- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute
The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI) at the
University of California, Berkeley was founded in 1999 with assistance from a US$10 million bequeathal left by eight-time Wimbledon championHelen Wills Moody , analumna of the University of California - Berkeley.History
After the death of Helen Wills Moody in 1998 the University of California, Berkeley approved the foundation of a new
neuroscience research institute. In order to honor the contributions to the university by this alumna her name was made eponymous with the institute. In 1999 the institute officially became a part of the University, forming its owngraduate school which offers adoctorate in neuroscience. The first student to receive aPhD in Neuroscience from the institute was Thomas Muench, PhD who graduated in 2005. At any time there are approximately 40 graduate students in the department, though there is noundergraduate neuroscience program.The institute now encompasses over 40 research faculty from many departments including: Molecular & Cellular Biology,
Psychology , Integrative Biology, Vision Science,Chemical Engineering ,Electrical Engineering &Computer Science ,Physics , Environmental Science, Policy & Management andAnthropology . The institute supports 5 general subdivisions within neuroscience: Cellular, Cognitive, Developmental, Molecular, and Systems.Mission statement
"As we enter the 21st century, we are poised on the threshold of an era of exponentially growing discoveries about human
brain andbehavior , and the potential for therapies and cures ofneurological disease s. The mission of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute include:* Building bridges across traditional academic boundaries spanning from
genes andmolecules to brain and behavior.
* Traininggraduate student s at this interface as a means of preparing them to become future leaders in neuroscience research.
* Harnessing the creative energy of physical scientists to fuel technology innovations andparadigm shift s in brain studies.
* Using thissynergy to build the most advanced technologies in the Brain Imaging, Molecular Imaging, andNeurogenomics Centers.
* Translating discoveries in neuroscience frombasic research tohuman health ."Research centers
The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute currently houses four research centers each with a unique focus on elucidating the functions of the brain.
Brain Imaging Center
The Henry H. "Sam" Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center (BIC) is led by Mark D'Esposito, MD. This facility houses one of the most powerful (and the most powerful at the time of its installation) human research
functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) system in theUnited States . The 4 teslamagnet provides an opportunity for research collaboration infunctional neuroimaging among diverse fields.Data are analyzed at the Judy & John Webb Neuroimaging Computational Facility also housed on the Berkeley campus.Neurogenomics Center
The Neurogenomics Center is led by John Ngai, PhD. This facility creates and utilizes advanced
gene chip andgene microarray technologies to examine brain function at the molecular, genomic level.Molecular Imaging Center
The Molecular Imaging Center is led by Ehud Isacoff, PhD. This facility aims to image--at the molecular level--the dynamic properties of "
in vitro " neurons by utilizing molecular optical reporters of neural function.Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience
The Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience became a part of the HWNI on
July 1 , 2005 after the dissolution of thenonprofit scientific research facility, the Redwood Neuroscience Institute (RNI), once housed in Menlo Park,California . The RNI was established byJeff Hawkins in August, 2002. Many of the researchers from the RNI joined the University as faculty or staff, and the institute was renamed the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. Through the use of various electro- and magnetophysiological techniques, this group hopes to discover an underlying biological mathematics model ofmemory andcognition .Affiliates
*Pierce College - HWNI offers a Summer neuroscience research program for Pierce
undergraduate students to work with a student or faculty mentor on supervised research projects.
*Trinity College Institute of NeuroscienceDirectors
* 1999-2001: Corey Goodman, Ph.D.
* 2001-2006: Robert T. Knight, M.D. - On sabbatical leave for 2006-2007, will resume Directorship upon return
* 2006-2007: John Flannery, Ph.D. - Director while Robert Knight is on sabbaticalExternal links
* [http://neuroscience.berkeley.edu Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute homepage]
* [http://bic.berkeley.edu/ HWNI Brain Imaging Center]
* [http://redwood.berkeley.edu/ HWNI Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience]
* [http://cajal.berkeley.edu Helen Wills graduate student wiki]
* [http://www.piercecollege.edu/ Pierce College]
* [http://www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/ Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience]
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