Center for Transdisciplinary Training
The DevSci Center for Transdisciplinary Training provides a cross-campus umbrella for interdisciplinary training on how early development shapes the lifespan. Spanning from neural mechanisms to community-based intervention application, the center offers a DevSci Cluster for graduate trainees and a variety of student support including didactic and experiential training in the “art and the science” of transdisciplinary developmental science research. It is also designed as a springboard for training grants and opportunities for trainees at all levels to participate in this integrative scientific network.
The center supports the following students:
Undergraduate Research
As part of the institute’s larger initiative to foster training in the developmental sciences at Northwestern, DevSci offers an abbreviated summer course, delivered via a combination of weekly guest lecturers, peer discussion, and flipped/hybrid format instruction.
The goals of this seminar are to:
- Provide undergraduate researchers with learning experiences that supplement their in-lab training.
- Create a forum for students to ask questions—of each other as well as the seminar leaders—that they may not have opportunities to raise in their lab spaces.
The seminar is meant to enrich your summer research experience and expand your breadth of knowledge about methodologies employed in the developmental sciences.
Interested in finding out more?
- Contact Dr. Jessica Horowitz, DevSci Associate Director
"Participating in the DevSci Summer Seminar as an undergraduate student equipped me with crucial foundational research skills and a sense of community among like-minded peers. I gained invaluable insights from scientists across diverse career stages, offering a vivid glimpse into the potential trajectory of my own research journey. The culmination of this enriching experience was the creation and presentation of my first scientific poster, marking a significant milestone in both my personal and professional development."
— Natalie Turner, BS Neuroscience, '23
Graduate Student Cluster
Students in the DevSci graduate student cluster have access to a host of supports including eligibility for seed funding grants and access to experts in developmental science. Additional resources include a certificate program, training grant support, seed funding, and a student fellowship. The DevSci cluster is designed to provide the next generation of developmental scientists with the theoretical and technical tools to advance the DevSci mission.
Medical Students Feinberg School of Medicine
Research and scholarly activity are central pillars of inquiry-driven medical student education and professional development at Feinberg. Medical students at NUFSM complete an independent Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC) project, which provides a practical, closely mentored opportunity for scholarly skills development and often results in peer-reviewed publications. DevSci Institute welcomes and encourages these medical students to seek a lab with one of our DevSci faculty affiliates for their AOSC project.
In addition, interested medical students can join our cluster and attend events and participate in professional development opportunities, including our data blitz and poster presentations.
Mental Health, Earlier T32 Post-doctoral Fellowship
Postdoctoral fellows play a vital role in the intellectual community and contribute to innovative scholarship across all areas, including DevSci. Become a DevSci PostDoc affiliate and join colleagues at events, join our NIMH T32 postdoc fellows at our Mental Health, Earlier Transdisciplinary RDoC weekly seminar series, give invited talks and participate in other DevSci projects.
Interested in finding out more?
- Contact Dr. Jessica Horowitz, DevSci Associate Director