Graduate eNews

Winter 2006 [Return to issue home]

The Interdisciplinarity of Neuroscience

Dr. Fred Rieke, UW Graduate Program in Neurobiology and BehaviorDistinguished scientists like Fred Rieke—a McKnight Scholar, NSF Graduate Fellow, and most recently named one of the nation's 43 most promising biomedical scientists by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute—are solving real-world problems requiring flexible and interdisciplinary minds that can keep pace with ever-emerging ideas and revolutionary technologies.

The research in Dr. Rieke's lab focuses on sensory signal processing and concentrates on cases in which sensory systems perform at or near the limits imposed by physics. His approach is unique because unlike most neuroscientists who focus either on the molecules that allow neurons to communicate at the most fundamental level, or take a more systematic approach that tracks the flow of information between sensory input, brain and motor output, Rieke unites the two disciplines in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the nervous system.

Neuroscience, which is the study of the brain and nervous system, goes from understanding the processes through which we intake information to asking how we make abstract and complex interpretations of this information. In addition to the study of consciousness, the pathology of the brain attempts to explain the causes of debilitating diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and even depression.

The Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior is just one of many programs focusing on interdisciplinarity at the University of Washington. Integrating more traditional scientific disciplines such as anatomy, physiology and biochemistry with the newer fields of molecular biology and computer science, neuroscience transcends traditional educational approaches to scientific problems in order to draw from the vast depth and breadth of expertise among scientists in diverse fields of concentration.

As our nation's approach to education evolves to meet the changing economic and scientific needs, the UW Neurobiology and Behavior Graduate Program models the future of graduate education at our university. It challenges students to tackle real-world problems and grapple with the implications of their research. It demands excellence from faculty and students while encouraging camaraderie and fostering important learning communities. Most importantly, it draws from the excellence of departments and programs across campus, ensuring that the greatest scientific challenges of our generation are not addressed in isolation.