[visionlist] Neuroscience and Cognition Graduate Program in Sao Paulo - Brazil

[Yossi Zana]

A new interdisciplinary graduate program in Neuroscience and Cognition has
just open an application process to select promising candidates. The
selection process is in English and does not require physical presence.
Approved candidates can receive institutional scholarships.

Detailed information can be obtained in our homepage
ppgnc.ufabc.edu.br/index_en.html



*Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Cognition: A New Opportunity*

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*Anticipating the future is a strategic advantage *

In the late twentieth century, groups of researchers met in the United
States to study, in an interdisciplinary way, the interactions between
living and artificial systems, with the stated goal of designing devices
that enables the improvement of cognitive capabilities, health and physical
capacity of man and thus produce, in theory, a greater social good. These
studies gave rise to what was called converging technologies, with active
research groups in Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan. The
converging technologies are the union of four areas of science and
technology that have in common the fact that they are recent and important
for the development  of the economy and society in general. The proposal is
that they walk interconnected to contribute to the improvement of mankind. They
are nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and neuroscience
(or cognitive science). In Brazil, the Center for Strategic Studies and
Management, social organization under the Ministry of Science and
Technology, acknowledged the importance of these areas under the national
interests.


*New jobs in a rapidly changing world *

There are several sectors of activity in the field of knowledge related to
neuroscience and cognition will be highly strategic. Neuroeconomics, for
example, is the study of how the mind interacts with the external
environment to generate economic behavior. The cognitive ergonomics is the
scientific discipline related to understanding interactions between humans
and other elements of a system, providing theoretical support to facilitate
this interaction. Cognitive ergonomists contribute to the design and
evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems in order to
make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of
people. Neuromarketing
is a new field of neuroscience, which studies the neurobiological bases of
consumer behavior, identifying the desires, impulses and motivations of
people through the study of physiological reactions in the different
stimuli. It is also increasing and deepening the strategic knowledge in
neuroeducation, an interdisciplinary field that combines neuroscience,
psychology and education to create better teaching methods and curricula. This
area has incorporated recent advances in studies on memory, language and
other topics of cognitive neuroscience to develop better strategies for
teaching and learning. Another approach in neuroeducation is understanding
how cognitive and mental disorders can alter student learning and how
teachers can collaborate with other professionals to help identify problems
in the classroom, to facilitate the social inclusion of students affected.

*Contemporary theme with an interdisciplinary approach *

Scientific research in neuroscience follows innovation trends observed
globally. Technological development has enabled recent advances in
understanding the operation of the brain, allowing the study of mental
functions by neuroimaging techniques. Observing and intervening in different
hierarchical plans, from molecular to behavioral, neuroscience addresses the
interaction between the levels of organization of the nervous system. Moreover,
advances in understanding and treating mental disorders in a population with
a longer life prospect, like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and epilepsy, have
received enormous contribution by the association of areas such as genetics,
neuropsychology and bioengineering. In fact, the interdisciplinary approach
to solving real problems is a tendency in the contemporary world.


*Course of excellence with the possibility of scholarship *

The Master and Doctoral programs in Neuroscience and Cognition at the
Federal University of ABC (UFABC) started its activity in early 2011. The
first selection process will start on March 10, 2011 and the activities of
the program in May. The program is fundamentally interdisciplinary,
integrating different fields of knowledge, and aims at training highly
qualified scientific personnel to enable them to engage in teaching,
research and development. All the faculty have Doctoral degrees and
expertise in research attested by numerous publications in international
journals. The program is composed of courses with interdisciplinary
characteristics, aiming at training skilled professionals capable of
integrating knowledge into innovative projects. Consistent with this
proposal, the graduate students will be encouraged to fulfill credits taking
courses offered by other graduate programs within and outside the UFABC. The
Master and Doctoral programs in Neuroscience and Cognition will  provide
scholarships from the institution and research funding agencies to selected
students.


More information: ppgnc.ufabc.edu.br/index_en.html







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Prof. Dr. Yossi Zana
Núcleo de Cognição e Sistemas Complexos (NCSC)
Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC)
Universidade Federal do ABC

Homepage: ncsc.ufabc.edu.br
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