One of the most rewarding aspects of conducting research in the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab is having the opportunity to mentor undergraduate students.  In doing this, I can give each student individualized attention and emphasize theory as the foundation of research.  Since joining the USCL faculty, I have mentored nine undergraduate students.  My approach to promoting a productive research environment is to assign each student a project for which they can be responsible.  Any resulting abstract publications include their name.  I find this approach to be rewarding for myself in the sense that undergraduate assistants become independent in data collection techniques quickly.  In addition, my lab assistants have been pleased with this approach because they feel that they have made important contributions to ongoing research. 

Past and Current Lab Assistants
John Hardin:  Laboratory Intern for the academic year 2009-2010
Anna Catoe:  Laboratory Assistant for Spring 2010
John Rutledge:  Laboratory Assistant for the academic year 2009-2010
Amber Smith:  Laboratory Assistant for Spring 2010