Undergraduate Studies in Cognitive Science Update February 3, 2010

B.S. in Cognitive Science Approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quick approval by Provost, President, Board of Trustees, and New York State Day of Celebration?!? Students can now declare Cognitive Science as major or add as dual major

Curriculum for BS in Cognitive Science Basic Math /Science –Calc. I + II, Discrete Structures or Diff. Eq. –Comp Sci I, Data Structures, Intro to Algorithms –Intro to Biology 10 core courses: –Minds & Machines –Introduction to Cognitive Science –Introduction to Logic –Experimental Methods and Statistics –Cognitive Psychology –Behavioral Neuroscience –Introduction to Artificial Intelligence –Cognitive Modeling / Programming for AI and Cog Sci –Sensation and Perception / Structure of Language –Phil of AI / Knowledge and Rationality / Metaphysics & Consciousness 2 Electives –Cog Sci related courses from PHIL, PSYC, CSCI, and a few others) Undergraduate Thesis

Possible Dual Majors COGS / CSCI COGS / MATH COGS / GSAS COGS / PSYC COGS / PHIL COGS / PHYS? COGS / COMM? COGS / BIOL?? COGS / CSE?? COGS / BMED??

COGS prefix Cognitive Science related courses will be listed under COGS Please know that the COGS prefix is not going to count towards either Humanities or Social Science credit. –If a course has a Humanities component, we’ll cross-list it with PHIL. If a course has a Social Science component, we cross-list with PSYC

Minors No minors have been defined (yet) for COGS. We need to think about this: –What concentrations? Artificial Intelligence? Cognitive Technology? Cognitive Modeling? –Which courses and how many? Remember we do have Cog Sci related minors: –PSYC: minor in Cognition –PHIL: minor in Logic, Computation, and Mind

Other Concentrations and Programs GSAS has Cognitive Science concentration –Contact: Elizabeth Large IT has Cognitive Science track (as well as Psychology track) –Contact: Bram van Heuveln 5 year Masters in Management in Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship program with Cognitive Science track –Contact: Jeff Durgee 5 year Co-Terminal (M.S. and B.S.) degree program –Contact: Brett Fajen

Minds & Machines Program Used to serve as undergraduate Cognitive Science program Will get more narrow (original) focus, and bring ‘Machines’ back in its vision. Program in “Cognitive Technology”: –Artificial Intelligence –Cognitive Robotics –Synthetic Characters Students “joining” the “program” will be expected to take certain specific courses and engage in undergraduate research, mostly in RAIR lab.

M&M Seminar After this semester, the 1 credit “M&M Seminar” will either be discontinued, or it will follow more the format of the graduate seminar: –Read paper beforehand –Generate Question –Write 1 paper –Register for “Issues in Cognitive Science” at 400 level –Restricted to COGS majors?

Undergraduate Research Cog Sci students are strongly encouraged to do hands- on research Undergraduate Research Program (URP) – –Fill out URP form: You have to write a 500+ words proposal! for course credit (deadline: 2/8) –Also fill out an Independent Study/URP Registration form for $ (deadline: 2/12) –Summer URP: $3500 stipend for 10-week summer research under guidance of professor Deadline of Application: February 19 Research can be used to do Senior Thesis

LEGO Robotics The Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) is looking for students to work with local middle and high school students in LEGO Robotics activities. –Possibility of full-time summer jobs! –Contact: Melissa Hershey

Research Assistantship - Human Learning, Video Games and Brain Plasticity Brain and Vision Laboratory, department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, U. of Rochester, Rochester NY Two-year research assistantship to study the effects of video game playing on decision making, cognition and transfer of learning ( –designing/programming experiments, –scheduling/testing subjects, –analyzing data (behavioral, eye tracking and brain imaging- MRI). For those interested in gaining experience in the field before entering a graduate program. Contact: Daphne Bavelier at U. Rochester

Paperwork Declare or add Cognitive Science Major –Fill out Change of Major form –Advisor: Bram van Heuveln –Curriculum Coordinator: Betty Osganian (Carnegie 108) 1 credit for lectures –Fill out Independent Study form 200/400 PHIL/PSYC “Minds and Machines Seminar” Senior Thesis/Capstone Project –Find thesis advisor –Fill out Thesis Registration form URP –Fill out URP form –For credit: Fill out Independent Study form as well Credits to be determined by project advisor Deadline: course add deadline: Monday, 2/8 –For $: Find faculty member with $! Deadline: 2/12