Neuroscience

Welcome to the exciting world of biomedical research at WSU Vancouver.

The undergraduate major in neuroscience is interdisciplinary, combining biology and psychology. It is designed to prepare you for careers in biomedical and clinical health sciences, including pre-medicine and other health-related fields. Neuroscience graduates from WSU Vancouver often continue their education and successfully pursue graduate and professional schools in health-related fields where they can earn M.D., D.O., P.A., and Ph.D. degrees.

You’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to some of the most important scientific questions of our time: How do your brain cells allow you to hear music, form memories, feel pain or become addicted to drugs? Learn how the brain and nervous system are altered in disorders like epilepsy, glaucoma, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s.

What's new?

  • Congratulations to our own Forrest Fearington for being recognized as one of the top 10 seniors of this year's WSU graduating class!
  • Congratulations to Abigail Bondurant for being accepted into the University of Washington's Neurological Surgery Summer Student Program.
  • Congratulations to two of our undergraduate students Emily Dale and Olivia Molano who took 1st and 2nd place in the WSU Undergraduate Research proposal competition. Both students are members of the Coffin Lab which focuses on understanding the processes that govern hearing loss. Emily’s proposal seeks to examine how inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to age-related hearing loss. Olivia’s proposal seeks to examine whether any of the current COVID-related drug therapies have the potential side effect of inducing hearing loss.
  • Congratulations to Forrest Fearington who won 1st place for best undergraduate research poster presentation at the Research Showcase Event. Forrest's poster highlighted research which may help us understand the potential mechanism(s) behind "hidden" hearing loss, that is hearing loss that is unable to be detected by current hearing tests. His poster was entitled, "Hidden Hearing Loss: AMPA Receptor Mediated Cochlear Synaptopathy". You can view Forrest's poster here.
  • Congratulations to Anastaysia Kozlovska who tied for 2nd place for best undergraduate research poster presentation at the Research Showcase Event. Anastasiya's poster highlighted the prevalence of overdose related to an active ingredient found in common over-the-counter allergy, sleep, nausea, and cough medications. Her poster was entitled, "Diphenhydramine overdose: a review of prevalence, presenting symptoms, and the pressing need to develop and implement a prompt toxicology screen. You can view Anastasiya's poster here.
  • Congratulations to our own Dr. Allison Coffin and John Harkness, CEO of Rewire Neuroscience, for receiving research funding through WSU's Cougar Cage Event (our version of the popular TV show Shark Tank). They will use the funds to develop machine learning algorithms to predict whether certain types of drugs have negative consequences on our ability to hear.
  • Congratulations to Dr. Alexandria Hudson on the successful completion of her doctorate in neuroscience. Currently, 20-30% of the population being treated with antibiotics will experience some degree of hearing loss. Dr. Hudson’s work, under the mentorship of Dr. Allison Coffin, focused on developing novel therapeutics to prevent antibiotic-induced hearing loss. You can read more about her work. Dr. Hudson is also a comic strip writer and artist. Check out her latest comic (.jpg)
  • OPB feature: The ever-changing nature of memory, drawn through chalk art, John Harkness, postdoctoral and research fellow
  • Vicky Nganga and Elisei Cosovan demonstrate to 4th graders how their brain produces electricity to contract their muscles while Trent Pratt shows off his brains.
  • "Conversations with a Neuron, Vol. 2" (PDF) — A new publication written and edited by our neuroscience students that highlights their interests and talents.

Upcoming events

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With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from WSU Vancouver, you will be able to:

  • Understand the relationships between the structure and function of molecules and tissues involved in neurobiological systems at all levels.
  • Recognize the impact of science on culture, and vice versa.
  • Perform basic laboratory techniques and understand principles of laboratory safety.
  • Apply the scientific process, including designing, conducting and evaluating experiments and testing of hypotheses.
  • Prepare oral and written reports in a standard scientific format.
  • Be able to find and understand scientific information and evaluate it critically.
  • Use mathematics and statistics to evaluate scientific evidence and interpret graphs and tables.
  • Value ethical conduct in science.