Undergraduate Studies in Cognitive Science

UpdateFebruary 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)– http://www.rpi.edu/dept/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 (www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/daphne/).– 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