winter-2017

SUMMER 2017: ON THE COVER

BASEMENT WIZARDS DEFY THE MAGNET

Behind the breakthrough discoveries and everyday operations of PBS are the invisible superheroes of science – the technical staff who literally make it happen.

Among the many challenges they face is developing technology for use in the fMRI brain scanner, the powerful neuroimaging device that uses electromagnetic current to track blood flow in the brain. Access to the scanner is one of the department’s great attractions, so to speak, and is itself a magnet for top-notch faculty and grad students to the program.

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MICROBIOMES AND MENTAL HEALTH

The microbiome at birth becomes a compelling new target for neuro-psychiatric disorders in exploratory new NIH-funded research

More and more, the microscopic inhabitants of our gut are being shown to play a prominent role in human health. They aid digestion, metabolism and immune-system responses. But their influence hardly ends there. 

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Linda Smith, David Crandall and Karin James talk about how IU Bloomington’s first Emerging Areas of Research initiative, “Learning: Machines, Brains, and Children,” will revolutionize our understanding of how children and robots learn. (Video credit: Cadence Baugh, Multimedia Project Specialist, Office of the Provost)

THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

With support from IU’s first Emerging Areas of Research Grant, a large-scale investigation, titled “Learning: Brains, Machines and Children,” is ready to launch. The team, led by Linda Smith, includes eight PBS faculty members and four researchers from the School of Informatics and Computing.

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GRADUATION CELEBRATION 2017

Photos Essay: Scenes from the Annual Psychological + Brain Sciences Graduation Celebration

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SHAPING GENDER AND STEM POLICY

In the midst of an eventful spring semester, PBS professor Mary Murphy went to Buenos Aires to participate in a United Nations conference on gender equality in STEM disciplines.

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PBS GRAD FINDS HER DREAM JOB

In the run up to her May 6 graduation, PBS major Sydney Brotheridge was busy learning Swahili. Why is a senior who is about to begin a job as a researcher so intent on gaining this new skill in her final weeks of college?

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Also in this issue:

IN THE NEWS

The latest updates on PBS students, faculty, staff and alumni making news headlines

GENEROSITY FROM WITHIN

2016 faculty support exceeds $275,00

Due largely to the university’s For All Bicentennial Campaign, PBS received a tremendous and unprecedented boost in support this year.

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A RETROSPECTIVE TRIBUTE

Carol (Peffley) Nicholas' extraordinary $328,000 estate gift

The department's first academic advisor continues to leave an indelible mark.

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