Students with a combined interest in neuroscience and the environment will now have a new avenue to pursue their studies at Brock University.<\/p>\n
The University has launched an Environmental Neuroscience stream in the Centre for Neuroscience within the Faculty of Mathematics and Science.<\/p>\n
Through the new channel, students will be prepared for a plethora of career options ranging from biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms to artificial intelligence, robotics and game development.<\/p>\n
The skills learned in the stream will have a wide and lasting impact on Canadians as a whole.\u00a0 Government institutes, such as Environment Canada and the Institute of Health Research, need graduates trained to understand the connection between behaviour and the environment in order to create new and better policies.<\/p>\n
The idea for the stream, which draws upon courses offered by the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and Centre for Neuroscience, originated from the ESRC Transdisciplinary Hub project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been rewarding to team-up with the Centre for Neuroscience in developing and offering a stream which innovatively considers the environment in relation to brains and behaviour in humans and other species,\u201d said ESRC Director Ryan Plummer.<\/p>\n
For example, Environmental Neuroscience may look at how interacting with urban greenspace may reduce psychopathology through improvements in neurocognitive functioning, which, in turn, may increase social interactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs natural and built environments continue to evolve, it is more important now than ever before to have a profound understanding of how these environmental changes affect the human brain,\u201d said ESRC Co-ordinator Erin Daly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe the stream is a valuable addition to our Centre for Neuroscience offerings,\u201d said Ejaz Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science. \u201cIt\u2019s an excellent example of academic progress and collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n