Biopsychology Program Area

Overview The Department of Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York, offers the opportunity for exceptional students to pursue graduate study in Biopsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience. The Biopsychology Area consists of six faculty whose research interests span topics such as the evolution of human behavior, behavioral endocrinology, developmental neuroscience, the physiology of learning and behavior genetics. Graduate students in Biopsychology are given a strong research background and work closely with faculty on laboratory research projects. In this regard students have the opportunity to acquire skills in molecular and cellular techniques in neuroanatomy and neurochemistry, small animal surgery, animal behavior testing, histology, computer applications, and analysis of human behavior. Students also have the opportunity to interact with additional Neuroscience faculty in the Biology Department at Albany Medical College and the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. anatomy and histology, and neurochemistry. Course offerings beyond the first year are individually tailored to each student's interests, and can include courses in the Developmental Neurobiology Research Center at the University and at Albany Medical Center. Students can choose from a range of courses offered in Psychology, Biology and Chemistry and can include courses from the Graduate Studies program with the Center for Neuroscience Research and Albany medical College. Examples of the type of courses available to students are listed below. Facilities The University at Albany has recently launched a Life Science Initiative and several Biopsychology research labs are now housed in a brand-new Life Science building with generous lab space, state-of-the-art animal housing facility, and access to core facilities including tissue culture, molecular biology and behavioral analysis cores. This building provides not only modern lab space, but also provides a focus for collaborative interactions among research scientists and students across a range of disciplines including Psychology, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Research in Biopsychology using human subjects is conducted in the area of evolution and human behavior, including self-awareness, social cognition and human reproductive competition. A modern 61,000 sq ft Science Library (www.library.albany.edu/science/) on campus contains some 600,000 volumes in all areas of science. An efficient and user-friendly electronic library system is available to all students for electronic access to journals and interlibrary loan. Financial Aid Students in good standing in the Biopsychology Program at Albany typically receive four years of financial support in the form of academic-year assistantships, research assistantships on faculty grants or (in the fourth year) teaching fellowships. Many students supplement their income during the summer by working as paid research assistants or by teaching summer courses of their own. Admissions Individuals interested in obtaining application materials can visit the Graduate Admission Website. For additional information about the program in Biopsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience at the University at Albany contact Dr. Christine Wagner, Biopsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience Program Director, University at Albany, Department of Psychology, SS369, 1400 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12222 (Voice: 4518-591-88364; Fax: 518-442-4867; cwagner@albany.edu). Course Offerings in Biopsycholog/Behavioral Neuroscience Note that not all courses are required! PSY 601 – Survey of Behavioral Neuroscience PSY 713 – Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience PSY 735 – Animal Learning PSY 745 – Psychopharmacology PSY 514 – Behavioral Endocrinology PSY 722 – Comparative Psychology PSY 723 – Behavior Genetic Analysis PSY 779 – Current Topics in Biopsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience PSY 780 – Neurobiology of Mental Illness PSY 510/511 – Statistics and Experimental Methods PSY 602 – Survey of Learning and Conditioning PSY 605 – Social Psychology PSY 623 – Advanced Developmental Psychology PSY 640 – Survey of Psychopathology PSY 662 – Sensory Processes BIO 504/505 – Cell Biology I/II BIO 513 – Modern Use of Light Microscopy BIO 521 – Cell and Molecular Developmental Neurobiology BIO 523 – Advanced Molecular Biology BIO 539 – Comparative Functional Genomics BIO 541 – Molecular Neurobiology BIO 547 - Cellular Aspects of Neurophysiology BIO 550 – Cellular Basis of Neuroanatomy BIO 560 – Neural Basis of Behavior BIO 622 – Tutorial in Imaging and Microscopy

Faculty in Biopsychology Bruce C. Dudek Ph.D., 1978 State University of New York at Binghamton. Behavior genetics; alcohol neuropharmacology; psychopharmacology Email: bruce.dudek@albany.edu Cheryl Frye Ph.D., 1992, Tufts University. Steroid Mechanism, Neurosteroids, Sex Differences in Behavior, Hormonal Influences in Behavior, Neuroprotection/Neuroplasticity. Email: cafrye@albany.edu Gordon G. Gallup, Jr. Ph.D., 1968, Washington State University Evolution and Human Behavior, Human Reproductive Competition, Self-Awareness and Social Cognition. Email: gallup@albany.edu Robert Rosellini Ph.D., 1977, DePaul University Associative Learning Processes in Invertebrates, Animal Learning and Behavior, Controllability and Predictability of Stress. Email: rar93@albany.edu Bruce B. Svare Ph.D., 1976, Rutgers University Hormonal Influences on Aggressive, Maternal and Sexual Behavior, Anabolic Steroid Abuse, Sports and Society. Email: svare@albany.edu Christine Wagner, Biopsychology Program Director Ph.D., 1991, Michigan State University Development of Brain and Behavior; Hormones and Neural Development; Sexual Differentiation of Brain and Behavior; Maternal/Fetal Interaction in Neural Development. Email: cwagner@albany.edu Adjunct Faculty Thomas Caraco, Dept. Biology (Behavioral Ecology) Dean Falk, Dept. Anthropology (Primate Evolution) Helmut V. B. Hirsch, Dept. Biology (Neuroscience) Links and Documents Coming Soon!