Daniel J. Brasier
- Courses10
- Reviews14
- School: Carnegie Mellon University
- Campus:
- Department: Biology
- Email address: Join to see
- Phone: Join to see
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Location:
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA - 15213 - Dates at Carnegie Mellon University: January 2014 - December 2019
- Office Hours: Join to see
N/A
Would take again: Yes
For Credit: Yes
0
0
Mandatory
Awesome
I took Dr. Brasier's Neurobiology of Disease, He was an amazing professor, and is a truly great man. There is a ton of participation points awarded for the class, so you absolutely have to attend. I took the class and learned 100% of the material through his lectures and my class notes, so the "Psychopharmacology" textbook is not needed at all.
Biography
Carnegie Mellon University - Biology
Experience
Carnegie Mellon University
Lecturer
Daniel worked at Carnegie Mellon University as a Lecturer
UCSF
Postdoc
Daniel worked at UCSF as a Postdoc
Education
University of California San Diego
Ph.D.
Neuroscience
Publications
Controversies in Neuroscience: A Literature-Based Course for First Year Undergraduates that Improves Scientific Confidence While Teaching Concepts
The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE)
Abstract: Controversies in Neuroscience is a half-semester elective for first year science students at Carnegie Mellon University with an emphasis on discussing primary literature to highlight current research topics and to introduce students to neuroscience. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching first-year students using a literature-only approach, we took advantage of an opportunity to teach the same topics to a traditional textbook-based upper division course as to the first year seminar. Students in both courses took surveys at the beginning and end of the course, and self-reported confidence levels as well as exam scores were compared. At the conclusion of both courses, students reported increased level of comfort with scientific terminology and methodology. In addition, students enrolled in the first-year seminar performed at least as well or better than students involved in the upper division course on exam material. These results suggest that first year students are capable of making great strides in learning and understanding scientific principles strictly through exposure to primary literature, even with little or no access to a standard textbook. Furthermore, introducing students to primary literature-based courses early on in their undergraduate career can increase enthusiasm for learning science and improve confidence with neuroscience concepts and methodology. We therefore conclude that it is valuable to provide students opportunities to critically evaluate scientific literature early in their undergraduate careers.
