Syllabus

NEUROSCIENCE 702 RESEARCH METHODS

Fall, 2007

COURSE SUBTITLE: HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR IN THE FIELD OF NEUROSCIENCE

Professor James Olds

George Mason University

Textbooks:

Guide to Effective Grant Writing, Otto O. Yang ISBN 0-306-48664-4

At the Healm, Kathy Barker ISBN 0-87969-583-8

Class Time: Monday and Wednesday, 9AM, Krasnow 229 Lecture Room

Examinations and Grading Policy:

Grades will be determined on the basis of an 20 min oral “mini-job talk” presentation based on a journal paper of your choice and a 10 page “grant” proposal final project. Your grade will be calculated as ¼ (job talk grade) + ¾ (grant proposal grade). All grades will be on a 100 point scale. NOTE: You may collaborate with one another on the “job talk” project. You may NOT collaborate with one another on the “grant” proposal.

Week 1: Course Introduction. An overview of different career paths available to Neuroscience PhD’s. Why this course is focused on the path leading to independent investigator. Class discussion: what’s your take on your career path.

Reading assignment: ATH: Chapters 1,2

Week 2: Definition of a Principle Investigator. Evolution of PI’s 1945-present. Structure and History of the NIH. Publishing.

Reading Assignment: ATH Chapter 3, 4

Week 3: People management. Technicians, graduate students and post docs. Cloning yourself.

Reading Assignment: ATH Chapter 5,6

Week 4: How to be a competitive independent investigator and what it means to run your own lab

Reading Assignment ATH Chapter 7

Week 5: Giving talks, marketing your research. Secrets of powerpoint slides.

Reading Assignment ATH Chapter 8

Week 6: People issues, Mini-job talks

Reading Assignment ATH Chapter 9

Week 7: A lifetime in Science, Mini-job talks

Reading Assignment: GEGW Chpts 1,2,3,4

Week 8: Basic Grantsmanship, NIH grant ontology, Mini-job talks

Reading Assignment: GEGW Chpts 5,6,7,8

Week 9: Anatomy, organization and specific aims, background and significance; Mini-job talks

Reading Assignment: GEGW Chpts 9, 10, 11, 12

Week 10: Preliminary results, Research Design and Methods, Citations and Appendices

Reading Assignment: GEGW Chpts 13,14

Week 11: Administrative Sections, Collaborators and Consultants

Reading Assignment: GEGW Chpts 15, 16, 17

Week 12: Scoring process, Resubmission, Competing Renewals

Reading Assignment: GEGW 18, 19

Week 13: Non-NIH grants

Week 14: Class Rap-up Q&A