also encouraged to become involved in the very active greater New Orleans chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.
Vast Research Facilities Serve the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program at LSU's Health Sciences Center
LSU Health Sciences Center faculty members are all located in modern buildings with state-of-the-art laboratories in New Orleans. In addition, the Health Sciences Center Core Laboratories, which is a service facility, provides oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis and sequencing, amino acid analysis and purification, mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, and phosphoimaging. Specialized equipment, including HPLCs, PCR cyclers, ultracentrifuges, and spectrophotometers, is available in the laboratories of many of the faculty members.
Other multidisciplinary facilities include ultrastructure laboratories and a Computer Imaging Center for three-dimensional modeling and reconstruction, deconvolution, confocal microscopy, and digital image analysis. Equipment for high-speed sequencing of DNA has recently been purchased by the Neuroscience Center. Extensive library facilities are available at the Health Sciences Library of the Health Sciences Center and the University Library at the University of New Orleans. A comprehensive Computer Services Center is available on the Health Sciences Center campus.
Graduate Stipends Exempt Students from Tuition Expenses
Graduate stipends are available from the Neuroscience Center, individual departments, and the LSU Health Sciences Center Graduate School. Supplements can be obtained from faculty grants and other sources for those students who are highly qualified. Students who receive stipends are not required to pay tuition but are responsible for activity fees.
The cost of living in the New Orleans area is generally below the national average. A recently remodeled dormitory with an exercise area and health facility is available on the Health Sciences Center campus. Living accommodations are also available in the historic Garden District, Uptown, and the Warehouse District, all of which offer distinctive Greek revival and Victorian architecture. Student apartments can also be found in the French Quarter at reasonable cost. Health care is available on campus through the student Health Center of the LSU Medical School.
Only Four or Five Students Enter the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program Each Year
Approximately 110 students are enrolled in the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center graduate school in New Orleans. Between 20 and 25 of these students are working in the neuroscience program and train in graduate programs of the various basic science departments of the Health Sciences Center. The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program accepts four to five students per year.
The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program is closely linked to the Louisiana State University Neuroscience Center of Excellence. The Neuroscience Center is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental unit of LSU Health Sciences Center that is funded by the State of Louisiana Centers of Excellence Program, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense. The Neuroscience Center fosters interactions and collaborations among neuroscientists and creates a rich and stimulating environment for graduate education. In addition to graduate training, postdoctoral training is also available with the Neuroscience Center faculty. The Health Sciences Center is part of Louisiana State University; the main Louisiana State University campus is located in Baton Rouge. Louisiana State University is an EEOAA employer.
