Comparative Investigations of the Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Escape Behavior: A Course-based Undergraduate...

Incorporating authentic research into undergraduate neurobiology courses significantly enhances student learning and builds the foundation for rigorous neuroscience training. These course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are high impact: they foster the skills of scientific inquiry, logical reasoning, scientific writing and communication, increase academic performance, and lead to a greater sense of belonging in STEM. Yet, the use of modern neurophysiological recording methodologies followed by rigorous analysis using computational tools remains relatively uncommon within undergraduate neuroscience curricula. In this article, we describe our recent development and implementation of a novel semester-long undergraduate course (Advanced Laboratory in Neurobiology, Haverford College) in which students experimentally compare the neurophysiological mechanisms of escape behavior of crickets and zebrafish through pharmacological intervention, extracellular recordings, and in vivo calcium imaging. Students gained mastery in hands-on scientific skills for implementing the two recording approaches and also generated their own custom-written MATLAB scripts for data analysis of both the electrophysiological and calcium imaging raw data. To foster other scientific skills throughout the course, students maintained a digital laboratory notebook, wrote and submitted a project proposal resembling a fellowship grant application, participated in a journal club discussion, and communicated their scientific findings in a final oral presentation. End-of-semester survey data indicate that our course resulted in significant growth in conceptual understanding of neurophysiological principles and skill development using scientific approaches including rigorous analysis using computational tools. Overall, this comparative neurobiology CURE represents a strong and versatile platform on which students can engage neurophysiological and computational approaches as a component of their neuroscience education.