Heady territory

It doesn’t take an Einstein to deduce why neuroscience is one of Wake Forest’s largest and fastest-growing minors.

euroscience, as biologist Wayne Silver defines it, is the study of “how brain cells work, the mind-brain philosophy problem, and everything in between.” Pretty heady territory there, with plenty of synapses for connection making. It doesn’t take an Einstein to deduce why neuroscience is one of Wake Forest’s largest and fastest-growing minors. Its inclusiveness alone—encompassing as it does a range of disciplines and career applications—would position it near the head of its class.

Now, in its fourth year, the minor stands on the threshold of a leap that would separate it from the many other neuroscience programs at colleges across the country: the incorporation of service learning into its curriculum. Although details remain to be worked out, the goal is to have students serve others while learning more, first-hand, about how the brain works.

“A brain in a laboratory is a brain in a vat,” says George Graham, A.C. Reid Professor of Philosophy and Silver’s colleague as part of the program’s brain trust. “But we do not live our lives in vats. What better natural science than neuroscience in which to include service learning? The brain in a vat becomes a brain in the world.”

According to the program’s catalog description, neuroscience is the study of how we learn, process, and remember information from the molecular to the philosophical level. Among its ranks are biologists, chemists, psychologists, physicists, computer scientists, and philosophers who examine topics ranging from the molecular pharmacology of brain function to the so-called mind-body problem.

Silver, a sensory biologist and full professor who is in his nineteenth year at the University, describes neuroscience as “a rapidly grown field that’s growing more rapidly.” By the late 1990s, the Wake Forest School of Medicine had been offering a neuroscience doctoral degree program for many years, but the College had no organized program of study in the discipline. After surveying a list that included over 30 undergraduate programs nationwide, Silver and some fellow Reynolda Campus faculty members working in the field concluded that timing and conditions were suitable for starting one.

“Clearly, a major would have been too ambitious, but an interdisciplinary minor seemed doable,” says Silver, who studies the biology of taste and smell. “A lot of our undergraduates were expressing interest, a good number of our faculty members already were doing work in the field, and we could tap into an excellent graduate program at the medical school. That was a key element since one of the University’s buzzwords in recent years has been intercampus collaboration.”

Silver and some colleagues compiled a list of 11 College faculty members in four departments—biology, psychology, philosophy, and computer science— who identified themselves as neuroscientists. A coordinating committee compiled a curriculum, and the minor received formal approval in 1999, with the first class enrolling in fall 2000.

Besides electives, neuroscience minors take an introductory survey course that includes a lab taught by a graduate student and a seminar that features weekly reports by Bowman Gray Campus faculty members on their research. To date, nine students have graduated with the minor and another 24 have either completed or are currently taking the introductory course.

Although satisfied that it was strong, Silver says there was nothing unique about Wake Forest’s program that would set it apart in the eyes of potential funding agencies. Graham, who in his first year at the University has made quite a positive impact on both campuses, suggested service learning, which to anyone’s knowledge was not part of any other undergraduate neuroscience program in the country. The faculty surveyed their students, and about half said they thought a service-learning component would enhance their career prospects.

The minor’s core faculty gathered in early September to discuss the idea at a retreat funded by the Lilly Grant. Although they unanimously endorsed the concept of service learning, “there were eleven different ideas of what service learning is about,” according to Silver.

“We all agree it’s a good idea—we’re just not sure right now what the idea is,” he says, adding that Charidy Hight of the Lilly Grant staff will be exploring opportunities in coming weeks. “I’m not sure if we can get this in place by fall, but that’s okay. We decided we’re not going to rush it, but to do it right.”

Graham says a target outcome is students learning the effects of damaged brains on social behavior. “Just how we are going to do this, or whether we will succeed, remains to be seen," he says. “In time, we may have one of the best and most popular neuroscience minors in the entire country, period.”
--David Fyten

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