Dr. Aileru
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Wake Forest University (WFU) officially kicked-off a new undergraduate neuroscience training cooperative prior to a regional student neuroscience conference held March 26-27.
The collaboration on the new training cooperative is designed to increase minority participation in neuroscience, education and research. It will provide a neuroscience minor degree program for five students at WSSU, who will complete additional courses at WSSU and WFU over a two-year period. At least one semester of research is also required.
“The Department of Life Sciences is excited to offer this neuroscience degree minor,” said Dr. Donna Durham-Pierre, department chair. “This will serve as a stepping stone for students who are interested in graduate programs in neuroscience.”
Dr. Azeez Aileru, professor of neurobiology at WSSU and director of the university Biomedical Research Infrastructure Center (BRIC), was instrumental in developing the collaborative agreement between the two universities. He also was the keynote speaker at the pre-conference banquet that served as the official kick-off of the cooperative effort.
“BRIC and the Department of Life Sciences at WSSU have a critical mass of neuroscientists and we need to build upon these strengths,” Aileru said. “Our goal is to create a neuroscience training ground for our students in which this program will firmly stand.”
Aileru also emphasized that underrepresentation of minorities in the biomedical sciences is well-documented, especially in neuroscience. In 2006, approximately 60 of the 483 neuroscience degrees were awarded to underrepresented minorities, with only 3 percent going to African Americans.
“A 2005 survey noted that only 3 percent of U.S. citizens who are postdoctoral trainees in neuroscience are African American, Hispanic or Native American,” added Aileru. “Consequently, the neuroscience program at WSSU will continue to support the goal of increasing minority participation. Consequently, this will increase the involvement of minorities in important research areas such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.”
The actual conference, Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast, provided opportunities for undergraduate students to present their research results and obtain feedback from neuroscientists, as well as to participate in workshops and learn about cutting-edge research in the field. This year’s conference was hosted by Wake Forest with Winston-Salem State hosting the pre-conference banquet.
